Prayer requests and lists

 

The days that we set aside for prayer requests are some of my favorite days on this study blog. It's so inspiring to me to learn of answered prayer, and to rejoice along with prayer warriors who have seen God's working in their lives, or in the lives of those they've prayed for.

It's a somber time, as well, as I learn of new needs that are posted, and I ache for ones who are experiencing the need for God's touch. It's humbling to be able to post when God has answered my own prayers -- and how uplifting to be able to give Him the glory!

I'd like to talk about something practical today, something that may help us with our prayer life. 

Are we committed to prayer?

Do we keep a prayer list?

It's great to "talk the talk" and make a commitment to prayer. It's difficult, though, to keep that commitment without some structure to our approach. If we want to be reliable and faithful in prayer, we will want to keep focused. A prayer list can help with that. Now, I'm talking about more than a superficial type of thing. In the Christian school that I attended, it was sometimes an offhand remark, "I'll add that to my prayer list." And if I'm honest, sometimes I plain, out and out forgot -- other times, that issue or person dropped off my list fairly quickly. I didn't stay focused. And to tell you the truth, I didn't actually have a list, as in here's-a-sheet-of-paper or here's-my-notebook kind of list.

And another thing - it's one thing to create a long list; it's still another to actually utilize the list and not let it overwhelm us. It's a real temptation to start listing everyone that we know we need to pray for. But I'm here to tell you, it's a whole different ballgame when we use some categories!

What do I mean?

I'd like to give some examples. I'm not setting myself up as a paragon here, just letting you know what works for me. Your categories may be totally different from mine!

For me, the first category is thanksgiving. What are we thankful for? It's easy to jot down the basics, like family, health, and even material blessings from God. Let's dig deeper. What are some ways that God has provided for us over the long haul? Do we belong to a church that values the Word? Has God led us to friends that sharpen our commitment to Him? Has He provided for us emotionally, by sending people our way who love Him? Are there financial needs for which He has abundantly blessed us? If we raise our head and look around us, do we see evidence of His purpose and His love? All of these help us to realize that even the circumstances we find ourselves in are ordered by the Lord. Of course, I also praise Him for my salvation!

My next category is godliness - personal godliness. I know (oh, boy, do I know!) I have several areas that I sorely need to grow in. As I walk here on this earth and try to be more like Him, I totally get that I'm lacking in personal godliness. I have a lot on my plate: so I pray for focus, for self-discipline, and for an increase in energy. I have a lot of character work to do: so I pray for compassion, for humility, and for gentleness in my relationships. I also pray that I'll be sensitive and molded by the Word. Finally, I ask God to help me identify ways that I need to change -- I want to walk with His Spirit and bring glory to Him.

This is just a start today. I hope to revisit this topic each week and provide practical tips for a prayer list that will help us be faithful prayer warriors.

If you have a prayer request or a praise, won't you let us know in the comments?