I can’t master the Christian “prayer list.” I’m aware they’re effective. Essential even. I keep hearing and reading that with a little determination and commitment, I, too, can master this Christian discipline. So, with barrels-full of good intention, I create new lists – just to abandon them all.

Why, Lord, why? I love these dear people on my lists! I care about them and cry over them. Yet, within three days, I’m bored to tears using this “effective tool.” Three days! That’s my staying power when it comes to maintaining a prayer list routine.

Can you relate?

Prayer warriors come in all kinds.

I admire my faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who pray through their lists. Unfortunately, what works for them doesn’t seem to work for me. This has been a major struggle in my Christian walk. It’s been a necessary struggle, however, so that I could discover what DOES work for me.

As I accept who I am and how God made me, I find more and more freedom – even freedom in prayer!

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Find out how you can find freedom through Christ to be yourself and accept how you’re made: How to Gain Freedom Through Christ to Be Yourself [3 Steps to Get You Started].

An Easy and Freeing Way to Pray Scripture

I’ve tried MANY different prayer tools. Some worked better for me than others. As I experimented with various ideas over the years, I finally discovered an easy and freeing way to pray for my family.

I’ve used this prayer method – if you want to call it a method – to pray for myself, for friends, and even for my enemies. (Yes, I have enemies. Don’t pretend you don’t.) It doesn’t require a prayer list. And it doesn’t require a dedicated prayer room (another idea I tried and failed at).

You can use this scripture praying method when you’re all alone, or in a room full of noisy kids. It’s that easy and freeing!

Here it is…

Quick Guide: An Easy and Freeing Way to Pray Scripture…

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“Wait a minute. Sara, do you mean you NEVER use prayer lists or other prayer tools!?!”

To be clear, I am not altogether boycotting prayer lists or other prayer tools. Like I said before, they’re GOOD and effective. They’re just not my regular go-to for prayer. They’ve never become a successful prayer routine for me. Yet…

Here are two examples of how prayer lists can still be effective, even for prayer-list-failures like myself:

Example 1:

If I manage to follow a prayer list for three days in a row, that’s still three days that I prayed for someone I wouldn’t have remembered to pray for without the list.

Yay! Three days before I throw in the towel. But still. Three days of prayer! (You can laugh at me, if you want. I don’t mind. I choose to celebrate even the tiny successes.)

Example 2:

If I use a prayer list in combination with how God wired me, I experience greater success.

Here’s what I mean: I’m good at starting and completing projects. So, I sometimes turn a prayer list into a project with a deadline. I experience success with these types of “prayer projects” because there’s an end in sight. However, they do take a toll on me in a similar way that fasting is hard on the body:

• Fasting is beneficial, but if I fast continuously with no end date, well… I’ll die.

• My “prayer projects” are beneficial, but they do drain me mentally and emotionally. More isn’t always better.

Although I use prayer lists and prayer projects on occasion, I’ve found it’s not healthy for my relationship with Jesus if I regularly associate prayer with a “failed attempt” or a “project.”

Prayer should be Life-giving.

Prayer should be fresh, alive, encouraging, and INSPIRED. Whether you’re a prayer-list-hater or a prayer-list-keeper, we all need INSPIRATION.

And that’s why using the “method” described above in my Quick Guide has been so helpful to me.

If you’ve discovered that prayer lists don’t work for you (or at least not at this point in your life), grab my FREE printable PDF Quick-Guide: Praying Inspired Prayers: An Easy and Freeing Way to Pray Scripture Over Your Family. Put it into practice today. Or print out this idea and share it with a friend.

Or, maybe you’re a faithful prayer list keeper who’s simply looking for a fresh idea. If you love to pray and are always looking for new ways to bring inspiration into your prayer life, why not give this method a try?

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God made you for prayer.

Whatever your prayer style is – whether it’s following prayer lists or talking with God while you walk through a nature park, you can be confident that your prayers are essential.

God made you for prayer. It’s no accident how he wired you. He loves how you connect with him; yet, he’s always doing a new thing, isn’t he? He continues to teach us and encourage us toward growth. So…

Keep pursuing prayer!

Try new ideas!

Your prayers are essential!

With love,