Tips for a better prayer life By Ross McCall, Op-ed contributor for Christian Post
Do you ever find yourself struggling to know what to pray for? You want to make prayer part of your daily routine, but you feel like you are repeating yourself. You want to freshen things up.
You are not alone. For many Christians, prayer can sometimes feel dry or stale. Prayer is talking with someone who loves you deeply and knows you intimately, so it might be hard to admit or deal with when the conversation has seemed to dry up. Part of the problem can also be the temptation to see prayer as talking to God rather than talking with Him.
But everyone goes through times when praying feels like walking uphill. So we’ve created this list of things you can pray for when you need a little inspiration. Each item on the list comes with a verse from the Bible to shape your thinking and an example of how you might pray in response.
Treat this list as open-ended and please add more suggestions in the comment section at the bottom of this page.
You can also explore our beginner’s guide to prayer.
If you’re in a hurry, use this list to jump to a specific prayer idea:
- Praise God for Who He Is
- Thank God for What He Has Done
- Pray that You Remember God’s Love and Grace for You
- Pray That You Would Love Your Neighbors
- Talk to God About Someone in Need
- Pray for Someone Who Does Not Yet Know Jesus
- Pray That You Would Love Your Enemies
- Pray That You Would Give Your Time, Money and Energy
- Pray for Your Church or Christian Community
- Pray for Your City and Nation
- Pray for Civic and National Leaders
- Pray for Kindness
- Pray for Humility
- Pray for Teachability
- Pray for The Ability to Forgive
- Pray for Obedience
- Pray for Your Mind to Be Renewed
- Pray for Purity
- Pray for Responsibility
- Pray for Courage
- Pray for Hope
Praise God for Who He Is
What the Bible says
“For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16)
Why it matters
Praising God for who He is a part of prayer.
The verse above is a reminder about who you are communicating with when you decide to pray to God. You are not just talking with some kind of spiritual force that cannot be named. How would you have a conversation with something like that?
