My Prayer List Is Too Long!
When you start to think about all the things we can pray for, the list becomes endless:
- Family needs,
- Friends,
- Co-workers,
- Unbelievers,
- Sick and suffering,
- Church workers,
- Teachers,
- Missionaries,
- The nation,
- Unreached people groups,
- My enemies,
- Starving children,
- People in slavery,
- etc., etc., etc.,
- not to mention praise and thanksgiving!
What Should I Do?
I want to be a "good" Christian so I feel like I should pray for everything and everyone. Yet I know that in reality I find it hard just to pray for the few people closest to me. What should I do?
- Skip the guilt. You will never be a "good" Christian, because there is no one good but God. Pray to God because you love Him and want to build a relationship with Him, not because you feel like you have to live up to some super Christian standard.
- Admit you can't pray for everyone. Go ahead and admit it. It is impossible. Whew! Don't you feel better now?
- Choose to pray for the number of people that is right for you. God made all of us different. Some are prayer warriors, some are evangelists, some are teachers, etc. Do we all need to pray? Yes! Do we all need to have a prayer list that takes a hour to pray through? No. Find a balance that is comfortable for you. Always remember to keep prayer a joy not a chore.
- Go for quality over quantity. I recommend praying more fervently and specifically for a few than just going through a long list of "bless so and so".
- Divide up your list. Take your prayer list and divide in up so you pray for certain people on specific days. For example, pray for co-workers on Monday and relatives on Tuesday and church workers on Wednesday, etc.
Stop the guilt trip and start to pray with joy to a loving God who just wants to hear from His children. Do it today. Why not do it now?
Questions: How do you handle the guilty feeling that you need to pray for everyone?
by Jerry Wyrick, President of Worship Arts Conservatory