How To Pray Intentionally

You read about people in the Bible praying for long periods of time and you wish you could do that, but how? Stories of prayer warriors like “Praying John Hyde" and George Muller intrigue you, but you think that kind of praying is only for the super spiritual.How does anyone ever pray for more than ten minutes at a time? I hear Christians commonly saying, “I run out of things to pray about and my mind wanders after more than ten minutes.” And for some, even ten minutes is a stretch.Saying those things make us feel guilty and most wish they prayed more, but have no idea how.It’s really quite simple: establish a written prayer list and pray through it daily.When I started writing out a prayer list, it revolutionized my praying. I’ve heard all the excuses why some say they do not believe in keeping a prayer list, but I’ve never met anyone who spent considerable dedicated time in prayer, who did not keep a list.Here are just some of the benefits of a prayer list:

• A list helps you keep track of requests other believers ask you to pray for, that you typically just forget.
• A list helps you remember the most pressing needs of the people you care most about, and to actually pray for those needs.
• A list helps you stay focused while you are praying, so that your mind does not wander.
• A list helps build your faith as you cross items off that God answers.
• A list helps you to regularly express gratitude for God’s goodness.
• A list keeps you praying about things that matter most.

There are some really good reasons for Christians to establish and maintain a prayer list. But let’s face it, while we give excuses why we don’t, it really comes down to prayer being as important to us as the things that we do plan for and make time to accomplish.Take a step forward in becoming a prayer warrior by establishing a prayer list.