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A Simple Plan You Can Use for Effective Prayers

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A Simple Plan You Can Use for Effective Prayers

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"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much," assures James 5:16.

As dedicated Christians, we are committed to praying daily. While we're at it, wouldn't it be nice if our prayers were effective in:

  • Drawing us close to God.
  • Transforming our hearts to be more in the work of the Church, thereby causing growth for us personally and for the work collectively.
  • Producing answers because we know they're according to God's will.

The Lord's Plan

We can know this simple plan for effective prayer is God's will because it came from Jesus Christ. Many of us have "The Lord's Prayer" memorized from youth. We know it's a sample outline for prayer rather than a ritual to be muttered.

And what a powerful outline it is! Build a prayer along its lines and you will have your priorities straight instead of a litany of "gimmies." You will start with praise of God. Then talk to Him about the great worldwide work we are privileged to be a part of.

Continuing in unselfish outgoing concern, you ask for daily needs, forgiveness and deliverance from evil for "us." You close with your mind focused on God's Kingdom, power and glory. You will know that it was an effective prayer well worth your time—and God's—and that He will answer it!

While we are "praying without ceasing," that is, in a prayerful attitude and perhaps praying frequently throughout the day (1 Thessalonians 5:17), we might not exactly follow the sample outline. A short prayer might be devoted to one particular topic. Likewise in an emergency, such as hanging from a cliff edge, praying "Help!" might be in order!

But let's not kid ourselves. Something is wrong if we aren't regularly making time to talk to our Creator—showing Him that He really is first in our lives. The easy system below is for those wonderful times when you have planned a half hour or more to really pray in detail. You won't be disappointed!

One Easy System

Use a card file and put each major portion of "The Lord's Prayer" on a separate card, ideally in a special color so they will stand out as dividers.

The first divider card would be "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name." Now on a regular card, jot down items you want to pray in that opening section. For example, "The supreme power of the universe," "Daddy," "Knows sparrows, hairs on head, names of stars," and "Master Timer."

Start with what is already in your heart to praise God. You can add other cards in the days ahead. Don't be surprised if you get an irresistible urge to do a detailed study of God's fascinating names so you can really hallow Him even a fraction of what He deserves.

To jumpstart this opening section of your prayer, read aloud a psalm, perhaps one of David's. It will be well worth your time since David was a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22), the way you want to be. I'm sure God doesn't mind hearing an old favorite again!

I remember Herbert Armstrong commenting that it would be ideal to spend up to 90 percent of prayers just praising God. Imagine that! You will be delighted to find that lasting 30 minutes will no longer be a worry. You will run out of time to pray before you run out of cards.

The second divider card would be "Your Kingdom come. Your will be done." Behind this will come cards about our work, which announces the Kingdom and is surely a major way God carries out His will.

Something wonderful takes place. Your heart begins beating more passionately for the work. You can't wait for the next United News because you know it's a gold mine of details to pray about. And you want to "beat your prayers up fine" so they will be sweet incense to God (Leviticus 16:12). Like any good employee, you want to know all about your organization's leaders and plans.

So instead of seeing a box listing the Council of Elders committees and hurrying on to something "more interesting," you quickly cut it out and paste it onto a card. Now you enjoy praying regularly for the individual committees, their members, chairmen and goals for the year. You determine that if you pray for just two committees each day, and they each have five to six members, you are praying for most of the Council of Elders daily.

When you get to the "daily bread" section, your divider could prominently display "Toby Keith." Even a huge country western fan might not get the connection at first. But this notation could remind you of his recent hit song and your need to pray for others first instead of wanting to "talk about me, me, me, me, me!" It makes for a good inside joke with the Master Humorist (hey, write that down in the first section!), and your prayers will be whole wheat rather than fiberless, empty, puffed-up leaven that the Holy Spirit has to enrich with "groanings" (Romans 8:26) to even resemble a prayer.

Holes in Your Girdle?

Read an article on a new congregation starting in the Philippines? Our work girdles the globe. Does our knowledge and interest stretch enough to contain it all? Or is that country—perhaps the whole area of Southeast Asia—one of the holes in your girdle?

Pull out a new card. Write down the names of the ministry including the wives. Include leading brethren and vital tasks they are responsible for. Note special needs. Jot down statistics. Months later, you'll be thrilled to read of growth—new donors, coworkers, members and accomplishments—since you began praying about it!

By the way, probably you will have looked up the country on your globe or atlas. More than geography, the real education is growing in agape love for an area you once didn't naturally identify with. You may start to think about attending a Feast there some year!

After a few times praying for Gladstone and Alice Chonde and their clinic in Malawi, you'll want to learn more about their lives, the clinic and how God is using them. When you read and pray about special needs and service projects, don't be surprised if you find yourself thinking about how God can use you to do something.

Praying Laborers

"Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest," as Jesus exhorted (Luke 10:2). Sure enough, the Church of God has a critical need for more ministers. But the need for laborers in prayer is surely greater and each of us can do it!

We can stop feeling bad when an announcement thanks us for our prayers but we know, despite good intentions, we forgot. A card will remind us.

If sometimes we feel like just praying from the heart without using the cards, that's fine. We are talking to God. And He calls us friends! Each of us has a unique relationship with Him, and surely no two Christians will use the card system exactly the same. The cards are only a tool to assist us, not enslave us. We should update and remove some of the information from time to time.

That said, try this system—or perhaps the same type of system on your computer—and you will be delighted and excited to experience how powerful it can be in organizing, prioritizing and guiding your thoughts toward maximum effective, fervent prayer.

One of my most important cards reminds me to ask God for "more praying laborers for the ripe harvest." God will answer it! Can we count on you? UN