help—i’ve fallen on the prayer road

Bill Hybels says that most Christians get lost between “Dear God” and “Amen” (Too Busy Not To Pray). Even if this is true for you, your prayers to our Heavenly Father are enabled by the other two thirds of the trinity so that you can find power and consistency in prayer.

The Son is at the right hand of the throne of God interceding for us (Romans 8:34, “Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us;” and Hebrews 7:25 “he always lives to intercede for them”). So, along with Him our prayers can find agreement when we’re aligned with His purposes (Matthew 18:19, “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven;” and John 14:13-14, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it”).

The Spirit helps us in our weaknesses so that we know what and how to pray (Romans 8:26-27, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will”).

Other things that help your prayer life – crutches, if you will – are journaling, patterns, labyrinths, Scripture, and qara.

Journaling – though you may slow down by writing out your prayers, you eliminate many of the “and, uh…” moments of your praying. You are able to finish thoughts and pray specifically instead of the “and Lord be with ‘so and so’” prayers. Journaling also provides you a record of your requests that can become a record of praises and victory. My wife started me on journaling in college, and though i was skeptical at first, i found a lot of help (and continue to find help when my prayer life seems absent).

Prayer Patterns – these ‘formulas’ help you progress from “Dear God” to “Amen”. Since we’re creatures of habit, i think that we naturally settle into prayer patterns without actually realizing it. There are many patterns out there – using an existing pattern is a good place to start, tweaking it to your experience and personality is natural. Some patterns include:
ACTS
o Adoration – time of praise of God for who He IS
o Confession – time of confessing any sins or asking God to reveal any wrong way in you
o Thanksgiving – time of thanking God for what He has DONE
o Supplication – time of praying for requests

Hour of Power – an hour of power helps you to spend an hour in prayer through 6 (ten minutes each) or 12 (five minutes each) different sections/types of prayer. i’ve seen and created a variety of these sessions for myself, individuals, and different events. Some sections of this pattern can include: waiting, listening, praise, thanksgiving, Old and/or New Testament reading and/or meditation, intercession, confession, etc. You can also build in special prayer sections for church, pastors, nation, leaders, family, friends, etc. If anyone is interested, i can send sample hours of power that have been used in different settings.

WAITS – is a pattern that emerged out of my journaling and hour of power – i would try to spend at least five minutes in each section, with the Intercession and Scripture sections taking more time
--Waiting – time of clearing thoughts and listening for God’s voice, prompting, leadings (i encourage folks to right down two lists during this time 1) a to-do list of all the things you need to take care of later and 2) a list of potential prayer foci for later)
--Adoration – time of praising God for who He IS
--Intercession – time of prayinf for specific requests, individuals, events, anything from the #2 waiting list, etc.
--Thanksgiving – time of thanking God for what He has done, is doing, will do
--Scripture – meditating and praying scripture by applying its messages and meanings to your life, church, etc.

Labyrinths – or prayer path -- are actual prayer walks. These were incorporated in many early monasteries or early cathedral courtyards. These walks included stations for specific inspiration, meditation and prayer so that an individual could spend dedicated and structured time in prayer and with the Lord. The experience varies according to the design, but each that i have done have proven to be enriching and meaningful. Our youth and prayer pastors collaborated with several church members to create a prayer path in our fellowship hall using a kit from Group Publishing. We began offering the path during Holy Week last year and ended up seeing it extended for a month after word of mouth, newspaper, and television coverage encouraged participation. During that time, we learned that one local church in our community has a prayer path in their courtyard.

Qara – is the transliteration of the Hebrew word for “call out” or “cry out”. One occurrence of this type of prayer is in Genesis 12:8, “There he [Abram] built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.” Qara is the simplest of prayers – it involves 3 specifics: a specific Recipient (our Heavenly Father), a specific Request, with a specific, desired Result. Qara is desperate, honest praying. It’s the “Lord HELP” prayer, when it seems like that’s all you know how to pray. Think about the times when you make a prayer like that – when you’re in trouble. That trouble could be the result of being guilty of a wrong; or when wrong has been done to you or a loved one; or when you’ve stepped out in faith, so that if God doesn’t show up, you’re screwed. In Genesis 12, Abram has left home and father’s household – he’s now a stranger in a strange land amidst strange people with strange and brutal customs. God said go, he went, and now he’s crying out to the Lord because if God doesn’t make good on His promises, Abrams’ screwed. i like qara moments like that, because i’ve seen God come through time and time again. i’m also a frequent qara warrior on behalf of others and myself when in trouble because of wrong.

If you fall on the prayer road, God is ready to pick you up, brush you off, and resume the journey. No matter how many times we fall.