The first paradise in Genesis and the final paradise in Revelation have one important thing in common: God walking freely among us. The lush garden of Genesis and the glittering jewels of Revelation are meaningless apart from their Author, whose beauty is unmatched. In His presence is the greatest bliss, and to be thrown out of His presence is what they call Hell.

How strange, therefore, that it’s so common to neglect prayer, the one Christian practice that overtly seeks His presence. Jesus often felt that a night of unbroken prayer was better than a night of sleep, and so He prayed all night. To many, this physical sacrifice for spiritual gain would seem absurd. The real absurdity is to neglect what our Lord so cherished.

But because prayer is so neglected, many of us would benefit from certain tools as we engage the practice. Perhaps we read a few psalms before we pray and let those inspired prayers inspire ours. Perhaps we let the mighty prayers in The Valley of Vision guide ours and, like training wheels, give language to our prayers until we are more equipped to proceed on our own. Perhaps we read books such as Tim Keller’s Prayer to help us better understand it. Perhaps we join a Prayer Triplet.

However we engage prayer, let’s engage it seriously. The more we bask in the presence of our beautiful Lord, the more we will find the fruits of paradise blooming in us, even now.