Tag Archives: prayer

Theology

Living A Praying Life

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.

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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 →

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Theology

Organizing Your Prayers

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.

organizing your prayers

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?

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Theology

Reese’s Puffs and Impatience

It’s nearly a daily occurrence for me to throw up a half-hearted-mid-chew prayer to God as I eagerly dive into a bowl of Reese’s Puffs.

It’s more than a rushed supplication. It’s an indicator of a deeper issue.

I’m impatient. I’m too impatient to take a half a minute to thank God for his provision. I’m too impatient to consistently and continually seek God in prayer. I’m too impatient to ignore a phone call or text or tweet, so instead I choose to interrupt a conversation with a real, live human being that I’m talking to face-to-face. I’m too impatient to sit down for 20 minutes and write a single blog post in one sitting (this line is being added in during round three). And I’m certainly far too impatient to deal with customer service over the phone.

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It’s hard to be patient (mostly because of the whole waiting thing).

As a result of a constantly connected world, I’m in the habit of constantly disconnecting from God. It’s rare for me to make it much longer than a few moments in the awareness of God’s presence.

I’m impatient because I think the next item will satisfy me more than my current situation.

I think Reese’s Puffs are more satisfying then a moment thanking the God of the universe for providing for me.
I think a tweet or text or call is more satisfying than genuine human connection.
I think something I can buy is more satisfying than Jesus, who has given himself to me freely.

Let’s not let the next moment get in the way of the current one, especially if the current one is with the Lord.

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