1. Do you have a prayer list to write down your prayer requests?
Sometimes our prayer life might be dry because we don’t know what to pray for. A prayer list can help by reminding us.
My prayer list contains several hundred items. That might seem daunting, but it isn’t—I don’t pray for all of them every day. I have different
items to pray on different days. I pray for my family and emergencies lists every day. But on other days I have lists for: my friends, goals, and ministries. To make sure I don’t sin and “fail” to pray for people, I keep this list. I can do each day’s prayer list in ten minutes or much longer, depending on what I feel led and able to do. Without the list, I would often feel “listless” (pun intended) and unclear of what to do and how to pray.
2. Do you practice listening prayer?
Sometimes our prayer life is dry because we run out of things to say. Actually
that might be the best thing. Why? Because it might prompt us to listen to the Lord. I’m convinced that often we talk too much and simply need to be quiet and listen more. Ecclesiastes has this warning:
“Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather
than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. A dream comes when there are many cares, and many words mark the speech of a fool.” (Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 NIV)
Listening prayer is one of my favorite kinds of prayer, because I don’t have to think about what to say and I’d far rather hear what God has to say to me than to talk all the time. Jeremiah goes so far as to say:
"The shepherds are
senseless and do not inquire of the Lord; so they do not prosper and all their flock is scattered.” (Jeremiah 10:21 NIV)
Also, Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).
3. Do you keep track of answered prayers in a written list?
When we pray and God answers, we should be careful to remember our answered prayers. Too often our prayer life seems dry because we forget or overlook God’s answers.
The story is told of a guy who was wandering around a parking lot searching desperately for a spot. He was late for a meeting. Finally, he prayed, “God, if you’ll give me a parking space, I’ll go to church every Sunday for the rest of the year.” Immediately he came upon a parking space at which point he looked heavenward and said, “Never mind Lord, I found one.”
Isn’t that often what we do? We forget God’s answers to our prayers and therefore lose motivation to continue in prayer. Yet, what does 1 Thessalonians encourage us to do?
"Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
A great way to avoid losing motivation is to keep track of our answered prayers in a written list. It can be a brief reminder, or it can be an entire story you've journaled.
Remembering and thanking God for answered prayer is vital. Find a way to record God’s answers to your prayers. Then, when discouraged in prayer, you can look back and remember what He has done in the past.
For more resources to help you grow in your walk with Christ, visit my blog: markalanwilliams.net
