Tag Archives: reminders

When Somebody Makes a Prayer Request

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When Somebody Makes a Prayer Request ...

When Somebody Makes a Prayer Request

I think a lot of times people just flippantly say “I’m praying for you” or “I’ll pray for you”, but more often than not, it’s just lip-service.  They may truly mean it at the time, but then they might forget later or not make it a priority.  Sometimes people just don’t know WHAT or HOW to pray for the other person making the prayer request.  Today I’d like to help you out with this by giving you some suggestions for not just offering lip service when a prayer request is made of you and for how to actually pray for that person when they ask.

Pray right then and there

To address the first issue, I’ll give you some tips for how to actually pray for them and not just say that you will.  The first and best piece of advice that I can give you is what works for me.  Stop whatever you are doing, and pray for them right then and there.  You can’t forget to do it later if you do it right now.  It should only take you a couple of minutes, if that.  You don’t even have to pray out loud or even with them if that makes you uncomfortable.  Just take a second to say a silent prayer on their behalf.

Make a note to pray

The next thing you can do is to make yourself a note to pray for them.  Write yourself a reminder to pray for that person later and/or to check on them again to see how they are doing.  I’ve found myself writing things on post-it notes, index cards, adding a note to my phone, or setting a reminder alarm, and I even have a prayer request app on my phone that I use from time to time.  I also write prayers in my quiet time journal. Additionally, the Bible app has a place to make a prayer list.

One thing that I haven’t started yet that I would like to start is a separate prayer journal.  I’d like to have a place where I can write my own prayer requests to God along with others as a physical and tangible list and reminder.  Then I’ll also be able to go back and mark when they were answered.   Maybe a prayer journal would be a good idea for you too?  The point is, when you write things down, it’s easier to remember to do them.  Plus, you have a tangible reminder to do so.

As far as HOW to pray for them…

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Do you use Prayer Cues?

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Do you use prayer cues? Try some of these reminders to use throughout your day...

Do you use Prayer Cues?

The Bible instructs us to pray constantly…

“Pray constantly.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (HCSB)

Previously, I wrote about when and where to pray and several posts on how to pray. Sometimes this can be difficult to remember to do throughout your day unless you have reminders. I know some people who set reminder alerts on their phones to pray at specific times of the day. I think this is a great idea. Something that I have found to be extremely helpful though is to use prayer cues.

Prayer cues are simply visual or auditory reminders to pray for something as you see or hear it. These can be specific things or topics that you have a heart for, certain people in your life, emergency or crisis situations, or even things that frustrate or annoy you.

Use prayer cues to help you pray constantly (1 Thess 5:17).

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A few examples of prayer cues I use

My kids and I started using sirens, emergency vehicles, and/or accident scenes as prayer cues to pray for the potential victims and emergency responders. When we hear sirens or see flashing lights or drive past an accident we say a short prayer for the safety of all involved. We pray for wisdom and guidance for the responders to act quickly and to know exactly what to do. We also pray that God’s presence is evident to those involved.

Some other prayer cues I use are exotic clubs, nightclubs/bars, and casinos. I’ve seen countless families suffer pain and heartache due to the use or misuse of these kinds of establishments. Quite honestly, the first thing I pray is that they will go out of business! Basically, I ask God to place a hedge or barriers around the businesses deterring people from going to them. I pray that the businesses would lose demand therefore causing them to shut down. That’s not all though. I also pray for both the employees and the patrons of these businesses.

Whenever I drive past a strip bar or exotic dance club I pray that the women who work there would come to the knowledge that they are loved by God. I pray for God to provide a healthier and more moral means of income. Additionally, I pray for God to protect and salvage families affected by patrons of the business and for the families of the employees of the business. Finally, I ask God to send laborers to cross their paths, to send people to love on them, and to surround them with God.

God answers the prayers of prayer cues

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Pray Without Ceasing

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Pray Without Ceasing: What does that even mean?

“Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV)

1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing. Some translations of this verse say pray continually or pray without stopping. So what does this even mean? Does mean that I need to sit around for hours at a time praying? I don’t think so. I think this is more about turning our thoughts to God on a regular basis and just talking to him as we do this. To me what it all boils down to is this, to pray without ceasing just means to pray and talk to God throughout your day as an ongoing conversation. Prayer is not a religious ritual. Prayer is a conversation with our father and our friend, and it comes from a place of relationship not rigid or rote protocol.

Prayer is not a religious ritual.

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An “Aha” moment

In my previous blog post about When and Where to Pray, I wrote about how when I was in college I had a sudden realization after reading this verse that there is really no “certain” or “right” time to pray. Growing up, typically prayer times were before meals and at bedtime. I remember reading “Pray without ceasing” and having the thought that God wants to talk to me all day. I just need to pray all the time and not just before meals or bed.

From that point on, I started having a daily, ongoing conversation with God.  I still had regular and more formal times to pray, but more often than not I would just talk to God throughout the day.  This idea of an ongoing conversation gave me the freedom to have a friendship and real relationship with God.  I didn’t even say “amen”. It was just an unending conversation all day long.

Sometimes I imagine this like talking to an invisible friend walking beside me (because he kind of is!). It doesn’t even have to be out loud, but it can be. Sometimes I find myself praying out loud without realizing it. You can imagine some of the strange looks I might get. I remember one time I was walking in the kitchen feeling really frustrated, drained, and overwhelmed. Slightly under my breath (or so I thought), and in a bit of a growl, I pleaded to God saying, “Sustain me”. My husband, Eric apparently overhead. He laughed as he jokingly asked me if I was demon-possessed because all he heard was a growling sound and what he thought was a “SAVE ME”. We got a good laugh about that!

To pray without ceasing just means to ongoing conversation with God.

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Some examples of what “pray without ceasing” might look like on an average day for me

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