The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

James 5:16 (NIV)

I have learned more about prayer in the last ten years than all of my former years combined. I did teach my fourth grade Sunday school class the different aspects of a prayer. I pray for these prayer parts in the following order, but God will be glad to hear from you in any form. 

Praise for God: Get creative in your praise. I once copied our pastor, David Dykes, and spent this time mentioning all Jesus’ attributes from A to Z. Psalms are great praises.

Confession: Don’t forget to ask the Holy Spirit to show you your sins. That can be scary, but he is the one who convicts us. I pray for the sins I have committed and the things I should have done. God already knows these sins, but our relationship with Him is restored when we repent before him.

Thankfulness: I play a little game with myself sometimes. I try to think of the many blessings God has given me. I have counted up to eighty before. See if you can top that. Don’t forget music, color, sunsets and all the people who have had a positive influence in your life.

Intercession: Sometimes we don’t go further than our family and friends when we intercede. Let me give you some suggestions:

Pray for the street people even though you may think they don’t deserve it.

Pick a country in the news and pray that God will be with the people there. 

Pray for countries at war. Pray that families will find safety.

Pray for unsaved people you know and unsaved people groups

Pray for missionaries around the world. They are witnessing in perilous times.

Pray for our congress and political leaders even though you disagree with them.

Pray for a special health group such as dementia or ALS. Pray for cures for diseases.

Closure: Dear Father, thank you that I can come to you in prayer any time and anywhere.

Janice Yandell