Prayer

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. ...

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. ...

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. ...