Joel Beeke kicked off the 2011 Conference of Pastors (the entire conference is being live-streamed) with an inspiring and convicting message on "Cultivating Private Prayer as a Pastor."

(Notes, audio, and video from the session are now available.)

Beeke says, "Prayer is often treated as the appendix to our work rather than the foundation...The problem is not that we don't pray, but rather it is that we seldomly pray prayerfully."

Prayerful praying requires:

Taking hold of yourself by:

1. Remembering the value of prayer.
2. Maintaining the priority of prayer.
3. Praying with sincerity.
4. Cultivating a life of continual prayer.
5. Working toward organization in intercessory prayer.
6. Reading the Bible for prayer.
7. Keeping a biblical balance in your prayers.

Taking hold of God by:

1. Pleading God's promises in prayer.
2. Clinging to this glorious Trinity in prayer.
3. Believe that God answers prayer.