I pray often throughout the day — usually quick prayers asking for wisdom as situations come up, or a little whispered prayers for a friends anytime they come to mind. But my intentional prayer time was lacking: very haphazard, disjointed, sporadic.
Be more intentional by making a prayer binder:
Then I remembered that a friend had mentioned having a prayer binder; this sounded quite delightfully organized. I like anything that is delightfully organized! So I asked her what exactly was in her binder, and she gave me some great ideas to get started. (Thanks, Michelle!)
I had to have something cute, of course, so I found a clip art photo I liked, and combined that with two quotes about prayer to make a pretty cover:
“Of all things, guard against neglecting God in the secret place of prayer.” -William Wilberforce
“I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.” -Abraham Lincoln
My new prayer binder:
Inside my prayer binder, I have five tabs, as follows:
- Praise — I like to start prayer/quiet time with praise, but I want to go beyond simply thanking Him for all He is doing in my life. This tab has a list of worshipful verses written out into prayers. I have five or so hand-written pages, but I’m continuing to add to it. (Beth Moore’s Praying God’s Word is fantastic for getting started on these!)
- My Husband — Sometimes I write out specific prayers for loved ones, so this tab is where I have prayers for Ken. I also did a few google searches to find a nifty list of other suggested prayers for husbands; I printed this list as is, but as I’m praying through it, I’m tweaking the list to fit Ken better.
- My Children — It is my privilege and responsibility to pray for my children! I have a list of daily prayers printed off here, plus my own custom prayers (try Praying Like Paul to help develop your own), and a list of prayers for my children’s future spouses.
- Myself — Prayers for myself go here for things like having a gentle spirit and speaking edifying words.
- More — This tab contains all those other prayers I mean to pray but often forget. This includes: prayers for the pastors at my church; prayers for our country; prayers for extended family and friends; prayers for orphans and for adoptive families; and prayers for the marriages of our wedding clients. I also have extra pages to jot down specific prayer requests.
The tabs:
One of the many great things about this binder is that it’s so easy to change around. I know it will morph and grow the more I use it. It does not take the place of the spiral-bound journal where I actually write what I learn or hear during my quiet time. I also have another smaller spiral-bound notebook I take to and from church to take notes during Bible study and sermons.
You are welcome to print these lists of prayers for use in your own prayer notebook:
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I’m a big fan of authentic conversation and always appreciate hearing what you have to say. Thanks for reading.
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