Praying Daily - Part 1

I think when Christians promise to pray for someone, they honestly intend to do so. I don't think we promise to pray for one another without any intention to actually pray for the people we promised to pray for.

Good intentions aside, how can we actually pray for the people we committed to pray for?

Let me share with you how I go about praying for the people I promised to pray for.

When we actually get down to it, there are so many people and things to pray for. But the problem is, even though there may be so much to pray for, daily prayer can be dull and seem repetitive. I mean, how many different ways can we pray for our church, spouses, children, friends, etc.? Particularly if we are praying for these same people on a regular basis.

I have found the following method very helpful in keeping my promise to pray for the people I promise to pray for, and to keep from having these be repetitive.

I have divided the days of the week into different prayer categories. Here's my weekly prayer schedule.

Mondays - World Mission, Global Church, Denomination. This is the day I pray for our mission partners in Uganda and Russia. This is the day I pray for people in the denomination and the greater church and for what God is doing in the world.

Tuesdays - Family. This is the day I pray for my wife, kids, parents, siblings, etc.

Wednesdays - Friends. This is the day I pray for my friends.

Thursdays - Trinity Presbyterian Church. This is the day I pray for the specific prayer requests of the people in the church I serve. I pray for the leaders of the church. I pray for the things that God is doing at Trinity.

Fridays - Weekend. I pray specifically for what God will do through Trinity's ministry to impact the lives of people. I pray for the sermon and the worship experience. I pray for the Sunday School and the Bible Studies and its leaders.

Saturdays - General Prayer. I pray for whatever God places on my heart on this day. I pray to get ready to encounter God in worship on Sunday.

By dividing up my prayers into these categories by day, I've found that it helps to keep my prayer life fresh, and that I can make sure that I pray for the people that I promise to be praying for.

May the bless you and the ones you are praying for.