A Dozen and One Tips to Improve Your Prayer Life

White board on your fridge– write down your family’s prayer list where everyone can see it.
Use a prayer journal– here’s a tutorial on how to make a nice one. Really a prayer journal can be used in many different ways, depending on what your needs are. If you’re just starting out on improving your prayer life, consider using a notebook to write your prayers out just as if you were writing a letter to God. If keeping track of prayer requests is what you need, a simple note pad may do the trick. The above link goes to a tutorial on a prayer journal to help you keep track of requests, make sure you don’t miss anyone as well as watch for answers to prayers.
Set an alarm on your phone– pick a time of day that you know is usually quiet and set your phone to go off at that time.
Keep a prayer list on your phone– related to #3, this high tech solution is a great trick. Check out this post on how to “Let Siri Help You Organize Your Prayer List” (and remind you to pray too!). There are many apps to help you out too.
Get a prayer partner– You could have lots of levels of commitment here. Maybe you’d like to get together on a regular basis to pray (daily? weekly? monthly?). As each other how your prayer life is going and what specific prayer needs each of you have.
Ask people what you can pray for– They say no one cares what you know till they know how much you care. What better way to care for another than to actively pray for them and follow through with that? Remember if you’ve said you’ll pray for someone, you’ve made a commitment (James 5:12). Praying for someone and showing an interest can open doors for sharing the gospel… not to mention lifting their concerns! Prayer is powerful.
Post scriptures about prayer around your home– 1 Thessalonians 5:17 entreats us to pray without ceasing. Post a 3”x5” card with the scripture on your bathroom mirror (or write it there in dry erase marker). You can even get fancy and type out James 5:16 in a nice font and put it in a small frame. Other scriptures: Philippians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; Psalms 55:22, 107:1.
Read articles on prayer– click here to see a bunch!
Sing– many of the songs we sing are prayers!
Use your bulletin– if your congregation has a bulletin, it very well may have a prayer list in it. Use it! If you don’t have a bulletin, consider starting one. It’s not as hard as it might seem and you could be helping to unify your congregation as well as improve the prayer lives of all the members.
Pray together every night– Ask your husband to help make this a habit. It can be a great chance to talk about each other’s needs, the needs of your children, co-workers, members of your congregation, even your hopes and dreams. What a great way to not only improve your prayer life, but your marriage too!
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Use a template— Sometimes it’s hard to know what to do in prayer. Here is one template (The Hour— note this pattern can be used for an hour of prayer or more or less; up to you!) or use the template in the picture to the right (A.C.T.S.).
Fast– Fasting isn’t something we talk about much, but it is a very scriptural concept (see Matthew 5:16; note that Jesus assumes fasting will be part of your life, just as giving to the poor [vs. 3] and praying [vs. 5]. If your prayer life could really use a kick, maybe a fast is in order. Use the time that you would normally spend eating in prayer. When you feel hungry, let it be a reminder to pray and when you do, pray about your prayer life. Ask God to help you be consistent and diligent.

About Erynn Sprouse

Welcome to Come Fill Your Cup!