31 Ways to Pray

We sometimes get stuck in a rut. We create our routine and then go on auto-pilot. This can be a good thing, but it can be harmful to our prayer times.

When it comes to praying, it is good to branch out and pray big prayers that encompass the world. Our God is a big God, capable of doing great things, but we don't ask for His help for a lot of things.

Perhaps a far worse charge against us is the smallness of our prayers. We pray for those we know and for those close to us, but we fail our global brothers & sisters by neglecting to pray for them. God cares for all of the world, but most of our prayers center around us and maybe 100 miles around us.

How did we get to the point where we don't care enough for our global family to faithfully intercede on their behalf? When is the last time that you prayed for your city? State? Country? Continent? World? How often do you pray for things that happen in Europe, Africa, or Asia?

Here is a list of ways to pray that may stretch your prayers and grow your faith. But don't take my word for it, try it yourself.

1. A.C.T.S. Prayer:  This acronym stands for Adoration (Praise God for Who He Is), Confession (Admit Your Faults & Sins to God), Thanksgiving (Thank God for What He Had Done), and Supplication (Ask God for What You Need). By taking time to adore God, confess our sins, and thank God BEFORE we state our requests, our focus is taken off of ourselves.

2. Pray on your fingers. If you google 5-Finger Prayer printables or handouts, you will see a variety of these prompts. Essentially, you use each finger as a reminder to pray for a certain group of people.
*Thumb: pray for your family & friends (those who are closest to you)
*Index Finger: pray for your parents & teachers (those who point the way)
*Middle Finger: pray for leaders & authorities (those who stand the tallest)
*Ring Finger: pray for the weak, sick, or needy (this is your weakest finger)
*Pinky: pray for yourself (this is your last finger and the smallest one too)

3. Pray the Scriptures: Use actual prayers in the Bible and pray along with the speaker of the prayer or find another type of Scripture and pray it too. Pray for prophesies to come to pass. Pray for believers to follow God's commands. Pray for tragedies in Scripture to not be repeated again.

4. Pray with a Journal: Write out your prayers. Track when you started to pray for something to happen and leave space to record how God answered that prayer!

5. Pray for the Persecuted: Sign up to get email reminders from groups like the World Watch List to pray for the persecuted church around the world. Learn about countries where persecution is rampant.

6. Pray for Your Enemies and Persecutors: Pray for those who dislike and even hate you. Pray for those who consider themselves your enemies. Pray for your country's enemies. Pray for those who are persecuting the church.

7. Pray the Lord's Prayer: Take the familiar words of the Lord's Prayer and pray through different translations and Bible versions. Pray it slowly and meaningfully.

8. Pray while Walking: Prayer walking ties exercise with letting the sights of your community drive your prayer requests. Pray for the family who will move into the empty house. Pray for the person who lost their shoe somehow. Take what you see and offer it as a prayer to God.

9. Pray the Hours Away: It is called many different names, but you can look up the Divine Hours, the Divine Office, Praying the Hours, or Fixed Hour Prayers. Set alarms to remind you to pray throughout the day. Traditionally 6 am, 9 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, 6 pm, and 9 pm are observed, with monks and nuns sometimes even praying at 12 am and 3 am as well.

10. Pray Without Speaking: Prayer is called a conversation, but a lot of times, we preform a monologue before God and then leave without waiting for His response. Take time to wait silently before God. Take time to listen to what He is saying. Be still and know that He is God.

11. Pray Through the News: Pray through the newspaper, news report, or news article. Pray for those arrested. Thank God for the good. Ask Him to intercede in the different events. Pray for the victims and the perpetrators.

12. Pray with the Words of Those Who Have Gone Before You: Find prayers that you think are beautiful and pray them. Pray with the Book of Common Prayer and Daily Prayer Books.

13. Pray for Those on the Margins of Society: Pray for the widows, the orphans, the stranger (refugee, immigrant, legal or otherwise). Pray for the single parents and the addicts. Pray for the homeless.

14. Pray with a Friend: Go before the throne of God with another believer. Pray together and pray faithfully for lives to be changed.

15. Praise God for Your Blessings: Thank God for everything that you can think of. Praise Him for all the good you have in your life and thank God for all the evils that are not in your life.

16. Pray for the Lost: Pray for missing children, prodigal children, and those rebelling against God. Pray for them to be found and to be submit to Jesus' lordship.

17. Pray by Percentages: Research how much of the world is in Asia, Africa, Europe, Central & South America, the Middle East, and North America. Take an hour and for every population percentage, spend a minute in prayer for that world region. Pray for countries, cities, people groups, religions, leaders, and events that you look up.

18. Pray for God's Promises to Come to Pass: Pray for us to fulfill our part of God's promise and humbly ask God to fulfill His part. Pray for His prophesies to come to pass (see Daniel and the end of the exile) or to be averted (see Jonah and Nineveh).

19. Pray for People in the Places You Know: Pray for the people in the cities in your county, the people in the states in your country, and the people in the countries in the world.

20. Pray for those who Practice Different Religions: Pray for Jewish, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists, and others to come to faith in Christ.

21. Pray for Missionaries: Sign up for emails to get global prayer prompts from missionaries around the world.

22. Pray about Upcoming Events: Pray for tests, travels, birthdays, holidays, and more!!

23. Pray for the Displaced: Pray for those who are displaced by war, persecution, or violence. Pray for the refugees and those who drive them away.

24. Pray for the Things on God's Heart: Pray for Justice, Repentance, and Restoration to take place. These are only a few of the things that God is passionate about.

25. Pray for the Rich and the Famous: They need prayers too. Pray for celebrities, politicians, and other people who are in the news. Pray for them to realize their need of God's saving grace.

26. Pray for the Children: God has a special place in His heart for children. Pray for their safety, protection, and salvation. Pray for those in troubled homes and empty homes.

27. Pray for God's Word to be Spread: Pray for the Gospel to be heard by all people. Pray that they repent of their sins and follow Jesus. Pray for people to have access to the Bible, even if it is illegal in their country.

28. Pray for Stateless People: Pray for people who are rejected by their countries of origins. Pray for those who made it to refugee camps, but have no citizenship status. Pray for them to find their home in Heaven.

29. Pray for Those Facing Troubles: Pray for those who are facing physical, financial, or emotional troubles. Pray for the depressed, the lonely, the empty. Pray for the poor, the rich, and the greedy. Pray for those in pain.

30. Pray for God's Kingdom to Come: Pray that His church will live out His teachings. Pray for His Kingdom to come soon.

31. Pray for the Sick. Pray for those who are newly ill, chronically ill, and those who are baffling their doctors. Pray for those with bad knees, backs, and hearts. Pray for physical healing, but pray for their sin-sick hearts to be healed more.

What other prayer prompts can you think of?
What else should we be praying for?

This list gives ideas for a month of prayers, but it only scratches the surface. Let us be faithful in praying for the world in this digital age that lets us know prayer prompts (in the form of news) almost instantly. We have the information at our fingertips. Will we use it to pray not only for those we know, but for those we don't know?