Index Card Prayer System

Transcription

1 Index Card Prayer System Written by: Jaime Anderson

2 Prayer. It is a command from God. It brings great blessings and fulfillment, but it seems to be the one thing that slips away when my life gets busy. Does this happen to you? If it doesn t slip away completely, I find myself praying as I am heading to the grocery store, lying in bed, or washing the dishes. Yes, those are great mes to pray, but I get much more fulfillment from having a purposeful prayer life. There is nothing like waking up to me with the Lord. It makes my day go more smoothly. I think that part of my prayer laziness had been a lack of a good system; a system that was simple, but that would allow me to purposefully pray for those I love, my needs, and to give adora on to my Saviour. It was out of a need for a be(er system, that I developed my own Index Card Prayer System. This system is simple and helps me remember to pray for the things that are essen al; my husband, children, those that are going through trials, those that need Jesus. When I purpose to use it, there is definitely a difference in me. A difference in the way I lean on Him, a difference in the way I react to others, a difference in the way my home runs, and a difference in every part of my life. If we understood how important prayer was, I believe we would be more purposeful in doing it. I hope you find the Index Card Prayer System as easy to use as I have, that it helps you be more purposeful in your prayer life, and that it draws you closer to The Lord, as it has for me. Blessings, Jaime

3 One thing that I was sick of in my prayer life was si4ng down to pray and either falling asleep (I know, terrible) or si4ng there thinking what should I be praying for? The Bible admonishes us to pray and lists specific things, but with my busy mom brain, I would forget! I have lists for everything, a grocery list, a to do list, this list and that list. It is essen al for me to have a list! Why not a prayer list? And not just any list, an effec ve list! I had a prayer list before my index card system, but it always looked so long and daun ng. I would sit down and just pray over the first part and never get to the end where my extended family was listed, or church missionaries, or even the people I had men oned I would pray for on social media. I asked the Lord for a be(er way, a way to pray for everyone that didn t feel so overwhelming and that would get done...every day. The Lord gave me the Index Card Prayer System. I use an index card system, because it is a snippet of prayer for that moment and doesn't seem overwhelming like a long list some mes does. I have things I pray for daily, every other day, weekly, and monthly. The system is quite simple once set up. Let s get started! Things you will need: Index Cards (either 3x5 or 4x6, your choice) Index Card box to fit your cards Index Card dividers to fit your cards/box A nice pen that you enjoy using (I know, stupid, but important to me.) :) That's it! Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

4 Step One: Label the dividers as follows and place them in the box in this order: Most dividers have numbers or le(ers already on them. I just flip them over and write with permanent marker the following things: 1 divider - Daily 1 divider - Odd 1 divider - Even 7 dividers - Days of the Week 31 dividers - Numbered divider - Blessings 1 divider - Answered Prayer 1 divider - Archives Step Two: Fill out your index cards with your prayer requests. I have two 4x6 index cards with things I ask the Lord for daily. Then, each person gets their own card with specific requests wri(en on it. These are filed individually behind the day divider that I pray for them.

5 Here are some examples of what my prayer cards look like: Daily: (I have two 4x6 cards with the following prompts on them) Thankfulness to God salva on, protec on, new day, hearing my prayer Confess known sin & unknown sin Order my steps today (Psalm 37:23) Allow no sin to be master over me. (Rom 6:14) Yield to Holy Spirit. Use me as an instrument of righteousness (Rom 6:13) Renew my mind, bind bad thoughts. Control my words. Control my a4tude & the way I react. Bind Satan, build a hedge of protec on around me and my family. Give me wisdom & knowledge as I read Your Word. Give me discernment & understanding. Help me cul vate a sincere desire to be in the Bible daily and to do what it says. When I was struggling with JOY, I had an addi onal daily card that I would pray. (some days it was ALL I prayed) Restore my Joy Revive my Heart Help me to die to self daily Make me more like You.

6 Odd: I pray for my husband and one of my children. (If it is an odd number day, I pray for these cards.) Even: I pray for my other 2 children. (If it is an even number day, I pray for these cards) A note about odd and even. If you have several children, you might want to divide them evenly here. You could pray for your husband Daily and then divide your children up in the odd even days. This system is easily customizable to your needs. You could pray for all your children daily or specific prayers for each day of the week. Odd and Even cards get prayed for every other day. Days of the Week: I divide up the following cards evenly throughout the days of the week. I make a new card for each person and list their needs underneath their name. Immediate family (mom, dad, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, grandparents) Ministry leaders (pastor, pastors wife, deacons etc) My close friends and their families Any pressing issues that needs prayer. I pray over our church prayer list on Fridays, amer our Thursday night prayer mee ng. Those I told I would pray for an issue (via social media, in person etc) Those in need of salva on. Days of the Month: I pray over extended family names throughout the month (aunts, uncles, etc.) Specific missionaries Character traits for children* 31 days of prayer for husband* *See appendix for these lists.

7 An Example of how you would use this system on a specific day: It is Friday, May 7th. I would be praying for the items behind the following dividers: Daily, Odd, Friday, 7th of the Month. Blessings: I try to think of one blessing to be thankful for each day and write it on this card. As the card fills up, I place a new one in front of it. Be sure to date them, its fun to look back and read them. Answered Prayer: Whenever something I have been praying for has been answered, I cross it off my list and put it on my answered prayer card with the date and the answer (if apparent). Its also fun to look at these and see all the answered prayer. This is a great way to visibly see God at work. Archives: Any cards that you rewrite, become outdated, etc, I file in the archives. Tips and Tricks: Carry index cards in your car, your purse or wallet. When you meet someone at church and tell them you will pray, write it down immediately! When you get home, place the card in your prayer box. If you see a prayer need, write it down immediately! When you get home, place the card in your prayer box. Kids Prayer Boxes This is a GREAT system to use for your kids prayer life. It gives them specific things and people to pray for, is short and concise, and doesn't seem overwhelming. We use the small index cards and portable boxes for the kids.

8 That s all it takes! I hope that now you have gone through the set-up process you are able to begin using your own Index Card Prayer System! Feel free to share with others you feel might be blessed by it. Now put it in a place where you can easily grab it and pray! Blessings, Jaime Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. Psalm 5:2-3