I can’t remember when I began praying with a list. It’s probably been five years or more, and I only tried it because at the time, my pastor-husband had shared with our congregation his methodical plan to pray for each member of the church throughout the week. A list, I remember thinking, a list might help me. The trouble is–I really hate lists.
Sometimes I picture the inside of my head as a spiderweb. There are a thousand threads running in a hundred different directions, and when it comes time to sit quietly and pray, my brain attempts to follow every thread in every direction at once. My prayers had long been foggy amalgamations of confession, grocery lists, attempts at intercession, and imaginary conversations with people I was supposed to be praying for. And because my planned prayer time is early in the morning, I confess that sometimes my prayers included a short nap. For years, my practice of prayer was a disastrous spider-webbing of thoughts that didn’t really amount to a conversation with the Lord. It’s not that He can’t make sense of my ramblings; He certainly does. Thankfully, He intercedes for us and turns our intelligible meanderings into proper prayers before the Father (Rom. 8:26-27). But I always felt that my prayers were perhaps wasteful because I could never seem to focus. Furthermore, it was embarrassing to realize that I frequently promised people I would pray for them only to add their requests to the giant vortex of swirling randomness in my head. Usually, I just forgot to pray for them. And because prayer was such a daily fight, I didn’t try very hard to overcome it, which means I handed out a lot of empty promises to pray for people.
But a list, now that was an interesting thought. A list for prayer? It seemed wooden and mechanical, a little like taking note cards with bullet points into a conversation with my husband so I wouldn’t forget to talk to him about certain things. What kind of relationship could grow out of something as unexciting and monotonous as a list?
Strangely enough, praying with a list changed my life.
I realize that’s a grandiose statement–“changed my life.” You wouldn’t look at me and notice any physical changes, nor do my circumstances or surroundings look much different. No, the change was an interior one. And if you’ve followed Jesus for very long, you know that everything flows from what is happening inside you. Behavior only changes in response to the changes that occur in the heart as the Lord teaches us from His Word, convicts us of sin, and deepens our affections for Him. Praying through a list kept me focused, ordered my thoughts, and directed my supplications toward the only One who can do anything about anything. Whatever passage I’d studied just prior to praying often came up in my prayer as application leaned into supplication. I don’t want to walk away from what I learn and forget it; I want to obey it.
Praying to God who spoke the Scriptures helped me to keep His words with me throughout the day. They came up often in my conversations. Focused prayer helped me to better remember what I’d read and studied. Prayer bound together what I’d learned in my head with what I needed to know with my heart. Most of my prayer is devoted to other people, so learning to pray for others each morning has taught me to love more intentionally and to follow through with my declarations to pray for someone. I failed so miserably in intercessory prayer in the past that I now feel the need to convince people I really mean it when I say I’ll pray for them.
While this shift in my spiritual life wasn’t apparent to anyone else, it deepened my relationship with God. Being disciplined in prayer reminded me that in all my Bible study and intercession, I am engaging with a Person, not just checking off a list. As counter-intuitive as it might seem, a list was the springboard for faithfulness in prayer. I still have a long way to go to be a person whose life is marked by prayer, but the more I spend time in intentional daily prayer, the more eager I am to grow that time. I do still practice sporadic moments of prayer throughout the day, of course, but I would argue that every Christian should seek uninterrupted blocks of intentional prayer.
Practically Speaking
Look, my list is of the pen and paper sort. I am working hard to reduce the amount of time I spend on devices, and I’ve learned that for me personally, my Bible study and prayer time must absolutely be device-free. That said, if you have more self-control than I do, there’s an app called Prayer Mate that may help you organize your prayer list and keep up with it.
My list works in concentric circles. It starts with confession, praise, and supplication for my own sanctification. I believe I must address the darkness in my own heart before I begin praying for others. I then work outward from myself, praying for my husband, my children, my church family, my physical family, my close friends, my unbelieving friends and acquaintances, those in need of physical healing, fellow ministry families, church planters and missionaries, the persecuted church, the nations. Under the categories that have several people listed, I have assigned certain people to certain days of the week. As a result, I pray through most of the list daily, and all of the list weekly. For accountability’s sake, I tell people when I pray for them. And also, I just want them to know! My friend, Ranelle, knows I pray for her on Wednesday mornings and will often submit specific requests. My fellow ministry friends, the Carmacks, know I spend time interceding for them on Thursdays.
I fit the entire list onto a regular 9 x 11.5 piece of copier paper folded in half and taped to the inside cover of my Bible. I rewrite it and date it once or twice a year, removing the old copies and storing them in my journals. It is a huge blessing to look through an old list and see the ways God has answered different prayers. Some requests change over the months; some are crossed through, and some stay the same for years at a time. Just today I crossed through a specific request I’ve ached over during my mornings in prayer this summer. Seeing the Lord answer such specific prayers for people I’ve prayed for is something I will never, ever tire of.
The common thread in every prayer for every person is the plea for them (and me) to love Christ the most. So many troubles, trials, and fears are rightly viewed and endured when a heart finds its treasure first and foremost in Christ. If you’re not sure how to pray for someone, pray that all their hope and joy would be securely anchored to Christ, that their affections for Him would rule their heart. If you feel the things you’re praying fall short or miss the mark, pray the Scriptures over the people on your list. When you’re distressed or anxious, pray the Psalms. Look at Jesus’ prayer in His Sermon on the Mount and pray that you would live in submission to the Father and in forgiveness toward others (Matt. 6:9-13). Locate the pastoral prayers of Paul and pray them (many are located at the beginning and/or ending of his epistles). Speak the names on your list and pray that their hearts would be enlightened so they know the hope of God’s calling (Eph. 1:17-19). Pray that they may walk worthy of the Lord, bearing fruit in every good work (Col. 1:9-10). This isn’t some kind of magical formula. No, it’s agreeing with the Lord what is good for His people and speaking His Word back to Him.
From List to Love
We’re commanded to pray. Not because God depends on it but because we do. Not because He is needy, but because we are desperately so. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul tells us repeatedly to pray without ceasing (Romans 12:12, Eph. 6:18, Col. 4:2, 1 Thess. 5:17), so the practice of prayer isn’t optional for us. However, we might need some organization to help us obey. While praying through a list might feel awkward at first, let the list serve you as you train your thoughts to be still for prayer. Eventually, praying in categories can become a helpful habit you don’t have to think about. By all means, deviate from the list as you pray. There should be freedom in prayer. The list is a tool, not a rule. But if you’re like me and you need some help focusing to pray, the list can help you do that.
Every now and then I get lax and find myself needing to be more vigilant with my list, but I know that the exercise of discipline will aid in engaging my heart and mind. Eventually, you move from duty to delight. Praying through specific names will grow from list to love. And what used to be a swirl of random spurts of confession and supplication can become a conversation between a dearly loved child and a Father who dearly loves. God may use prayer to change things, but He will certainly use it to change you.
God may use prayer to change things, but He will certainly use it to change you. Share on XAdditional helpful resources on prayer:
Praying Together by Megan Hill
Prayer by Tim Keller
Photo by Jan Kahánek on Unsplash
Glenna Marshall is married to her pastor, William, and lives in rural Southeast Missouri where she tries and fails to keep up with her two energetic sons. She is the author of The Promise is His Presence (P&R) and Everyday Faithfulness (Crossway), and Memorizing Scripture (Moody). Connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
I completely relate to your words here. I’ve struggled with practicing faithful intercession for so long, and have tried every approach imaginable (apps, lists, cards, journals, etc). While each one has its own pro’s and con’s, any of them are better than not having names written down at all! It’s hard enough to be consistent when we do have the list – why would we expect to be better off without one?!
Thank you, exactly what I needed… God bless!