How do you remember all the prayer requests that come through your email, your twitter, your blog, face-to-face - from your family & friends... my question is...
Do you really pray?!
I've been wanting to share with you how I handle the many prayer requests that come my way for quite some time now. Not just the ones from others but mine as well. It's a system that the Lord laid on my heart in 1998 and I've been praying for others - intercession - ever since.
But before I share "my system" - I thought I would give you the history, the story, of how this even became a matter of importance to me. God got my attention about intercessory prayer with this conversation:
Friend: Penny, can I share a prayer request with you?
Me: Sure. Are you ok?
Friend: Not really. {insert prayer request}
Me: Wow! Thank you so much for sharing this with me.
I will certainly join you in praying for this matter.
Then... because this was on a Sunday morning, I continued on my way with Sunday morning activities. Then of course Monday morning work followed... then Tuesday through Saturday stuff that seemed to consume my every minute.
Now it's Sunday again and I see my friend. She comes up to me, gives me a hug and thanks me for praying for her. She shared with me that she certainly felt the presence of the Lord this past week and she just knew it was because I had been praying.
My heart sank. I might have said a few small prayers at that very moment, while walking away from our conversation - but I must admit I had totally forgotten to pray once my week got started.
We've all been at this exact spot! But here's the deal... PRAYER IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE DO FOR PEOPLE!!!
1. It is not a last resort - it's the first thing we should do
2. It is not a one time sentence - it's something we should do without ceasing. We should pray until we get an answer - be persistent in our prayers.
3. If you say you're going to pray... PRAY!! Be reliable in your praying!
So... after I felt horrible for not really giving my friend the attention she asked for and deserved - this is what the Lord told me to do...
1. Write them down! Yes, it's really this simple! I carry a small prayer journal with me in my purse. I don't write out the prayers - that's what I do in my intimate prayer time with the Lord. This is just a list of people's prayer requests.
A. Number them
B. Date them - this is the date you received the initial request
C. Brief description of the request
2. When you've got alone time with God - pray over your list. Pray over your list until you get an answer. Use the list to encourage your friends & family. Email, call, text, tweet, facebook them to let them know you are still praying for (their request). This will GREATLY encourage them to know that people are REALLY praying for them!
3. When they/you receive an answer - record it!
A. Highlight the entire request
B. Date it - put the date God answered that request - I know you will be encouraged to see God's timing!
C. Record how it was answered. Be honest here. In my book I have record when God says No, Yes, and Wait. I even put smiley faces, and sometimes frowny faces, or just confused faces.
Here's what an old one of my prayer request journals looks like (the picture is fuzzy on purpose):
Several things will happen as a result:
1. You will see the provision of God. You will see yellow page after yellow page - God does still answer prayers!
2. You will become a faithful prayer warrior! People will begin to know you as a woman who prays!
3. You're life will be more blessed because you are praying for you friends!
Job 42:10 "God restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends."
This is just my way of being a faithful pray-er!
How do you keep up with prayer requests?
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