Skip to main content

Prayer Prompts

by Len Woods

When small-group leaders in out church noted that their group prayer times tended to be outswardly focused and "safe," we developed a list of prayer prompts to help members articulate the personal struggles they might face.

The next time their groups met, leaders distributed copies of the list to group members. Leaders read a few of the prompts that described their own current situation, adding specific details where appropriate. Then they encouraged others in the group to do the same. (Leaders should remind members that anything shared in the group must remain confidential.) After using the prompts for a few weeks, members grew more comfortable relating personal prayer requests in their group.

Here are a few of the prompts we used.


Spiritual Growth
  • "My desire to live for God has fizzled. Pray that I'll recapture my passion."
  • "I keep encountering the same temptations. Pray that I will resist them through God's strength."
  • "I don't know God very well. Pray that He'll reveal Himself to me."
  • "I feel guilty about some things. Pray that I will experience God's forgiveness."
  • "My faith is shaky. Pray that I'll cling to God."

Relationships

  • "A key relationship needs work. Pray that I'll proceed with wisdom, courage, and humility."
  • "I've wronged someone. Ask God to help me apologize quickly."
  • "I'm angry/bitter toward someome. Pray that I'll be able to forgive that person."
  • "I need to confront someone in love. Pray that I'll know what to say and how to say it."
  • "My family member/friend needs Christ. Pray that God will use me to reach that person."

Life Struggles

  • "I'm facing an important decision. Pray that I'll have wisdom."
  • "I'm stressed. Pray that I'll experience God's peace."
  • "Old wounds are affecting my life and relationships. Pray that I will resolve these."

from Discipleship Journal , Jan Feb 2006 Issue 151 pg. 93

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Discussion Questions for Easter

Have several people ask the question, “What’s the most important thing you’ve ever done?” Ask other people, “What do you hope to accomplish in the next several years of your life?” Tell your class that today you’ll be talking about “life mission” or the one most important thing you do that drives everything else. Tell them that Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the defining moment in history, so it should be the defining moment in our lives. Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. How does the resurrection impact some of the crucial beliefs of Christianity?  How would Christianity be different if there was no resurrection? How would you be different without the resurrection? Read 1 Corinthians 15:50-58. What are some specific ways that the resurrection gives us hope? If you had been a friend of Jesus when he was on earth, how would the resurrection have impacted your life?  How do you think his followers then were effected by the resurrection? Read 1 Corinthian...
3 comments
Read more

FIGHT CLUB! (iron sharpening iron)

Our youth pastor, Keith Sandison, has implemented "Fight Clubs" with the young men of our church. While these teenagers and young adults aren't actually pummeling each other physically, they are using the opportunity to aggressively challenge one another to be more attentive to their spiritual formation. Right now my son is participating in a fight club focusing on Proverbs. I love it. Keith has created a handout he uses for the fight clubs which lists seven different methods of "generic Bible study". I think the idea started with this post a few years ago, but as he often does; Keith took my thoughts and made them immensely more substantive and beneficial. Check out his system below:
1 comment
Read more

Community Killers Part Four: Complaining

Nothing can tear a group apart faster or more effectively than a spirit of complaining. For some reason, complaints seem to breed faster than rabbits. Once one person’s complaining goes unchecked, it won’t be long until others have joined in and eventually the entire group is sucked into a hopeless vortex of swirling complaints. Often these complaints have little to do with the group, but they have the potential to sideswipe and destroy a group meeting, or if left unchecked, an entire group. Complaints may cover a variety of subjects. Group members might complain about their job, their day, their neighbor, their spouse, or even the church. The role of the leader is to deal with these complaints in a way which is formative for the person, instructive for the group, and glorifying to God. Because a LIFEgroup should be a place where people share their struggles and receive support and prayer, it can sometimes be difficult to know when someone is sharing a difficulty or...
Post a Comment
Read more