KEEPING THE PROMISE OF PRAYER
H
AS THIS EVER happened to you? You need, write it down along with the date they asked
promise to pray for a friend because she’s you to pray. Then leave a blank line. That way you
going in for surgery. Or her marriage is can go back later and write how God answered that
going through a hard time. Or her son is prayer. A prayer journal is a great way to see how
leaving home for the first time. But you blow it— God is working.
completely. You forget to pray.
What can you do the next time around to keep
3. Make a mental note
your promise of prayer? Here are three tips. What about those times you don’t have a
paper and a pen on you? What then? Give your-
1. Pray right away
self a mental reminder to pray. This could be say-
I’m not saying you need to close your eyes, fold ing out loud, “I want to remember to pray later
your hands, and pray out loud. Depending on where for Trevor and his college exams.” Or you could
you are, that may not be the best or most appro- just tell yourself, “Whenever I think of Trevor or
priate thing to do. But what you can do is silently see a book, I will remember to pray that he has
send up a quick request to the Lord to be with your time to study, and that he does well on his tests.”
friend whatever the need might be. God hears all Mental reminders are like sticky notes in our
our prayers—long or short, spoken or silent. He’ll brains that remind us of something we need
be thrilled to hear from you, and your friend will be to do.
thrilled to see you putting your faith in action. Follow these tips, and there will be a lot fewer
forgotten prayers in your life.
2. Write it down
Keeping a prayer journal is a great way to keep Teresa Cleary lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she
track of prayer requests. When someone shares a writes for a variety of publications.
24 EVANGEL • JAN 2010
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