Daily Prayer Guide for Christians: Learning to Pray Fervently Every Day
Posted: Friday, January 27, 2012
by Mogama
http://www.mogama.info
You are a Christian, a real one, and wholeheartedly believes in the value and power of prayer. You surely want to pray … “without ceasing” … “fervently”. But most times when you get through reading your Bible and get to praying time, your mind first goes blank before it wanders off into fogs of concerns, ideas, thoughts, everywhere but a focus on Christ and prayer. Or you start praying, and it seems like you're just making your way through a laundry list. Of course, this makes your praying boring. Without anyone saying it, you know: “My prayer life stinks!”
For much of my Christian life that described my frustration. I used to admire, and, at the same time, envy some religious people when I watched them pray. They always knew when to pray, what to say, how to sit, stand, bow, etc. Then it dawned on me: Do I really want my praying to be that mechanical? I began thinking more about Christian praying, and here is some of what I discovered.
You see, p rayer is one area where Christian faith is to be freshly expressed in the beauty of liberty in variety. The New Testament Scriptures do not give us any single template for where to pray, when to pray or how to pray. For example, Christians do not have a particular direction to face or posture to take when praying. The early New Testament Christians did not leave us a format for written or memorized prayers, though we may use such prayers if they have not become dry and meaningless by repetition. Praying fresh prayers every day is both a blessed opportunity and a daring challenge that can make or break any true Christian’s prayer life.
Personally, my prayer life has been most enriched when I pray extemporaneously and straight from the heart. Yet I have found that a basic blueprint can make all the difference in covering a broader array of prayer concerns. What's needed is a balance between structure (so you know what to pray for) and flow (so your praying remains fervent). With a simple prayer guide the Christian can cover prayer needs that are personal (self and family), congregational (church and group), national (country and state), and global (nations).
After reading several books on Christian praying, the following is a simple prayer guide that I have used for years now. On average it takes about 15 minutes, though any one of these prayer sessions can be stretched to 30 minutes, an hour or longer. Usually I launch my prayer from the Bible passage I read that day.
Everyday Start of Prayer: Begin with a song. Welcome the Holy Spirit and yield to Him to lead you in prayer. Ask for and receive cleansing for purity and integrity for today. Praise and thank the Father for who He is and what He does. Appreciate Jesus Christ, your Savior and Lord.
Everyday End of Prayer: Speak words of faith and hope over you and others. Commit to a closer walk and deeper fellowship with Christ. Be still to hear God and commit to loving and obeying the Lord throughout the day.
On Monday: Pray for … the institution of marriage / family; some marriages / families you know; ministries to families and family ministry organizations; your marriage / family, extended family, in-laws; other needs / names.
On Tuesday: Pray for … lost people by name; God’s kingdom to advance; country / state / government (public officials); other nations; persecuted Christians; other needs / names.
On Wednesday: Pray for … the Universal Church (the Body of Christ); local churches; para-church ministries (Radio, TV, Web, NGOs); evangelists and missionaries; for you to be a faithful witness for Christ; other needs / names.
On Thursday: Pray for … the business community; businesses and business owners; your personal economy / finance, especially to become/live debt-free; investment / retirement account; other needs and names.
On Friday: Pray for … friends; education system; schools, colleges and universities; people in sports, entertainment and the media; the weekend ministries at your church; other needs / names.
On Saturday & Sunday: Pray for … open requests / miscellaneous needs, as you prepare for and look forward to fellowship and worship with your church family.
To download a FREE copy of the Daily Prayer Guide, click HERE. ~mogama~
You see, p rayer is one area where Christian faith is to be freshly expressed in the beauty of liberty in variety. The New Testament Scriptures do not give us any single template for where to pray, when to pray or how to pray. For example, Christians do not have a particular direction to face or posture to take when praying. The early New Testament Christians did not leave us a format for written or memorized prayers, though we may use such prayers if they have not become dry and meaningless by repetition. Praying fresh prayers every day is both a blessed opportunity and a daring challenge that can make or break any true Christian’s prayer life.
Personally, my prayer life has been most enriched when I pray extemporaneously and straight from the heart. Yet I have found that a basic blueprint can make all the difference in covering a broader array of prayer concerns. What's needed is a balance between structure (so you know what to pray for) and flow (so your praying remains fervent). With a simple prayer guide the Christian can cover prayer needs that are personal (self and family), congregational (church and group), national (country and state), and global (nations).
After reading several books on Christian praying, the following is a simple prayer guide that I have used for years now. On average it takes about 15 minutes, though any one of these prayer sessions can be stretched to 30 minutes, an hour or longer. Usually I launch my prayer from the Bible passage I read that day.
Everyday Start of Prayer: Begin with a song. Welcome the Holy Spirit and yield to Him to lead you in prayer. Ask for and receive cleansing for purity and integrity for today. Praise and thank the Father for who He is and what He does. Appreciate Jesus Christ, your Savior and Lord.
Everyday End of Prayer: Speak words of faith and hope over you and others. Commit to a closer walk and deeper fellowship with Christ. Be still to hear God and commit to loving and obeying the Lord throughout the day.
On Monday: Pray for … the institution of marriage / family; some marriages / families you know; ministries to families and family ministry organizations; your marriage / family, extended family, in-laws; other needs / names.
On Tuesday: Pray for … lost people by name; God’s kingdom to advance; country / state / government (public officials); other nations; persecuted Christians; other needs / names.
On Wednesday: Pray for … the Universal Church (the Body of Christ); local churches; para-church ministries (Radio, TV, Web, NGOs); evangelists and missionaries; for you to be a faithful witness for Christ; other needs / names.
On Thursday: Pray for … the business community; businesses and business owners; your personal economy / finance, especially to become/live debt-free; investment / retirement account; other needs and names.
On Friday: Pray for … friends; education system; schools, colleges and universities; people in sports, entertainment and the media; the weekend ministries at your church; other needs / names.
On Saturday & Sunday: Pray for … open requests / miscellaneous needs, as you prepare for and look forward to fellowship and worship with your church family.
To download a FREE copy of the Daily Prayer Guide, click HERE. ~mogama~
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