Torch, Spring 1982

explained to me that making a list was the most efficient way to prepare her food menu. First of all, Linda had detailed the days and the meals to be served, who would be at each meal, and what food was to be prepared. Next to this, she had written her grocery store shopping list. This list was in the order of the way she would pass through the store aisles so that she would not have to waste time backtracking. I was really impressed! She had it all so organized. A short time later, after a quick trip to the grocery, we were on our way to the river. About a day later, the thought occurred to me, "My wife is better organized going to the grocery than I am going to the throne of God!" What a reproof this was to me. I believe every part of a Christian's life should be organized. In our Bible reading, we do no flip open our Bibles - we have a plan. In our giving, we do not just reach into our pockets - we have a plan. However, in most Christians' lives, it seems that when it comes to prayer, it is "hit or miss" and mostly miss. God convicted me so much about my haphazard praying that I decided to come up with a system that would help me to remember to pray, to regulate my prayers, and to reinforce my prayers. A Practical Plan for Prayer When we really take time to think through and list the items for which we should be praying, we soon realize it is impossible to cover them every day. Yet, the Scripture teaches us " .. .that men ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18: 1) . I would like to suggest a prayer plan that will help you remember and discipline yourself to pray for a multitude of items on a regular basis. Another important reason for establishing a prayer plan is to keep a record of answered prayer. When we begin to record answers to prayer, it is amazing to see how God is blessing us. I believe Satan does everything in his power to cause us to fail to recognize God's faithfulness to our prayers. Tremendous encourage– ment can be received when we go back over the past several months and review these specific answers. Materials: 3-ring notebook Fine-lined paper Dividers Plain 3" x 5" cards Requests: Spend a half hour listing all the prayer requests that you can think of. Then categorize them. Your categories might include some of the following: Praise Lost Friends Spiritual Needs Missionaries Family Church Personal Ministry Business Christian Friends Miscellaneous Notebook: For inclusion in your notebook, prepare a divider and two sheets of paper for each of the categories that you select. On the first sheet of paper, make four columns as 7 shown below and fill in the information. In the code column, an abbreviation is placed to indicate how often you will pray for that item. D might be used for something you wish to pray for daily. SU might be selected to indicate a request you pray for only on Sunday . Date Date Entered Answered Code Request ~h/r~ °'IJ.S""/~a '/) ~T67YI -~ On the second sheet make two columns. Date Answered :i/1s/s-._ Record of Answered Prayer 4''-<!~f-4-L!-cc .f ,a..u-t ~ 3" x 5" cards: One card is for requests to be prayed for daily. Another' card, called a scratch card, contains short-term and urgent requests that are received on a day-to-day basis. The rest of the cards (one for each day of the week) will have the requests you have coded for that particular day. For example: Sunday Monday 'P~"w "' ~-~ ~~t/- How It Works AU.CA'C~ [}uk,\l~/Jo.,(i-f~ Tuesday :fLttfAV J~ .. ~ ~ Each day you carry with you three cards: the every– day prayer card, the scratch card, and the day-of-the– week card. You can use them in your devotions, in your car on the way to work, while you do the dishes, or at any moment you have spare time. I have given to God all my waiting time. When I visit a business and have to wait in the lobby, I pray, using my cards instead of reading a magazine. Now, it has become such a habit with me that I automatically begin to pray if I am held up in traffic or put on hold while on the telephone. It is amazing how God controls my waiting time so that I can pray! As God answers your prayers specifically, record these answers on your answer sheet in the category of that prayer request. Then, remove the request from your prayer card. Purpose not to let a day slip by without praying over your cards at least once. I promise you that with this kind of faithful prayer, " ... without ceasing" (I Thessalonians 5: 17), God is going to pour out answers in a way that you never thought possible.