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Are we praying with our mind?
Message
#19 (of 20) from the PrayerPower radio series
One of the most discouraging things about our intercessory prayer life can be the overwhelming sense, after a while, of having too many people and concerns to pray about every day. Some people we’ll always pray for; other requests accumulate as friends ask us to pray for them, or for their family and friends. We need to follow Paul’s lead, and pray not only with our spirit, but also with our mind [1 Corinthians 14:15]. I still struggle with this, but over the years I’ve learned some things that help. First, if someone asks me to pray for her, I usually pray right then, in person or on the phone. That way I don’t have to remember or to feel guilty if I forget. It’s okay to realize we don’t have to pray indefinitely for all concerns. It’s appropriate to set boundaries--to say we’ll pray for only one week or one month for a specific prayer request. We might also set a daily time frame for interceding. If we have only ten minutes for organized prayer, we pray for as many as we comfortably can in ten minutes, and continue our list next time. Without such boundaries, our prayer time can become a burden that tempts us to quit. But we mustn’t quit. Our prayers are too important--to the people we’re praying for, and to the Lord.
Pray with me now -- Lord, lead us in our prayers to be efficient as well as effective, not only in the number of requests, but in the words we use. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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