Creative Prayer Suggestions Worldwide Network of Prayer
By Terry Spears

 

Why not practice the presence of God today? If you have a watch that beeps on the hour, allow it to do so for a day or two, and despite the potential for irritating your colleagues or neighbors, use this to prompt you to become aware of God’s presence at that precise moment. Alternatively, put a colored dot on your diary, or on your mobile phone. Every time you see it, pray a brief prayer for someone in your mind at that time.

If you are often driven by your daytimer or PDA, with one appointment after another, why not let your calendar help you? Book yourself an appointment with God for prayer -it may only be a half-hour slot, but you can guarantee that He will never be late for it, unlike some of your other appointments! Look back over your weekly pattern to identify some ten to fifteen minute periods that you can use to be with God.

For small children, make a picture album for them to have with them during prayer time. Put pictures of family, a homeless person (symbolizing the poor), and a picture of the world. Include pictures of every day blessings to give thanks for: food, clothing, a home, etc. Their requests can also be put into picture form: grandmother, father, swing set, new bike, etc.

Buy an inflatable globe. Have the kids stand in a circle and one person will toss the ball to another. That person will then close their eyes and point to a place on the globe. (Have a list or missionaries available) Have group prayer for the missionary in that part of the world.

Cut out headlines in the newspaper and mount them on poster paper writing under each headline the name of a missionary who is working near that area.

Give each person the name of a missionary and suggest they claim a Bible promise also list the scripture for the Bible promise.

Apply the principle of sowing and reaping by creating a special notebook or rolodex file in your prayer room to hold business cards. Each Sunday, as the offering is being taken up, ask the people to place their own business card in the offering plate so that the intercessors can pray over them during the week. Beseeching God to pour out His blessing and prosperity over the businesses of your church honors Him. Some pray-ers might even want to write short notes to the business owners to let them know that they are being prayed for. As you minister to the community in this way, your church will reap what it needs as well. God promises it!

Workplace or Prayerplace – Need some help on penetrating your workplace with the power of prayer? Check out these ideas.

Post-a-Prayer -Make a Pray-it Say-it card, print it out and stick it on the bulletin board at work. Choose a funny photo to get everyone’s attention, and a scripture that will bless them.

Give God a Break – Take your coffee break with God. Get your coffee to go and take a walk around your office building and pray. Or take your coffee out of the lounge and into your office, shut the door, and pray. Or even better, invite others at your job to join you for coffee time prayer. Pray for your boss, company finances, your family, co-workers, etc.

Target Your Boss – With prayer that is. Set aside a little time each week to pray for your boss and the company business. Then send a thoughtful card to your boss. Let him/her know that you are available to pray for any specific needs they might have.

Quotes:

“Daniel would rather spend the night with the lions than to miss a prayer meeting.”

“I strongly suspect that if we saw all the difference even the tiniest of our prayers make, and all the people those little prayers were destined to affect, and all the consequences of those prayers down through the centuries, we would be so paralyzed with awe at the power of prayer that we would be unable to get up off our knees for the rest of our lives.”

“We must alter our lives in order to alter our hearts, for it is impossible to live one way and pray another.”

“As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in schools.”

“Prayer is the prelude to peace, the prologue to power, the preface to purpose, and the pathway to perfection.”

 

WNOP Projections

When the World Network of Prayer was first set up, there were12 projected goals put in place.

(All items with asterisks have been accomplished and all without asterisks have been partly accomplished.)

*Raise consciousness of prayer and impart a worldview of prayer.

*Encourage Bible schools/colleges to include prayer in their curriculum.

*Encourage the teaching of children to pray.

Encourage each district to have a district prayer coordinator. (To date there are 57 districts, 48 with district coordinators.)

*Encourage churches to develop prayer groups and a prayer room.

*Motivate leaders/pastors to appoint a prayer minister/coordinator.

Develop a Pastor’s Prayer Force in every church. (This is a special prayer group designated to pray for the pastor and his family each day.)

*Encourage every church to partner with a missionary, leader, city, state, or nation. (Each church makes a commitment to pray each day for a missionary, city, state, leader, or nation.)

*Enhance more effective prayer by the distribution of prayer guides. (11 different guides are available to churches at no charge from the World Network of Prayer. Twenty-nine different prayer guides have been distributed over the last ten years.)

*Encourage prayer evangelism. (This is organized prayer that focuses on lost souls—prayer walks—prayer journeys.)

*Pray with other churches on special dates for leaders and special meetings. (This includes district conferences, camp meetings, youth conventions, etc.)

Establish a PrayerNet that encompasses the world. (Each church prays for the church and pastor to its north, south, east, and west.)

 

This article “Creative Suggestions” by Terry Spears is excerpted from World Network of Prayer, Oct. 2005.