Perhaps you can choose just one and use it as a starting place, or add it to your prayer
“toolchest.” I encourage you to try just one of these in the next 24 hour period:
The prayer arrow. When you’re out and about, pick a random person you meet or
pass and ask for God’s blessing upon him right then. You may know nothing about
him, but God knows every cell of his body, every need, and every heartache. Perhaps
ask for God’s favor in family relationships, or for health, or for God to reveal himself
that day in a way that brings joy.
Ask “What?” Ask God what to pray for. When it’s clear, talk to him about it as you
would your best friend.
Calendar prayer. Look at all of your meetings and appointments for the next 24 hour
period. Pray for each of the people you are scheduled to see.
Make it your own. Pick a Psalm from the Bible and personalize it as a prayer.
Take responsibility. Are you mad at someone? Usually there are at least two
sides to a conflict. Find some part of the issue for which you can take responsibility.
Ask God to forgive you.
A prayer too big. Shortly after I became a follower of Jesus in college, a friend
encouraged me to pick something to pray for that was too big for me, something I
knew couldn’t happen by my own efforts. This radically changed my relationship with
God. What’s too big for you?
A prayer of appreciation. Think of someone who has made a difference in your life,
either within the last week or in some earlier life period. Thank God for their influence
on you. You may want to write this down.
The most powerful tool. Sometimes people ask me about the success of my
business. I can give business school answers to this question, but there’s also a
spiritual view. I like to say, “In business, the most powerful motive is love, and the
most powerful tool is prayer.” So I pray regularly for the people I work with. Try picking
one person with whom you work and spend a few minutes praying for every aspect of
his or her life that you know about: work tasks, family relationships, an unfulfilled dream, health, anything that comes to mind.
This one may be a stretch . . . Let that person know. If you tried the prayer of
appreciation, God knows and has heard your prayer, but the person has not. Try
picking up the phone and communicating the appreciation specifically. What it was,
how you feel about it, and why it was important. Ask God to join you on the phone
call and watch what happens. Or if you prayed for a person at work, let them know
you prayed for them and ask if there’s something specific they ’d like you to pray for.
Or for a real stretch . . . Do the same as immediately above, but pick someone
you don’t really like, or someone you don’t get along with as well. Then watch how
it transforms your relationship, especially if you keep this up over time.
