How Do We Pray?

Last updated on: July 22, 2011 at 1:28 pm by Amy Julia Becker

How Do We Pray? 2011-07-22T13:28:16-04:00 Amy Julia Becker

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

To conclude some of the thoughts I’ve shared about prayer this week, I want to offer the suggestion of using prayer cards. For a fuller explanation, go to Paul Miller’s A Praying Life, but the basic idea is to think of people or recurring ideas in your life that you’d like to talk to God about. Make a card for each of those people/groups of people/institutions/etc. and then use them as a reminder not only of what to pray about but also as a record of how God responds to those prayers.

I have a card for each of our children, for instance, and over time I’ve added a verse from the Bible to each of those cards. I write down specific requests–that Penny and William would become friends with each other, for instance, or that God would give us wisdom in teaching Marilee how to sleep, or that the doctors would help us discern whether Penny needs another set of tubes in her ears. I also have a card for “marriages” with about twenty couples on it–some days I pray for a few of them, others none at all. I have a card for our church, a card for my extended family, a card for close friends, a card for people who need healing, a card for issues related to disabilities. It’s just a practical way to keep track of my hopes, dreams, fears, and needs as well as God’s ongoing responses to those things.

With time, I can look back at those cards and see the gentle whispers of the Spirit writing the story of our lives, making sense of the mystery, bringing redemption out of the hard things, holding us together. Prayer cards aren’t the only way to talk to God. But they have allowed me to see the sweetness of God, the responsiveness of my heavenly Father to the requests of his children. They have helped me live with gratitude and come a little closer to continuing steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it, with thanksgiving.

Faith

prayer

Previous Post

July 21, 2011

He Needs a Fence, and He Listens to Jesus: Who is this Kid?

Next Post

July 22, 2011 David Brooks: The Debt Ceiling Debate Is Really a Denial of Death

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Articles Books Disability Down Syndrome Faith family Perfectly Human Uncategorized

Select a Month February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 September 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz