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July 2013
19
Q
Answer:
One way to avoid falling into this habit is orga-
nizing your prayers so that you emphasize a different aspect
of life every day. You should still use the outline that Christ
gave in Matthew 6 and Luke 11, but address different subjects
on different days.
For example, you could set aside the first day of the week to
pray about the problems and needs of the world. This would
require you to be aware of world events, so that you could
pray about what is currently happening or threatening to oc-
cur. There is no end of items about which to pray-from the
leaders of various nations (1 Timothy 2:2) to those suffering
from sickness, warfare and disease.
You might use the second day of the week to pray about the
country where you live. Again, pray for those who are in
authority, including those in an executive position (president,
prime minister); those working in the justice system; those
working with legislation. You can pray about teachers, asking
God to make it possible for believers to receive a good educa-
tion and still hold to their beliefs. You can pray similarly
about business leaders, so that believers can have employ-
ment. You can pray for safety regarding weather and natural
disasters. You can pray for the health of people you know
who are sick and/or injured. As you watch the news, issues
will readily come to mind.
On the third day, you can pray about the needs and issues
of the state or province in which you live, applying all of the
guidelines in the above paragraph.
On the fourth day, concentrate on the needs and issues of
your family, both immediate and extended family members.
On the fifth day of the week, focus on your personal needs
and issues. Do not think it is selfish to pray about personal
matters! The Psalms, which are both prayers and songs, show
us by example that it is not wrong to do so. Jesus also men-
tions this in His outline prayer. Setting aside a day to con-
centrate on personal issues keeps you from praying too much
about yourself on other days. Additionally, it can help you
become aware of sin of which you need to repent.
You can use your prayer time on the sixth day to talk with
God about matters that you might have missed on previous
days. You can review issues you have prayed about during
the week or bring up new matters. Think of it as a “catch-up
day.”
On the weekly Sabbath, dedicate your prayer time to be-
ing thankful to God for all that He is and that He has done,
whether for others or for you. Giving thanks to God is
mentioned throughout the Bible. Imagine how child-parent
relationships in a physical family would improve if the child
dedicated one day per week just to being thankful! Being
thankful to God improves our relationship with Him too.
On every day of the week, your prayers should include men-
tion of the work and family of God. Experiment with differ-
ent subjects that work for you, but this general idea should
help solve your problem!
OA
Personal
Contact
by
cecil maranville
Question:
I want to
vary what I say in my daily
prayers, but I of ten find
myself saying the same
words. Do you have any
suggestions about how I
can avoid this pitfall?
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