"A Praying Life" (chapters 28-29)

A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World
By Paul E. Miller

Praying in Real Life: Part 5

“Using Prayer Tools” - Chapter 28

• Why do most people write down their schedules, but most Christians do not write down prayer requests?
• The bottom line is we don’t write down our prayer requests because we don’t take prayer seriously. We don’t think it works.
• Paul prayed for many churches and individuals by name; he likely had an extensive prayer list.
• Using a written system to pray for people helps us to connect to their lives and be genuinely interested.

Disabled by the Fall

• We are not normal children learning how to pray; we are disabled by the Fall.
• We have a disorder that hinders our ability to talk with God.
• Written aides help us talk with God.
• Some feel that using a written system makes prayer “less natural,” but this is based on a false romantic idea that if it doesn’t feel “natural” then it isn’t real.
• We think spiritual things—if done right—should just flow. But if you have a disability, nothing flows in the beginning.
• Prayer will not feel “natural” at first, but we must persist, especially during the learning stages.
• Prayer journals and prayer cards are a couple of systems that can guide our prayer lives.

Be Careful of Systems

• Systems can be useful, but if we are not careful they can also become rote and robotic, desensitizing us to God as a person.
• We can easily become mindless or wooden as we pray.
• The other side of the coin is to be suspicious of all systems, thinking that it quenches the Spirit.
• But we all use systems with things that are important to us.
• So, well designed systems have a place in our prayer lives, as long as we don’t allow them to make our prayer lives wooden or robotic. They need to be able to flex along with real life.
• “Life is both holding hands and scrubbing floors. It is both being and doing. Prayer journals or prayer cards are on the ‘scrubbing floors’ side of life. Praying like a child is on the ‘holding hands’ side of life. We need both.”

“Keeping Track of the Story: Using Prayer Cards” - Chapter 29

Guidelines for Prayer Cards

• The card functions like a prayer snapshot of a person’s life.
• Linger over a prayer card for only a few seconds while praying.
• Put the Word to work by writing a Scripture verse on the card that expresses the request for that particular person or situation.
• The card doesn’t change much over time. Every once in a while, add another line.
• It’s not necessary to write down answers to prayer. They will be obvious and remembered since the cards are seen almost every day.
• Putting a date to the prayer card is optional.

Prayer Cards vs. List

• A prayer card focuses on one person or area of your life.
• It allows you to look at the person or situation from multiple perspectives.
• Over time, it helps you to reflect on what God does in response to your prayers.
• You begin to see patterns, and slowly a story unfolds that you find yourself drawn into.
• A list tends to be more mechanical.
• We can get overwhelmed with the number of things to pray for.
• Because items on a list are so disconnected, it is hard to maintain the discipline to pray.
• Having only one card in front of you at a time keeps you focused, and you can concentrate on that person or need.

Prayer Cards for Family

• Have a separate card for each member of the family.
• Have specific requests for various areas of his/her life – physical, spiritual, academic, career, etc.
• Write Scripture for one ore more of the prayer areas to pray God’s Word for them.
• Have “big” and “small” prayers.
• See how God writes the story and answers your prayers over time.

People in Suffering

• It is easy to get overwhelmed in praying for the needs of those in suffering, especially when the diagnosis isn’t clear or there is no end in sight.
• Don’t just tell people that you are “praying for them” but add them to a card dedicated to people going through suffering.
• You will be better connected with them and can follow up.

Non-Christians

• Have at least one card for non-Christians that you are praying for.
• Pray for specific areas of their life, or areas where they are struggling with the claims of the gospel.
• Watch how God may draw them to himself over time, using a variety of different circumstances in their lives.

Friends

• We won’t regularly pray for friends if we do not write them down and make it a part of our life of prayer.

Building a Deck of Cards

• Some cards can be prayed through daily; others can be rotated one or two cards a day.
• It doesn’t have to become overwhelming.
• Use prayer time to write them out over a period of time. Slowly build your prayer cards.
• Begin with a partial card and add items over time.
• The hardest part of writing out prayer cards isn’t the time; it’s our unbelief.
• We seldom feel unbelief directly—it lurks behind the feelings that will surface if we start to write prayer cards.
• We might be skeptical at first or feel like it is unnatural.
• In reality they will help us to be regular and personal in prayer.

Get Dirty

• Prayer is asking God to incarnate, “to get dirty” in your life.
• Take Jesus at his word; ask him; tell him what you want; get dirty – in the nitty gritty of life.
• Don’t fall into the trap of busyness.
• “If you try to seize the day, the day will eventually break you. Seize the corner of his garment and don’t let go until he blesses you. He will reshape the day.”