by Kaye Johns

If you are a person of prayer, people with needs are drawn to you like moths to a flame. That’s one way the Holy Spirit works in their lives -- and in yours. It is wonderful to be able to intercede for others, but as requests increase, it can be difficult to find sufficient time to pray for them all.

One way to keep from being overwhelmed with a growing list of prayer concerns is to pray immediately with a person asking for prayer. In person or on the phone, simply ask, "May I pray for you right now?"

Maintaining an on-going prayer list can be helpful for your daily prayers. Allow yourself to set a limit on the length of time you will pray for each request; otherwise, your list will just keep growing and may become unmanageable.

A good rule of thumb is to pray for each request for one month--a minimum of once a week. You can always pray more frequently as time allows, or for a longer period of time.

Keep your system simple. Add prayer requests to a weekly list which you keep in a small notebook or prayer journal. Date the requests as you write them down and again as you pray for them. Begin a new list every week, dropping off the list any request that is more than four weeks old.

Be sure to keep your inactive lists where you can find them, and periodically review them to note the answers you’ve seen. What a faith builder!