Organizing and
Using A Prayer List

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

There are many ways to organize and use a prayer list. I have heard people talk as if one method is "the best" or "better" than any others. However, we are not given an absolute method in scripture. There is no command that says, "Ye shall pray for every missionary your church supports and every member of your church by name and specifically every day that ye live." There is not a command that says, "Ye shall pray through your entire prayer list daily without fail, and ye shall do so first thing in the morning." Sorry. It's just not there. And, in all honesty, this is a relief. There is nothing at all wrong with many of these methods, and some are commendable, but it is not a law from the Lord that we do it just this way or we're "not right with God".

We are not bound to follow any individual's prize method or personal standards. We are not bound by some high but irrational ideal of how prayer ought to be done. We should each be led of the Spirit to do what is appropriate and works well for us. God has allowed great liberty in this matter; more than some people care to admit.

I would like to offer here a few ways of organizing a prayer list that might be helpful to someone. These are not given by inspiration of God. They are not guaranteed to work for anyone. They are just a sampling of some ways that you might try to see if any work well for you.

There are different explanations that are given for the verse "Pray without ceasing." 1Thess. 5:17 I suppose some of the monastic sorts would claim that this means to be given totally to prayer at all times. (Thus their need to be shut away from the world in a monastery, which is plainly not biblical.) It has also been said that this means we are to have our minds in a prayerful state at all times. That sounds good and may be correct, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. However, by letting the scripture be its' own commentary it seems more likely to mean that we are not to stop praying. In other words, we are to keep on keeping on; to persevere in prayer on a regular basis. 1 Samuel 12:23 says, Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way: This seems to confirm the last idea.

So, let's look at a few methods that might help you, your family, or your church to keep praying faithfully.

The Prayer Box

The prayer box is a simple method for praying for missionaries, but it can be used just as well for praying for a large assortment of people in general. Since kids do well with pictures (not to say that adults don't as well) this method is good for a family prayer "list" since you can provide photos of many of the people so the children can remember who it is they are praying for. This helps beginner readers as well and children who are not reading yet. With the pictures in front of them it's a lot easier to remember who they are supposed to pray for - even in the middle of their prayer. ;-)

To make a prayer box you will need:

A card/recipe box
Sturdy index cards to fit the size of the box
Glue or two sided tape
A pen and pencil
Photos of the people you will be praying for (in a suitable size to fit on the cards)
Prayer cards of missionaries (in suitable sizes)

If you are using a recipe box you may wish to recover the outside with something appropriate for a prayer box.

Making the cards is quite easy. Simply glue or tape one or two pictures to the front of each card depending upon the size. Add the people's names and continuous requests in ink. Add any temporary requests in pencil so that they can be erased later. On the back of each card you may wish to add the person's or people's addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. This will make it easier to contact them for further information about requests.

For missionaries whose prayer cards don't fit the box, simply cut down the picture and add the information on their card to the back of yours.

In addition to the pictures you may wish to add to each card one or two other ongoing requests that do not require a photo. For example, if you have children it is a useful idea to add requests on the cards for the future spouses of each one. You might also add requests regarding work, school, health, etc. for various members of the family.

To Use Your Prayer Box:

Establish a method to use you prayer box. You may try different methods till you find the one that fits you or your family the best.

At family prayer time, you may wish to pass the box around and have each family member take a card and pray for those requests by turn. This works well if you have a large family as you can easily cover a number of requests without a lot of hassles or time spent thinking of requests.

You may decide to have each person take and pray for several cards daily either in family prayer or in private. (Note: If you remove the cards from the the box for extended periods of time, though, they may "disappear".) If you are using the box for your personal prayer time you may want to pray for a certain number of cards each day, or you may want to vary the numbers depending upon the time schedules and duties or various days of the week.

This prayer box works very well for praying for large numbers of missionaries. Some people have a strong desire to pray for missionaries but find the list can get burdensome if it's allowed to become too long. With the prayer box you can add as many cards as you wish, but if you daily take a few from the front, pray for them and move them to the back, you can know that you will get through the whole lot eventually. It also might work well for you to simply prayer for one or two missionaries at the end of each meal, or when you get up in the morning and then again when you go to bed for the night.

The Prayer Scrapbook

This is pretty much the same idea as the prayer box, but it is laid out in a scrapbook or photo album or other book of that nature. Simply add the photos, requests and other information on the pages of the book. Be sure not to overload each page if you are making it to use with small children.

For personal use you may add as many people and requests to each page as you wish. Decide how many pages you think you could pray through each day and divide your requests accordingly. If it turns out to be too many or too few you can pray for more or less depending on you needs.

My family has used both of the above methods and found them to be very useful. I only wish that we had saved the box and the album when we changed methods since they would have made some really interesting "family heirlooms". Keep this in mind if you use these methods yourself. It would interesting in later years to look back and see some of the folks you prayed for and maybe remember how the requests were answered.

To be continued.