This week as we take our “Monday Morning Minute” together, we are focusing our hearts on Prayer and formulating a strategy for it. In this article, I wanted to share some of the resources I use or created to help my heart and mind stay focused as I come before the throne of God in prayer each day.
If you want to grow closer to the Lord, you must set aside time for prayer, for how can you draw close to Someone with Whom you never speak? In the workshop I did on prayer at Teach Them Diligently this year, we discussed that in order to have a more passionate and powerful prayer time, we must understand that we are approaching the throne of a King. Yes, we are able to approach that throne at any time, which is an amazing thing in and of itself, but we need to do so with great humility and awe.
Sometimes, I wonder if we have not so exalted Christ as our Friend and Father (both of which are true of Him) that we have downplayed Christ as Almighty Creator and King. The God with Whom we can talk freely has the power to change lives, rebuild marriages, heal wounds and sicknesses, and intervene in any situation we have before us. Come Boldly!
To have this passionate and powerful prayer time, though, we must have a strategy. There are so many distractions and road blocks to prayer that too many times we will neglect it if we don’t.
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This is a printable I created with verses that help guide you as you pray for your children each day. Honestly, these are things you would want to pray for yourself, your husband, and your friends as well. I would love for you to download it and make it part of your regular prayer routine. I keep copies of this list above my treadmill, in my Bible and devotions bag, by my bed, etc. to make it easy to find verses to pray when I’m prompted to.This is a great way to pray, for it helps to keep you focused on one thing at a time. You will find that by slowing down and focusing on Adoration of Christ for Who He is first, you will worship Him far better. You will get a clearer glimpse of His power and majesty as well as His love and care for you and those you care about.
At the end of the time of Adoration, I always find that I can hardly hold back the Confession. When I see Christ as He is, I cannot help but see how far short of that I truly fall.
Next, Thanksgiving pours naturally out of a heart that is cleansed and in good fellowship with God.
Finally, there is a time of Supplication, where you bring your requests before the throne of the One you have already noted is powerful and loving enough to answer. This is my absolute favorite way to pray.
This resource is one I put together to give you verses and explanation for all of these elements of prayer. Try it out– your prayers will be more focused when you do!
This is a blank version of the prayer calendar I created for our families. It is for you to personalize. I have one with names of ladies in our church. I am able to be reminded to pray for them on that day each month, and I generally send a text or Facebook message to let them know I am praying for them and ask about any needs they may have. This is a quick way to stay connected to the people God has placed in your life. I would love for you to use this among the ladies in your church or homeschool group! Pass around several copies, allowing the ladies to put their name and contact info in a different block on each page. You will be amazed at how much closer you feel to people that you pray for regularly!!
I like to write out my prayers, for it helps me stay focused and pour my heart out to God without as many distractions. I do not weigh my words, for my prayer journals are very personal– I just write to God. It is through these journals or diaries that I have also found that God directs my attention to verses that may be well-hidden in the recesses of my brain, but are perfectly helpful for the very moment I am in.
In addition to writing my prayers in journals or calendars, I have made prayer lists in notebooks that have tabs for each unique section. There are as many ways to handle a prayer list as there are individuals.
In my personal prayer diary, I have sections for my husband and each child. I also have sections for my parents, sister and her family, and my in-laws. From there, I have sections for family, friends, Teach Them Diligently families, marriages in distress, health issues I am asked to pray about, etc.
Often simply seeing the tab will remind me of the prayer requests on that page, and the act of writing them down cements them in my mind. I am amazed how often the Lord prompts me to pray for those who have asked me to. If you would like to be added to my prayer list, please never hesitate to ask me to pray. God has given me a great burden for all your families, and it would be my pleasure to join with you in praying for the needs you have.
This is a nice little app if you like to keep track of things electronically. You can even set up a prayer schedule that your device will remind you of– IE: Monday, pray for family. Tuesday, pray for church friends and leaders. Etc. In this app, you can set up different headings and note answers and changes just like you can on paper. I tend to use this app for many of the TTD family requests, so I can keep them all in one place. The downside to this app is that it does not sync between devices (at least last time I tried to.) So, I keep most of the lists on my Ipad for use when I am sitting for specific prayer times. Requests that are urgent or timely, I will put on my phone with an alert, so I get a reminder to pray for them.
This is such a small list of resources, but I pray that it is enough to inspire you to start a passionate and powerful prayer life of your own. God is wanting to have that fellowship with you! He desires that you cast your care upon Him, for He cares for you more than you can even imagine. With the right strategy and a committed heart and mind, today can be the start of your passionate and powerful prayer life!
What are some of your favorite prayer resources or ideas? Tell me in the comments below– I am always looking for new ideas! 🙂
For the Sake of His Name,
Leslie
Did you miss our last Monday Morning Minute? Click here to pick up a printable and some ideas about Daystarter verses!!
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