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Prayer is something we all know we should do more of, but often it gets overlooked. I always have a desire to pray more, but saying it and actually doing it are two different things.
We know that prayer stirs the heart of God. James wrote that, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” And praying is one of the best things you can do for your college ministry over the summer. So, why aren’t we doing it more? Today I want to give you some practical tips that have helped me have a more active prayer life.
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1. Make it a part of your daily routine
Setting a goal to pray more without planning a way to take action is like setting a goal to get better grades without ever planning to study. If you want to pray more, then you need to carve out time in your schedule. Determine that you’re going to set aside a period of time at the same time each day to spend time in prayer.
If you don’t already have a routine in place for some of what you do throughout the day, then there’s no better time to start then now. Start with a reasonable goal like praying for 15 minutes and then you can always increase the amount of time once you’ve gotten into a successful routine.
I would suggest picking a time that you’re normally alert and don’t tend to have many other commitments. Think about a time you would normally spend scrolling through Facebook or mindlessly looking at Snapchat. Then put your phone on do not disturb so you’re not distracted.
If you’re really having trouble remembering to do it put a daily reminder in your phone or determine that you won’t do something else you would never skip (like showering or eating dinner) until you’ve done your prayer time.
2. Write out prayers
You will always have things to pray for. Even if it’s just asking God to bless your day or help you get better grades. And those are good things to pray about, but writing out prayers is a great way to be more intentional in your prayer life.
Think of something you really want to see God do this summer and then write out a prayer that you can pray every day. Praying the scriptures is powerful too. Sometimes I’ll come across a verse that makes me think, “I really want that in my life!” So, I write it out and put it in the first person so that it can become my own prayer.
Here’s an example of one I wrote from Proverbs 2:1-5.
Father, help me to treasure Your commandments. Help me to seek Your wisdom and understanding. Give me discernment that I might discover the knowledge of God. I desire these more than wealth.
Writing out prayers and praying them every day may feel a little rigid and dry, but I’ve found it to be an awesome catalyst for my prayer life. I start by using the prayers I’ve written out and then expound on them as my prayer time goes on.
I don’t usually spend all my time on the written prayers and some days it feels like I’m just going through the motions, but other days God uses them to stir my heart into greater depths of prayer. And as I’ve prayed for the same thing daily I’ve seen God responding and answering those prayers in amazing ways.
3. Create a visual reminder
I picked up this little trick from a pastor at my church as a way of reminding myself to pray throughout the day. Since we’ve been in the midst of election season it was really on my heart to pray more for our country and government leaders. I saw my pastor suggest setting something as the wallpaper on your phone to remind you to pray.
Immediately I thought, “What a genius idea!” So, I found a picture of the White House and set it as my wallpaper. Now virtually every time I check my phone I’m reminded to pray for our nation. Often it’s just a quick 30 second prayer, but overall I’m praying for our country way more than I ever did before because I have this visual reminder.
You could do this with anything you want to pray for. Find a picture of your church, pastors, a friend or family member, your BASIC group, etc. and set it as your wallpaper. You could also make it your computer desktop, put a picture on the wall in your bedroom or hanging on a desk. There are plenty of ways to give yourself a visual reminder.
Those are just a few practical ways to be intentional about activating your prayer life.
What practical tips do you have to share for activating your prayer life? I’d love to hear them in the comments below. I’m excited for all that God will do on our campuses and in our lives as we intentionally seek Him this summer!
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