I mentioned in a previous post that prayer is part of feeding your soul. While it is nourishing to commune with our Creator, it is also our responsibility to intercede on behalf of others. It is one way we “love others as we love ourselves.” While we sometimes say that prayer is the least we can do in many situations, what we mean usually is that it is the minimum we can do with the expectation that if possible we will do more. But we should do no less. So, how can we be more intentional about this part of our spiritual life?
If you’re like me, people often ask me to pray for them. I always say Yes. And often promptly forget! So, a good habit is to pray WITH that person immediately upon their asking. Why wait? But when that’s not possible, remember that the dullest pencil remembers more than the sharpest mind. Write it down! Praying from a list helps as a starting point, not as a checklist to check off and move on. It allows you to pray more comprehensively and not just for what you happen to have on your mind at the moment you start praying.
So let’s make a list! There are 7 days in a week and ideally you should be praying at some point on all 7 days. So, get a piece of paper and divide it into 7 columns (front & back). Decide first what you will pray for everyday. Write it down on each day. Of all the things I pray for, there are few I pray for every single day. But my family is one of those. And special requests of an urgent nature by others make it onto the daily list for a while (but these usually resolve and fall off the list in due time).
Then, on Day 1 (and all the other days as well) I try to include prayer items that are local, national, and international in scope. My church helps me accomplish much of that. So I pray specifically for the local ministries we are involved with (crises pregnancy center, refugee resettlement, outreaches to single moms, the homeless, urban youth, etc.). There are more than 2 dozen ministries & individuals so I split them up and pray for the rest on other days.
Nationally, I pray for our state Baptist convention and its leaders. In TN that is Randy Davis and the TBC.
Internationally, I have divided up the world by its major ‘Affinities’ so that each is prayed for over the seven days. So, on Day 1 I pray for the mission efforts and leadership of the European and South American affinities. I also pray for two ‘Clusters’ (subsets of the whole Affinity) of missionary personnel in Southeast Asia, a place for which I have a special love having lived there for many years.
So, start YOUR Day 1 list. Include your family and then list people and things you have a heart for locally, nationally, and internationally. Now pray! And check back tomorrow for Day 2 as we continue to build our list!
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