My prayer profile thus far:
My custom has been to pray throughout the day for people who come to mind, for my family's immediate needs, for peace to return on difficult days, for my headaches or for my husband's and children's health issues to be healed or lessened. In addition to this random, unorganized prayer life (it is far better than nothing), I also pray in an organized, disciplined fashion with my children, and my husband (less often with husband since he works nights and I have to keep a close eye on my Beth all the time--any daytime prayer is very broken and frustrating, between husband and wife here.)
My wrong thinking:
I was wrong to think that my disorganized, random prayers, and my corporate prayers, are enough. Being a busy mom was just an excuse to avoid doing something that has always been hard for me--disciplined, sit-down, private prayer. Keeping myself focused is the issue; my mind wanders the most when I'm at rest. While staying prayer-focused in the midst of husband and children is very easy, there are some issues that seem too personal, or perhaps too hurtful, to pray about in front of my family. This is another reason we need to pray by ourselves--though a deeper relationship with God is the primary reason.
And consider this: Our family members could die in a sudden car accident. Where would we be then, if we didn't have intimacy with our Lord? All things can and will pass away, except for our relationship with God. It must be nurtured.....through prayer.
Writing out my prayers works to keep me focused, but I get fatigued from the handwriting. On a whim, I decided to start a private blog, not found by search engines, for my prayer time.
Day One
Nighttime is the best for me. After putting the boys to bed, I headed to the kitchen to do dishes, wipe down counters and table, and shuffle laundry one last time. My two-year-old woke in the midst of the cleaning, and I nursed her back to sleep. Coming back out, I finished the kitchen and started my new blog, which just took a few minutes, since I already have a Blogger account.
I got through about ten minutes of prayer, which went very well. The typing kept me focused, and I felt close to God. I reread everything I wrote, speaking the words again to my Lord--this time without any typing, of course.
My time was not complete yet, when Beth woke again. She has some issue lately--teething, or post-nasal drip from allergies...I don't really know for sure, but she is fine during the day.
I nursed her back to sleep and I ended up falling asleep in there for about an hour. Coming back out, I prayed for another twenty-five minutes. She woke again before I did my closing, so I closed my prayers while in bed.
As I fell asleep, I did feel closer to God. I am excited and I look forward to a deeper intimacy with Him! It's not that I've felt terribly distant from Him, but I have a desire to experience all that He has for us, in union with Him. I know there's more!
Decide what your own stumbling block is, and brainstorm ways to get around it. Might your solution be a prayer journal, a quieter place, or a different time? Experiment until something begins to work.
I am copying and pasting my prayers--just this once--in case someone needs a model for structuring prayer time. Any structure is fine. There is no right or wrong way to converse with God. It probably seems ridiculous for me to do this, but I am mindful that some people are just beginning their relationships with God, and having some idea for how to proceed might be helpful.
I will post more about structuring prayer later this week.
I fixed the punctuation and such for your easier reading, but when I pray, I don't go back and fix errors. I used the ACTS acronym, because I find my prayers are more complete this way. I kept praying and writing until I couldn't think of anything more for each category.
My custom has been to pray throughout the day for people who come to mind, for my family's immediate needs, for peace to return on difficult days, for my headaches or for my husband's and children's health issues to be healed or lessened. In addition to this random, unorganized prayer life (it is far better than nothing), I also pray in an organized, disciplined fashion with my children, and my husband (less often with husband since he works nights and I have to keep a close eye on my Beth all the time--any daytime prayer is very broken and frustrating, between husband and wife here.)
My wrong thinking:
I was wrong to think that my disorganized, random prayers, and my corporate prayers, are enough. Being a busy mom was just an excuse to avoid doing something that has always been hard for me--disciplined, sit-down, private prayer. Keeping myself focused is the issue; my mind wanders the most when I'm at rest. While staying prayer-focused in the midst of husband and children is very easy, there are some issues that seem too personal, or perhaps too hurtful, to pray about in front of my family. This is another reason we need to pray by ourselves--though a deeper relationship with God is the primary reason.
And consider this: Our family members could die in a sudden car accident. Where would we be then, if we didn't have intimacy with our Lord? All things can and will pass away, except for our relationship with God. It must be nurtured.....through prayer.
Writing out my prayers works to keep me focused, but I get fatigued from the handwriting. On a whim, I decided to start a private blog, not found by search engines, for my prayer time.
Day One
Nighttime is the best for me. After putting the boys to bed, I headed to the kitchen to do dishes, wipe down counters and table, and shuffle laundry one last time. My two-year-old woke in the midst of the cleaning, and I nursed her back to sleep. Coming back out, I finished the kitchen and started my new blog, which just took a few minutes, since I already have a Blogger account.
I got through about ten minutes of prayer, which went very well. The typing kept me focused, and I felt close to God. I reread everything I wrote, speaking the words again to my Lord--this time without any typing, of course.
My time was not complete yet, when Beth woke again. She has some issue lately--teething, or post-nasal drip from allergies...I don't really know for sure, but she is fine during the day.
I nursed her back to sleep and I ended up falling asleep in there for about an hour. Coming back out, I prayed for another twenty-five minutes. She woke again before I did my closing, so I closed my prayers while in bed.
As I fell asleep, I did feel closer to God. I am excited and I look forward to a deeper intimacy with Him! It's not that I've felt terribly distant from Him, but I have a desire to experience all that He has for us, in union with Him. I know there's more!
Decide what your own stumbling block is, and brainstorm ways to get around it. Might your solution be a prayer journal, a quieter place, or a different time? Experiment until something begins to work.
I am copying and pasting my prayers--just this once--in case someone needs a model for structuring prayer time. Any structure is fine. There is no right or wrong way to converse with God. It probably seems ridiculous for me to do this, but I am mindful that some people are just beginning their relationships with God, and having some idea for how to proceed might be helpful.
I will post more about structuring prayer later this week.
I fixed the punctuation and such for your easier reading, but when I pray, I don't go back and fix errors. I used the ACTS acronym, because I find my prayers are more complete this way. I kept praying and writing until I couldn't think of anything more for each category.
Admiration:
You are glorious, magnificent, wonderful, all-knowing, all-powerful, faithful, loving, omniscient, trustworthy, you are mine to love, to honor, to please. You gave it all so I could have peace in my soul, now and forever. I love you.
Confession:
Search my heart, Lord. Show me the ways I was far from you today--far from your spirit and your Word. I am sorry I didn't always respond peaceably and with grace toward my troubled one today. Help me tame my tongue. Help me love him with your patience and grace. Help me to understand his ways, his shortcomings, remind me that he can't help the most annoying things. Show me how he is weak and help me to make him strong, with my love and devotion and belief in him.
Thanksgiving:
Thank you with my whole heart Lord. Thank you for space to raise my children, and appliances to make my days easier. Thank you for used books to delight my homeschoolers. Thank you for creativity and love and laughter and birds and trees and husband's hugs. Thank you for salvation, for forgiveness, for your presence here on Earth. Thank you for the opportunity to be with you in prayer.
Supplication:
Salvation: I ask for salvation for my mother, father, step-father, sister, nephews, niece, brother. May we be with them in Paradise, Father. I ask for salvation for the neighbors on all four sides of us, and down both sides of the street, and in the stores we frequent. May we be a light for you in this community. I ask for salvation for all those on both sides of my extended family--many of whom I don't even know, Father.
Leaders: Give our leaders godly wisdom, give them saving faith, protect our country and its citizens from ugly attacks. Provide your divine grace and blessing and protection to those who have fought and are fighting for our freedom, and for their families, some of whom are grieving their loss. Urge hearts to help them in every way, in their daily lives.
Disasters: Provide divine grace and earthly help to those who lost their loved ones and their homes through disaster. Show them love through their surrounding neighbors and communities. Urge hearts to give, to love, to listen. Give them peace and salvation. May they seek your face.
Husband and children: I pray for daily peace and for a new full-time job for my husband. Give him confidence, wisdom, stamina. Fill him with your love, your divine comfort. Erase the affects of the ADHD, if it be your will. Help him in his leadeship roles--his father role, his husband role. May he seek your face daily, may he rely on your mercies. Help me to honor him with all my deeds and my words. Help me to provide for him what he most needs from me. I pray for a long, saving relationship with you, for all my children, grandchildren, future in-laws. May my children develop deep prayer lives, may they always seek your face in their daily lives and in their trials. May they especially seek your face in choosing spouses. May we have strong, trusting relationships with them always and with their future families. Help us to be healthy enough to help them with their own children, to provide physical and emotional support, despite our old ages. Help us to take care of ourselves a good long time, to avoid being a burden on their young families. Provide grace to them in any situation brought about by our advanced ages. I pray for strong support for them from each other. Bless their friendships with each other always--may they be lasting and full of grace and love. May they somehow stay in the same cities or towns, to provide for each other all that is needed from a loving extended family. I pray for their studies, that they will be hard-working and pursue knowledge with joy and eagerness. Help me to be a loving, patient, kind, attentive teacher--all that they need on a daily basis. Help the younger three with grace toward their brother and his ADHD. If it be your will, may the disorders pass away. May my son learn self-monitoring and self-soothing, so that fits begin to disappear.
I closed these prayers in bed. And then I stayed still, trying to listen for whatever wisdom or love words the Holy Spirit had for me. You can stay still and quiet before your prayers, or after them, as a way to listen. We must listen to, as well as speak to God, so that it's truly a discourse. That's what He wants....discourse with us...true fellowship!
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