Pray Like You Mean It!

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35).

Jesus prayed regularly.

We all know we should as well. So, if we want to get started in the exercise of praying every day, how would one go about it?

There are many ways to pray regularly. Today, I will share with you how I organize my prayer life.

First, I journal my prayers. I write them out. I don’t type. I write them down on paper with pen. The reason I do this is because of the pace. I can’t write as quickly as I type, and certainly not as quickly as I think. The exercise of writing forces me to slow down, slow down my thoughts, slow down my breathing. It is this slowing down that often leads to clarity. Too often, thoughts are rushing at me. Writing thoughts and prayer down forces me to slow down and organize my thoughts.

Second, I divide up my prayers to the following:

• Rejoice – I start my prayer by thanking God. I tell God everything I am thankful for. It’s amazing how starting the day with gratitude has a way of shaping the entire day for gratitude.
• Repent – I confess my sins. I confess my pride. It’s a daily cleansing. I need it because I am a repeat sinner.
• Request – This is where I ask God for his help. I divide up my requests in the following way:
  • Monday – World, missionaries, and friends abroad
  • Tuesday – Family, Helen, Karis, Kaitlin, Kailey, and Kaleb. My parents, Helen’s mom. My sister and her family
  • Wednesday – Friends
  • Thursday – Little Church and Lakewood Grace
  • Friday – Our elders and deacons
  • Saturday – For our staff
  • Sunday – For the weekend services
• Reflect – This is where I write down thoughts and reflections throughout the day.

The whole process normally takes me about thirty to forty-five minutes. You don’t have to pray as long as that. But you do need to pray. Take as long and as short as you need.

This is what works for me. You can try it out for yourself. The main thing is to find a system that works for you.

I will tell you that you will have to work at it. It won’t just happen. You will have to be intentional in carving out the time and space to make it work. However you organize your prayer life, the main thing is to pray every day. Pray like you mean it!