I’ve mentioned to a number of friends what a significant impact the book A Praying Life by Paul Miller has had on me in the last three months. It’s now the book I recommend and give away the most often. God used it in significant ways to change me and draw me to Jesus.

I’ve tried prayer systems that I’ve concocted that I haven’t stuck with. I’ve wanted to be a better pray-er, but I often felt helpless and defeated. Miller suggested a simple system of 3×5 note cards with a person’s name on each card alongside a few requests and a specific verse of scripture. That simple system has worked for me, and I reference the cards multiple times per week. Here are my cards, based mostly on Miller’s suggestions:

• 13 family cards (a combination of individuals and extended sides of the family)
• 1 marriage card (for close friends of ours who are married, all listed on one card)
• 1 work card (things I’m praying would be true in our work)
• 1 repentance card (with 5 things/sins I’m praying God would stomp out in my life)
• 2 ministry cards (for ministries we support, and one specifically for Slovenia)
• 1 dream card (things I’m trusting The Lord for in my life that are fully impossible without him)
• 1 top 10 list (of people I’m praying would come to know Jesus)

Twenty cards that take around 15 minutes to pray through, with a number of specific requests on each. It’s been a delight to see the Lord already answering a number of those prayers in the last three months. This way of praying alone makes the book worth the read. But wait! There’s more.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes that have significantly changed my thinking. Continue reading →