When was the last time you spent more than 5 minutes praying? 10 minutes? 30 minutes? Have you done it in the last week? Last month? Ever?
Let me challenge you today to spend 18 minutes praying today. Here are six topics, pray three minutes for each. As you pray, I would encourage you to be as specific as possible. By the way, if you take this challenge, I’d love to hear from you. I’ll be praying that you pray!
Praise and adoration to your Creator (Psalm 63).
- His holiness and purity.
- His creation.
- His goodness and desire to relate to His creation.
- His patience with you.
- The gifts and talents He’s given you.
- His protection.
- His salvation.
Pray for our federal government and its officials (Romans 13:1-7, 1 Timothy 2:1-4).
- Protection, wisdom and any necessary repentance for:
- Our president and his cabinet.
- The Congress.
- Judges.
- Confess any inappropriate attitudes toward those in power.
Pray for your city and your neighborhood (1 Timothy 2:1-4).
- What you love about living here.
- The opportunity to be a positive influence, and an understanding of where you can make a difference for Christ.
- Safe and effective schools.
- Successful and God-honoring businesses.
- Those out of work, the hungry and the homeless.
- Your neighbors and friends.
Pray for your church, the staff members and their families (Exodus 17:10-13).
- Protection of the church and its members.
- Challenge to the church and its members to have a heart for the lost both inside and outside the church.
- Deepening relationships.
- Real confession of and repentance from sin.
- Each staff member, pastor and elder and their families for encouragement, protection and peace.
Pray for your family (Ephesians 13:14-19).
- Thank God for each one in your family.
- That you would be the kind of spouse/parent/child that God desires you to be.
- For wisdom on how to best fulfill your role in your family.
Pray for unsaved friends (John 3:16-21).
- That God would bring more into your life.
- That they would open their hearts and minds to their Creator.
- That you would have a deeper connection with them, including the boldness to share your faith with them.
- That God would bring to mind any that may feel forgotten or abandoned.
1 comment
KellySueLew says:
October 9, 2009 at 11:05 am (UTC -4 )
I am so glad and grateful you put these prayer prompts together,Tom. I tend to spend so much time rushing around and praying on the run that I am never still before God. I enjoyed a wonderful heart to heart communication with God this morning and wondered why I don’t make it a priority to do more often.