This is part 2 in a series on helps for personal prayer.  In Part 1, we looked at a helpful pattern for prayer and at turning our Bible reading into prayers.  Today’s focus is on praying for other people.  Let’s look at suggestions for praying the roles and relationships in our lives.  Let’s face it, when most of us pray for other people, we usually tell God what”s wrong with someone else (just in case God didn’t already know) and then ask God to fix THEM.

Somewhere, I read something that encouraged me to think a little differently when I pray for other people.  Instead of complaining about somebody to God, it might be better to thank God for putting that person in my life in the first place.  Then I pray for me to be a good ____ (whatever my role is in the other person’s life). Continue Reading…

Along with words to encourage you or help you to encourage others, I hope to provide resources or training to help us live out our faith.  This is the first in a series on helps for your personal prayer life.  Coming tomorrow, helpful resources to pray for all the relationships in your life, for missionaries and your pastor.  Today’s focus will be on a helpful pattern for prayer and using the Bible to help pray for friends who already know God and for friends who need to know God better.

Many people have found prayer particularly challenging.  They muster up all their self-discipline and courage.  They get on their knees and then say, “What do I do now?!”  Personally, I have often found it helpful to have a variety of resources available to help me stay focused during prayer.  I share this not because I am a spiritual giant with much to offer.  I share these because I often find it such a struggle to get started in prayer and even after getting started to then stay focused.

Perhaps the most helpful resource I have ever found for prayer is God’s Word itself.  Sometimes we pray way too mildly because we may not be sure that something is God’s will.  When we turn Bible verses that we are reading into actual prayers for ourselves and others, we can be pretty sure we are praying in God’s will.  Keep reading for some helpful examples.

I may be a little unusual, but I have often found a countdown timer extremely helpful.  If I have set aside a certain span of time for prayer, I found that I would be checking the clock way too often to make sure I didn’t go overtime—like that’s a real worry!  I found that if I set a countdown timer, my mind is no longer distracted by the clock.

Finally, I have often found a pattern of prayer has helped me to stay focused and balanced in my prayers. Continue Reading…