Day 76: prayer - pt. 3 When? (START)

In my college days I struggled with my daily disciplines of faith. I would go long periods of not reading my Bible, be sporadic with tithing, and undisciplined with my prayer. I attended church pretty regularly but that was about it. I decided that I needed to be more consistent in my prayer life, so I got organized – that’s just how my brain works.


I listed out everyone I knew and had regular interaction with.


Everyone.


My friends, coworkers, classmates, family, neighbors, etc.


Everyone.


I then added up the names on the list & divided by 7. I put each of those lists on a separate sheet of paper in a notebook and that was my daily prayer list. When I prayed for that person I put a check next to the name. Then I began filling the notebook.


That worked for a while and helped me develop regular rhythm. The act of praying for others grew into praying for other things in life – those other components we talked about yesterday.


Eventually though, it became rote, and I was just going through the motions. So, I mixed it up.

 


Here’s my point. We’ve learned what prayer is & what all the parts are. But, there’s still a hurdle with many people of exactly when to do it and how to develop a habit.


There are a lot of examples out there and you have to find what works for you.

 


I have a friend who developed a ‘please and thank you’ pattern. He started his day by saying, “God, today please ____.” And then he filled in the blank – for his family, himself, his job, etc.


In the evening he would say, “God, today thank you for ____.” And he would fill in the blanks.


That worked for him.

 


I’m trying something new right now by utilizing my lunchbreak at work and praying certain words each day. Hopefully that will work for me. I’ll keep you posted.

 


What works for you?

Try different things & see what sticks.

Look at your schedule and figure out what you can be consistent with.


Pray out loud.

Pray quietly.

Pray at meals.

Pray in small groups at church.


Practice. Practice. Practice.

 


Thoughts to Pray/Journal:

  1. What is a system that may work for you? What would that possibly look like and how can you begin implementing something today?
  2. What have you tried in the past & how has it worked or not worked?

 


Reading:

Catch up day!