A prayer list can be a useful tool for the believer to remember the many different people and circumstances that need prayer. Nonetheless, sometimes having a dynamic prayer-life means putting away the prayer list for a moment. Here some are things to consider in relation to the list, and some suggestions that may help it become more effective in its use.
There are some pit-falls to employing the prayer list. One is that it is easy to become disconnected with God in the relational aspect of prayer. A person can become so devoted to the prayer list that he loses the devotion toward God in the process. The prayer list may become the central figure, and once a person has completed praying over it, his quiet time with the Lord is over as well. Eventually it can become a duty to fulfill, which in turn morphs into vain repetitions. Jesus said in Matthew 6:7-8, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him” (KJV). Much speaking does not move the heart of God; our devotion to Him does.
The most important thing about our quiet time is God. Everything we do should flow out of our relationship with Him, which includes prayer. Therefore, prayer does not make the relationship; rather, it is a component of the relationship. Allow me to use a personal example. On a particular morning, I was meeting with the Lord and immediately began to pray. Suddenly, the Lord spoke to me and said, “We can wait on the prayer for a while, lets just hang out together first.” He simply wanted to spend time with me before I asked things of Him. It was a very sweet time together, and in the process the prayer time itself became more dynamic than ever before. Prayer became something we did together, not something that I did alone.
Often a prayer list is based upon specific requests. The pit-fall here is that there is propensity to focus on the request itself, while missing other areas that may also need prayer. Another one is that a person can stop praying for an individual once the prayer has been answered. It would be a good idea to ask the Lord to lead us in the prayer so that we pray according to his perfect will. A third pit-fall is missing other people and circumstances that need prayer because we are too focused on those on our list. Our prayer has just become limited. As the prayer list is put to use, it would be good to ask God to reveal other areas and people that should be included on the list. Let the Holy Spirit lead.
