Resources for Your Prayer Life

Cultivating a prayer fruitful life requires more than collecting lists and forms for prayer.  At it's core, prayer is a conversation between the Heavenly Father and His child.  When I look for resources to encourage my own prayer life or to share with others, that is the goal I have in mind.  Does this resource cultivate conversation?  Or does it replace conversation? 

Here are some specific suggestions.

Books

Everyday Prayers by Scotty Smith - Click Here - Scotty is pastor of Christ Community Church in Franklin, TN.  This book contains one prayer for each day of a year, so it is a perfect companion for building a long-term prayer life.  And it cultivates honest, Gospel-oriented conversation with the God of grace.  Imagine starting the new year with a prayer that includes

Because the gospel is true, I don't respond to Joshua's bold charge with a list of New Year's resolutions - promises of what I'm going to do for you.  Rather, I began this year resolving to abandon myself to everything Jesus has done for us.  Jesus is the promise keeper, not us.  He's the one who has promised to make all things new, including me.

Heavenward - Click Here - is the ongoing daily prayer blog by Scotty Smith with a new Scripture and prayer each day.  Same qualities as the book, and similar texts and prayers for each day.

The Power of A Praying .  .  . - Click Here - Years ago my wife Mary Lynn added the daily prayers from The Power Of A Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian to her prayer routine.  My life and hers have not bee the same since.   Some years she will add some of the other books from this series, The Power Of A Praying - Parent, Woman or  Change Your Marriage are all in this series and worth looking at 

 Learning To Pray - Some Recommended Books - Click Here - is a previous blog post that reviews several key books from my own prayer life.

Get A Partner

A Prayer Group - I realize many people are very nervous about "praying out loud" with others.  This is almost universally an issue of performance  orientation that needs to be chipped away by the Gospel.  Since prayer is a conversation, a healthy prayer group - one that spends 15 minutes praying for every 5 minutes "sharing" prayer requests - can be like learning conversation in a group.  We can learn to pray by praying with and hearing others pray.  There are many focal points that can bring a group to prayer - personal needs, your church leaders, world missions, your community - and every pastor I know is willing to help you get started.  I'm always available to join with any group of three people or more for regular prayer of this sort.

A Prayer Partner - Sometimes if the group format is daunting, or the needs are deep and need discretion, a single prayer partner can be of great support.  Perhaps a more seasoned believer would be willing to pray regularly with you as a prayer mentor.  Again, my wife Mary Lynn has found these sort of focused prayer relationships have been tremendously fruitful, and has found many of them across the seasons and locations of her life.

Pray With Your Spouse - Maybe it is the challenge of raising kids together, or coordinating schedules or having to be reconciled, rather than carry issues through the day.  Whatever it is, most folks will say two things about praying with your spouse on a regular basis.  1) It is really challenging, and 2) it is the best single prayer partnership you can possibly have.  If you are married and not regularly praying with your spouse - and I mean more than grace at meals - identify whatever is standing in the way and get past it.  Perhaps share a book of prayers like Everday Prayers mentioned above.  Perhaps meet weekly to pray with another couple.  Perhaps resolved some of the issues that are building walls in your relationship.  Just pursue the grace to let the most important relationship in your life be blessed, and be a source of blessing to others, by praying.