Welcome to our annual Prayer Series! This year, we’re expanding on each of the different prompts that you’ll find in our prayer journal. No journal required to benefit from the practical tips you’ll find here, but if you’d like to check out our 2019 Prayer Journal Collection, click here! Today’s post was written by our Social Manager, Kara.
If you’re choosing to grow your prayer life solely out of discipline or obedience, I have some good news for ya! And maybe you can testify to this too. After we practice putting in the time, it seems that our initial commitment often turns into a joy that generates a more engaged and consistent time with the Lord. And as you start making progress praying for more general (but very important) topics like our world and nation or family, your eyes start to open in a fresh way! You will most likely start recognizing more specific heart-tugs that really need their own time of focused prayer. We have a page every month in our prayer journals with three unnamed sections so that you can go where the spirit leads and expand your prayers beyond the categories we’ve included.
Here are some examples of different things to pray for (some from our very own VMP customers!):
- Your work or a ministry that you’re involved in. If you’re an entrepreneur, Val has even created a series of questions for you to pray for in our Prayer Audit!
- Marriages or friends that are single. Madeline W. prays for each couple for whom she’s been a bridesmaid and we just love it.
- Friends that are pregnant, adopting, or journeying through infertility.
- Your Bible Study or Small Group.
- Remember that word you picked for the year? Create a section with that theme. Gretchen from Well-Watered Women shared this idea with Val last year and her word abundant inspired these prayers: abundant marriage, abundant motherhood, abundant writing (while writing Grumpy Mom!), abundant health
- The gals that you are mentoring / discipling or considering pursuing for that kind of relationship. (Shelby B.)
- Physical, emotional, or spiritual healing for those who are experiencing hurt and pain.
- Lessons from books you are reading. Is there a point from a few books you are reading that you really want to apply to life? Lift those up in prayer in a “Books” session.
- Missionaries around the globe. (A lot of them send out a newsletter letting you know their specific prayer needs!)
- Your kids’ teachers or anyone who has an influence on their lives.
- A big dream the Lord has given you.
These are only a handful of the things that the Lord may place on your heart to fight for in your time of prayer! If you are excited about expanding your prayer life, here are three steps to getting started:
1. Pray. Always the place to start! 😉 Ask the Lord to open your eyes to the needs around you as well as passions and experiences that are unique to you! Not everyone is going to pray for missionaries John and Sylvia in Bulgaria (my own aunt and uncle), but I have been uniquely called to lift them up because of my relationship to them. For you, it might be a local ministry that’s on your heart or a very specific group of people, like hurricane evacuees, because you know their pain only too well after your experience a few years back.
2. Make a list! You might use the blank spaces in one of our prayer journals or blank sheet of paper, but write down the needs that the Lord reveals to you to remind you and keep you focused. Don’t just write down the basic request like “my mission trip to Alaska.” Explore that further. Remember, we’re trying to get specific here! So in addition, you might write down: safe travels for my team, eyes to see the lost, a clear opportunity to share the gospel, unity among our team.
3. Pray. Prayer sandwich here, ya’ll! That’s because we need to be committed to lift this need up. Your prayers matter! If the Lord has revealed this need to you, it’s no small calling. And if prayer warrior is the ultimate goal, think of this as kinda like your special forces. 😉 Depending on the situation, you may be one of the few bringing these specific needs before the Lord. Also, spend time asking if there’s another step you can take to get more involved. While prayer is critical to God’s mission, he also calls us to live out what we’re asking for.
What is a specific area that the Lord has placed on your heart? What passion or need do you need to rally behind?
Want to become a student of prayer? Sign up here to be notified when our NEW online course launches this January!
NEXT: Personal / Big Goals
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