Prayer appears to be the least effective thing we can do. I often think to myself, “God, I have so much work to do today, there’s no way I can make the time to just talk to you.” I couldn’t be more off base with that thought. Prayer is the least utilized yet most powerful weapon in our spiritual life.

We pray to acknowledge our weakness. To ask for God’s strength and power to work through us. To move mountains. To move God. One hundred percent of our prayers are heard by God, and 100% are answered by Him as yes, no, or later.

Jesus prayed to connect with the Father and to set an example. He makes it clear that it’s important for us. Unfortunately, just knowing it’s important doesn’t make it happen.

My prayer list was growing longer and longer, and I felt like Ethel and Lucy in the chocolate factory trying to keep up.

I needed a system. It’s overwhelming to pray for everyone every day, so I created an organized document to keep track of all of the people and things for which I’m praying.  [To download a blank PowerPoint template of the prayer guide I use, click here. For a Keynote version, click here.]

At the top, I have my Top 10 lists–people I’m praying will come to faith in Jesus. I have an Athens Top 10 and a Life Top 10 for family and friends who live in other cities.

Then I have a friends and family list. I put the names of my immediate family under the every day category. I then split the remaining family and friends into Monday – Sunday.

My next category is ministry, with the men I work closest with under the every day category, as well as areas of ministry responsibility. I split other ministry contacts into each day, with around four people under each day of the week.

I have a financial supporters’ box for people who have partnered with our ministry that we are praying for that week. I have a thanksgiving box where I praise God for how he’s blessed me, and a confession box for sin I want to regularly repent of and pray God strips from me. Finally, I have a general requests box where I write in prayers as I hear them from people throughout the week.

To be honest, I don’t use this guide as often as I should. It’s incredibly helpful and it gives me direction in my time spent praying to God.

What do you do to organize your prayer life?