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How I Organize My Prayers

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Del Tackett Del Tackett
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I think one of the most neglected attributes of God is that He is socially complex. We speak of this as the triune nature—one God, but existing in three persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit, bound together in perfect relationship. I believe it is this aspect of God’s character that brought forth in creation not only a universe filled with relationships—systems of systems of diverse pieces and parts all working orchestratively together for the larger whole—but also the social order that He has instituted on earth for the benefit of man.

This social order is so prominent in the life of humanity that I have organized my prayers around it. I don’t normally talk about personal preferences or practices, for I do not want to burden anyone, but I have been asked about it enough (since I refer to it on occasion) that I thought I would at least lay it out for those who might find it as beneficial as I have.

There are seven (as I see it in Scripture) fundamental social systems, beginning with the Triune God, then, in order of appearance :) : God & man, labor, family, community, state and church. Since there are seven days in the week, I have ordered my prayer time along those lines:

  • Sunday – church: I pray for our pastor and staff, our deacons and elders; for those leading the church around the world (by name for those I know); for the persecuted brothers and sisters around the world (by name for those I am aware of); for our life group; for the body of Christ to be strong, to be light and salt, to be vibrant and fruitful, beginning with me; I pray for our Truth Project and Engagement Project leaders and their small groups; and so on…
  • Monday – labor: pray for those in your vocational organization, bosses, coworkers, those you oversee; pray that you will be a good worker, as unto the Lord, cheerful, working just as hard when your boss’s eye is not on you; I pray for those organizations that I have been a part of in the past; I pray for business leaders and the trials they are going through with COVID; I pray for our medical laborers; I thank God for the immense benefit that my family and I receive from the labor of farmers and ranchers and truck drivers and those who stock the shelves, etc; I pray against those organizations that kill babies and foster addictions and produce pornography and lewdness in the arts and lies in the media, etc; I pray that God will bless the poor with good jobs; and so on…
  • Tuesday – state: I pray for our governmental leaders, from the federal to the local state; I pray there will be a reformation and revival among them all, that they would lead in accordance with godly, biblical principles; I pray for the salvation of those who do not appear to know Christ and for an awakening for those who claim to but act divergently; I pray for the overthrow of evil policies that have destroyed lives and families and against evil policies that destroy and confiscate the fruit of the laborer; I pray for peace in areas where there is war; I pray for Israel; I pray for our police and firemen and all our first responders; I pray for freedom and liberty and thank God for the religious freedom we have had so far; and so on… And, at noon Eastern, on Tuesdays, I pray that God will grant us, as a nation, repentance. I would ask that you do so as well.
  • Wednesday – community: I pray for our neighbors, that God will grant us a deeper relationship and an openness to hear the Gospel; I pray for those who have begun to pray for their neighbors through the Engagement Project; I pray for unity in our community and good will to grow and flourish between those that the evil one wants to divide; I pray for those in our community who are addicted, for those who are lonely, for those who are widows and prisoners and abused and lost, for those who are physically in pain or disabled, for those who are poor in the world’s goods and those who are rich and poor and blind and naked and wretched, for those Christians who live next door to each of these that they will begin to fulfill the Royal Law and engage them with the love of Christ; and so on…
  • Thursday – God & Man: I thank God for what He has done to save me; I thank Him for who I am now in Christ; I confess my sins, which are many, and thank Him for His forgiveness and cleansing from all unrighteousness; I thank Him for the Holy Spirit and His indwelling of me and pray that I will not quench Him or deny Him, though I’m sure I do constantly; I pray that He will make me a bondslave, that my will and passions and desires will be conformed to His will and passions and desires; I pray that the love He has poured out upon me would be manifested in my life, as well as all of the gifts of the Spirit for the benefit of those around me; I thank Him for making me His child, for clothing me in the righteousness of Christ, for my salvation; and so on…
  • Friday – family: I pray for each member of my family and for my extended family; I pray for my lost son; I pray for those in my family that do not know Christ and for those who do; I pray especially for my children; I pray for my grandchildren; I pray for the Christian families in the Body of Christ that they will see the vision that God has entrusted to them the primary work of the Kingdom as they minister, as a family, to their neighbors; I pray for Christian dads and moms, that they will be filled with wisdom in these difficult times; I pray for Christian children that they will honor their parents, be strong and valiant in the hard struggle against evil in their day; I pray that I will be a godly husband and father and uncle and grandfather; and so on…
  • Saturday – the Triune God: This is the special day when I praise God for all of the attributes that I can think of, going through them in alphabetical order; I pray especially for those attributes of God that I am lacking a firm reality in my life; I pray for the mercy of God where His mercy is needed; I pray for the wisdom of God where His wisdom is needed; I pray for His judgment and for His strong arm to withhold evil; I pray for Him to break through hard hearts and closed minds and deaf ears and blind eyes; I praise Him for His goodness and kindness and love; I praise Him; and so on…

The older you get in the Lord, the longer your prayer list grows. Eventually, I found I couldn’t get through it in any meaningful way, it was terribly haphazard, random, and I was skipping those things the Scripture asked me to pray for, like those in authority over me. This has helped me a lot. Maybe it will be helpful to some of you as well. I suggest you make a file for each day. As the Lord prompts you to pray, make a note and put it in the appropriate day. We, more than ever, need to be a people of prayer, especially in the days that lay ahead.

Blessings!

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