Do you ever have difficulty deciding what to pray for during your private times of communion with the Father? Do you ever feel like there is just too much to pray for and you don't know how to prioritize it all? Or maybe you just find yourself bored with the idea of prayer? Many times we don't think through and plan how we want to use our time with the Lord. As a result, we often feel a lack of focus and a sense of failure in the very means of grace that is meant to fill us with the Holy Spirit.

First of all let's consider the good news. Acts 17:24-27 says:

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

This passage of scripture speaks of God's sovereignty, yet He gives us the wonderful privilege of fellowshipping with Him and participating in His divine providence through prayer. So, if you don't get to all the things you want to pray about each day or you forget something or somebody, remember God has it all under control! He knows what we have need of before we ask (Matthew 6:8) and He perceives our thoughts from afar (Psalm 139:2). Yet, God graciously allows us to petition Him. In fact, Acts 17:27 states that it is because of His providence that men are encouraged to seek Him.

Bringing orderliness into our occasions of seeking God can help those times to be more meaningful. All around us is evidence that our God created order. Paul said that the orderliness of the Colossians delighted him (Col. 2:5) and he went on to say that their faith was firm as well. If you are not satisfied with your daily devotional times and sense that you need some direction, why not apply some faith building orderliness to your times of intercession?

I have found that a three-ring-binder, divided into several different meaningful sections, helps me to be the most organized.

Section 1: I take all those individual pieces of paper such as prayer cards, e-mails, prayer opportunities from the church bulletin and even photographs of missionaries, friends, and relatives and slide them into sheet protectors and place them in section one of my prayer binder. As I am praying I can easily flip through the pages and ask the Lord to allow me the privilege of praying for those that He lays on my heart. This method has worked well for me because even though I depend on the Lord's Spirit to lead me in prayer, the pages serve as reminders of who or what I have committed to pray for.

Section 2: Lamentations 2:19 says "pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord." In section two, I have notebook paper that I use to write out my prayers to God. I find that the Lord takes me through different avenues of fellowshipping with Him. There are times when I speak out loud to the Lord; other times when I pray silently, strictly heart to heart with God; and still other times that I feel the need to allow the burdens of my heart to flow out through my pen and onto the paper.

Section 3: Psalm 25:14 says, "The Lord confides in those who fear Him . . .." Listening is a very important part of fellowshipping with my Father. I desperately want to hear what He has to say to me, and to remember it. It is in this section that I record how the Lord answered a specific prayer, lead me through a specific trial, brought healing into my life, or impressed a certain scripture on my heart and mind.

I also include a copy of my church's membership directory in my prayer binder. That way I can lift up specific church members from time to time that I may not remember on my own. At other times, I pray through the directory by speaking out the name of each person to the Lord and asking for His will to be done in his or her lives. Additionally, Paul's prayer, in chapter 1:9-12 in his letter to the Colossians, is an excellent way to pray for those whose immediate prayer needs are not known to us.

Praying for others increases our love and care for those individuals. After praying, I'm often motivated by the Holy Spirit to send someone I've prayed for a note of encouragement. For this reason, I keep note cards, stamps and a pen in the front pocket of my binder. Since I have the membership directory in there as well, the person's address is readily available.

Another way to bring orderliness to your personal time with the Lord is to develop a prayer strategy. Assign a general category to pray for each day of the week. For example, on Mondays you could pray for families and friends. On Tuesdays you could pray for your church leadership. On Wednesdays you could pray for various ministries and so on. Use a section in your prayer binder to outline a general prayer strategy for the week and then ask the Spirit of God to intercede through you in accordance with God's will (Romans 8:27.)

If you feel that your prayer times are not as fruitful as you would like, perhaps applying some structure to this time of your day will help. Of course, if you don't have a regular, designated time of prayer, begin today by identifying a time and committing to spend 15 to 30 minutes each day with the Lord. Get creative with your prayer binder and figure out what works for you. It will most likely evolve over time as you develop it to meet your own need for organized prayer.

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Copyright © 2001 Alan and Jean LeStourgeon