In a world that is increasingly busy and full of distractions, prayer can tend to fall by the wayside. Yet simultaneously, we all would say and believe that prayer is important, but often it’s far from focus in our walk with the Lord. We forget or are overwhelmed by the call to pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and at all times (Ephesians 6:18).
I’m convinced that prayer is an essential part of everything I do, and yet I still struggle to pray as I should. Knowing it’s how I align my heart and mind with God’s will and that He is the one who works in and through me (Philippians 2:13), you’d think I wouldn’t need help, but daily I still do.
Because I consistently want to grow in prayer, I’ve sought out ways to help me have a more frequent and in-depth prayer life. Based on my experience, here are 10 things that have helped me in prayer, and that I pray will help you.
1. Prayer Journal
To me, journaling your prayers—basically, writing down what you pray, or at least listing what you prayed for—is helpful because you can see a record of what you’ve prayed for and how God has answered prayers over time. A past answered prayer emboldens and enlivens current prayers. There are many different ways you can do this, and many types of journals you can use. Personally, I like using an “interleaved Bible,” which includes a blank page next to every page of printed Scripture. It’s based on the Jonathan Edwards Blank Bible, which had blank pages stitched in by hand. (Thankfully, now you can buy a Bible with blank pages instead of having to sew them in yourself.) As I read the interleaved Bible, I use the blank pages to write down my prayers and my observations on the verses I’ve read.
2. Pray Scripture
Not sure what to pray for or find your mind wandering in prayer? Then pray God’s Word (which is His will) back to Him, but not in a rote way – in a Spirit-led way (Ephesians 6:18a). George Mueller used it in his prayer life, and found it much more effective than trying to focus his own thoughts. He said this transformed his spiritual life; he would pray and ask the Lord to guide him, then slowly read, meditating on the words (ruminating; reflecting for depth, not breadth), pausing on passages, and then praying them to God. He said it led to spontaneous words of confession, thanksgiving, supplication, adoration, and more.
3. Prayer Cards
Here I write down things to pray for on index cards or Post-it Notes to stick in places where I’ll see them. Having these reminders of specific people and situations to pray for helps keep your prayer life focused upward and outward, and not inward or narcissistic. For this practical way, I highly commend Paul Miller’s A Praying Life.
4. Prayer Reminders on Phone
While smartphones can often serve as a distraction that keeps us away from time in prayer, you can use your phone to help you pray more. Set recurring daily alarms as reminders to pray for specific people or things at specific times. For example, if someone you know needs prayer and her birthday is June 28, you could set a reminder to pray each day at 6:28. Or you might pray for The Life Initiative at 1:39 PM, based on Psalm 139.
5. Positions of Prayer
God made us body, mind, and soul, and you see throughout the Scriptures people praying in various physical ways. I have found this to be incredibly helpful for me in pleading (hands raised like a child to their Father), in surrender (kneeling with my face to the ground), in asking for healing (laying on hands), and more. Consider changing your physical posture while in prayer. When you pray, do you ever look up as Jesus did (Luke 9:16)? Sit and rest (1 Chronicles 17:16)? Humbly kneel or bow down (Psalm 95:6)? Raise your hands in praise and surrender (1 Timothy 2:8)? All of these (and more) are depicted in the Scriptures, and I find that they help align my heart with my prayer. I start every day on my knees, in glad submission, asking the Lord to guide me, confessing that apart from Him I can do nothing.
6. Share and Prayer
Everyone is facing a battle of their own. If we would just stop and ask, we’d hear of pain and regret, which give opportunity to pray. James 5:16 says to “confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” With other Christians, whenever someone confesses a sin to you, remember to respond by confessing your own sin and then praying for each other. Nothing dispels accusation and condemnation like hearing a confession in response to your own and then being covered in prayer.
7. Pray Before Projects or Meetings
Projects or tasks that need to be done can serve as reminders to pray. We tell our kids, “Pray before projects.” Whether it’s opening a LEGO set or driving on the way to school or a soccer game, praying before starting something is a way to bring God into it, giving the time to Him and asking Him for wisdom. One time I had to fix something on my wife’s car. My son Hill was helping me. We got stuck and frustrated, because I’m not a good mechanic. Then we remembered – “We didn’t pray!” We stopped what we were doing, prayed, asked God for wisdom, and the ideas and solution came. So many times someone in our house has been so frustrated because they’ve lost something; after looking without success, we stop and pray. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve ended up finding it after we pray because a location to look comes to mind.
8. Practice Walk-By Prayer
If I know that a coworker has a specific prayer request, I’ll pray for them each time I walk past their office (or cubicle). Depending on where they sit, that might mean I pray for them several times each workday, or just every once in a while. I don’t stop to tell them that I am praying for them, or at least not every time I walk by; I might tell them once that I’ve been praying for them regularly. It’s been amazing to see some answered prayers come from that practice. You could do this with neighbors’ houses as you drive by, other churches you pass, coworkers, roommates’ doors, lockers in school, and more.
9. Pray in the Moment
In the past, when someone would share a concern or ask for prayer, I’d often find myself saying that “I’ll pray for you”—and then not always remembering to follow through on that promise. So now, instead of responding that way, I try to respond by just praying, right then and there. If the request is through text message or email, I can then reply with “I’m praying for you right now” or “My wife and I prayed for you.” Recently a person was working on our house and had cut his hand; I laid my hands on him and prayed for him. Later that week, his coworker and I began discussing faith; within moments, we stood on our driveway as he prayed to place his faith in Christ.
10. Pray With (and for) Your Church
Sometimes praying for extended periods of time can be intimidating, but as you pray with others you’ll grow in your faith and be encouraged to pray more. Did you know that Watermark has a prayer service each Sunday at 5 PM in the Chapel? Or that you can receive Watermark Family Prayer emails with prayer requests from our body, or submit your own prayer requests? As a church, we are devoted to prayer, and there are multiple ways to join with others regularly in praying for each other.
You don’t have to do all 10 of these things. But even if you just pick one thing that you’re not currently doing, you’ll see fruit born as you stay in daily dependence upon the Lord and see what He has ordained: that God often moves by the prayers of His people.
