A Practical Plan for Prayer

Dr. Craig Brandick

Our Sunday School class is studying Paul’s priorities in prayer using DA Carson’s book, A Call to Spiritual Reformation. This last week we studied “Lessons from the School of Prayer,” one point of which was to develop a system for your prayer lists. When we consider the number of things for which we have to pray, the thought of covering them all with any sense of urgency—rather than just reading the list to God—may seem overwhelming. The plan below is adapted from that which was given to me all those years ago by Dr. Dale Linebaugh in Christian Life and Witness class at the Bible college that Liz and I attended. It is offered here as a guide that may help you organize your prayers as well as a few ideas for how to pray. The “STEP IN” part was given to me by a former missionary to the Ivory Coast who also taught at the college.

The plan is quite simple, there are things for which I pray daily—my immediate family, urgent prayer requests, and—always leaving room for the Spirit of God to work—things that God may press upon my heart in my time of communion with Him. Then, in addition to my daily prayers, I have a list for each day of the week. Now, of course, if we get an urgent request on Wednesday for a Missionary we should not wait until the next week to pray. You may still pray for anything that is anywhere on the list on a daily, or even hourly, basis. The plan is to assist us in our prayers—not to bind us. I do hope that you find this to be a help.

Practical Prayer Plan

Daily Prayer: Always include confession of sin, and the giving of thanks and praise.

1. That I would be filled with the Holy Spirit in submission to God’s will.

2. That I would be sensitive to sin.

3. That I would have opportunities for evangelism.

4. Immediate and pressing needs of any kind.

5. My immediate family:

· That they would worship and serve God in reverent fear, in purity, in spirit and in truth.

· That they would have an unshakeable faith in the Word of God.

· That they would grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.

· That God would grant their prayer requests according to his will.

Monday: Praying for other Family Members

1. That they would worship and serve God in reverent fear, in purity, in spirit and in truth.

2. That they would have an unshakeable faith in the Word of God.

3. That God would grant their prayer requests according to His will.

4. That God would grant faith and repentance to those who are lost.

Tuesday: Praying for Missionaries and Evangelists. STEP IN for them.

1. For their Spiritual growth

2. For their Travel.

3. For their Emotional needs.

4. For their Physical needs.

5. For their Interpersonal relationships.

6. For their Nurturing.

Wednesday: Praying for our Government

Thursday: Praying for Friends

Friday: Praying for my Church

1. STEP IN for the pastoral staff.

2. For Christ to be welcome in every area; that he would be pleased with the church.

3. Areas of discipline.

4. The needs provided in the weekly prayer bulletin.

Saturday: A Day of Praise and Thanksgiving