It seems like there are so many more
things to be praying for today. Maybe it’s
just that communication has improved and hearing prayer requests isn’t limited
to a few minutes during the Sunday service.
It would be an easy thing to pray all
day and not run out of people or situations to pray for. Our cities, our countries, our world needs
prayer. Our families. Our friends, both the most intimate and the
most casual. Our friend’s cousin’s
brother-in-law. I remember once when I
was younger, I made a list on the inside cover of my Bible of people I wanted
to pray for. It was at least fifty
people long.
How do you choose what to pray
for? It’s an honest statement to say
that there are only so many minutes and hours in the day we can spend in
concentrated prayer. And of course,
prayer is communication, so here’s hoping that a good amount of your time in
prayer is spent listening and not talking.
So how do you choose what to pray
for?
Here are some suggestions:
Pray
for what and who you have authority and influence over. Praying for your spouse, your children,
your subordinates at your job, your own home, and other areas that you have
authority over is more effective than praying for your friend’s cousin’s brother-in-law. We are in a battle. Make sure to take care of your own front
line.
Pray
for what is important to those who are important to you. Besides being a method of change and
interacting with God, prayer is encouraging to those who receive it. I have prayed over friends’ injuries and
concerns, knowing that the knowing that someone is praying for them is almost
as important as the praying itself.
Pray
for what God tells you is important. Sometimes
God stirs us up about something. I
remember a few years ago finding out that someone I knew casually was ill. To be honest, most of the time, I pray for a
person and then don’t return to it, but for some reason this time I felt
compelled to pray for her regularly.
Other times you might feel like you need to pray for someone without knowing
why they need it. That’s the time to
pray.
Pray
when you tell someone you will. If someone
asks you to pray for them, do it. Even
better if you do it right that moment, with them. That way, you won’t forget to do it and
because they get the extra blessing of eavesdropping on your conversation with
God.
Do you find yourself overwhelmed by what needs prayed for? How
do you choose what you are going to pray about?
