Developing a Thriving Prayer Relationship

As a work-at-home mom in the ministry, I find that my prayer life often becomes reduced to a list of bullet points.

Have you ever been there?  You get up early so you can squeak in a half-hour with the Lord before the those little bodies with hurricane-like energy wake up and hijack your day. Because you know full well that when they wake there wont be a moment’s rest until you convince them to go back to bed that evening.  And if you’re anything like me, by the time that happens there is simply no energy left to keep your brain cells functioning long enough to have a semi-intelligent conversation with Jesus.

For me, I simply must have my devotions in the morning.

But even my usual wake up time of 5:30 doesn’t generally provide enough time to adequately read, pray and fly through my administration duties before I hear my kids yelling in their room for mommy to come get them.

Thus I have found a few ways to keep my heart in an attitude of prayer throughout the day.

It’s about relationship, not service

This is something the Lord has been speaking to my heart a lot lately.  It will be cropping a lot in my blogging over the next few months. Meaningful and effective prayer must flow from a fountain of relationship.  God isn’t Santa Clause, to whom we send a list of all the things we want – even when those things are biblical and “according to His will”.  He wants to have a deep and growing relationship with you.

We need to be intentional about our prayer life.  Like any other relationship, our relationship with God must include times set aside to be with Him – alone with Him.  Not while we’re cleaning house or driving our children to their track meet.

We need times of silence.  Have you ever found yourself just running through your prayer list from 1-10 and ending with “amen”?  I have. And after weeks of spewing forth my needs, I realize that I haven’t stopped to listen to what God might have to say to me.  To have a relationship with Him, we must allow Him time to speak, too.  Yes, He does speak through His Word, but He also speaks through our prayer times – precious words to our hearts meant only for us.

But apart from these intentional moments alone with the Savior, when it is just the two of us, I find that my prayer list can get so lengthy that I simply don’t have time to pray for all of the needs written down.

So here are a few creative ideas I have come up with that help:

1. Make your kitchen sink your second prayer closet

I have a prayer list taped on the wall above my kitchen sink.  I have found washing dishes to be an excellent time for reflection and prayer.  In fact, I enjoy doing dishes for this very reason.  I often find myself having some of my deepest moments of prayer while at my kitchen sink!

1. Assign certain areas of need for certain days

I often divide my lengthy list up to pray for certain needs on certain days. This way I can give these needs some extra time of intercession instead of trying to fit all of the needs in every day.

1. Assign certain needs to various tasks

This is another way I find that helps me stay focused on praying for all the needs I have.  For example: pray for your church’s needs (pastors, leaders, ministries) while you are washing dishes, unsaved family and friends while you vacuum, and your family’s needs while scrubbing the bathroom.

1. Keep a prayer journal

I have kept a prayer journal of sorts for nearly a decade now.  I divide my journal up into sections: church, unsaved friends and family, my family’s needs, and my friend’s needs. This way, when I tell someone that I am praying for them, I simply write it down in the appropriate section and then date them. I always include a section for answered prayers, so when when a prayer is answered, I cross it off of my list and write the date it was answered on.  This way, when I am feeling discouraged, I can turn to my “Answered prayer” section and see all of the wonderful things He has done!

1. Journal what the Lord speaks

Because prayer is one of the many ways God communicates to us, we should set aside quality time to sit at His feet and listen to His voice. Take a journal with you and write down what He speaks to you.  If He is instructing you to do something, make it a part of your regular list of goals and regularly revisit what the Lord has spoken to you; to remind yourself what He has said and to track your own spiritual growth.

Prayer is a very personal thing that should be unique to each believer.  It isn’t a formula that we follow, because God wants to have a unique relationship with you!  A relationship that fits your unique personality and calling.  These are ideas that have helped me develop a thriving relationship with Him, and I pray that they will inspire you to develop your own unique relationship with Him as well.