2 Awesome Prayer Practices

Although we can never fully understand all the facets of prayer, we can and should continue to make prayer a vital part of our lives. This week, I’d like to offer two creative ideas I hope will enrich your prayer life.

Pray Alphabetically

Although I used to sleep very soundly for most of my life, in recent years I’ve developed the unfortunate habit of waking up about 3:00 – 4:00 a.m. and not being able to get back to sleep. Once my brain “kicks in,” I know it’s all over. Mind you, I seldom worry. Instead, I think – sometimes excitedly – about what the new day holds. Regardless of my mental state, the result is the same:  I’m awake.

Several years ago, I read about a lady who addressed her middle-of-the-night sleeplessness by praying for people based on their names, i.e., starting with someone whose first or last name begins with the letter “A,” them moving on to a “B” person, then a “C” person, and so on. I adopted this habit bout a year ago.

Beyond praying for current friends, I’m amazed how God brings people to mind who I may not have thought of for years. Because I’m trying to keep my brain in neutral as long as possible so I can get back to sleep, I don’t linger very long on any name. Somehow this practice is so soothing, that I sometimes only make it halfway through the alphabet before returning to dreamland.

Unfortunately for “J” people, I know dozens of Jasons, Jacobs, Jims, Justins. Joes, Jeremys, etc. so they don’t get much “airtime.” At the other extreme, I know only one person with an “X” name:  Ramona Xiques, a girl from high school I took on one date. So, she shows up almost every time, assuming I stay awake long enough.

Break Your Prayer Requests Down

We all have a handful of very close people we regularly pray for, often every day. Everyone has layered, complex needs. When praying for these very special people, I often find myself either praying very general, high-level prayers or racing through a whole list of requests without much real engagement. If you do the same, try this instead.

Set up a multi-day “rotation” where you pray specifically for a different aspect of their lives each day. For example:

·       Day 1 – Pray for their spiritual life and walk with Jesus

·       Day 2 – Pray for their relationships

·       Day 3 – Pray for any of their current challenges, opportunities or struggles you know of

·       Day 4 – Pray for other life circumstance needs:  work, health, finances, etc.

Of course, on any day you can pray beyond the particular category, and these are just suggested groupings. You might want to include fewer or more days or develop different categories. Be creative in how you structure your prayers for these dear friends and family members.

These practices are certainly not “magic,” but they might expand your desire to pray for others. Let me know what you think.