Have you ever been in a dilemma where there was not an earthly resolution? For reasons that we cannot understand or explain, some problems we are up against just will not be solved by human action. In every situation, we’ve got to take our earthly action to the heavenly realm. Human problems need divine intervention.
Enter the discipline of prayer. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I am living proof that prayer changes things. There is no reason why I should still be here, except for the grace of God and the countless prayer warriors who whisper my name to our Heavenly Father. If that’s you, know that I am eternally grateful.
I also know that prayer changes us. My time spent in prayer makes me feel closer to God, it realigns my heart and my priorities, and it increases my sense of gratitude for all that God does for me.
Consider the following questions from my good friend and fellow Bible study author, Julie Lyles Carr:
When do you feel most connected to God?
What works for you when it comes to prayer?
What about prayer is hard for you?
from Footnotes: Major Lessons from Minor Bible Characters by Julie Lyles Carr
Recently, these questions have challenged me to assess my prayer life. As my Bible reading community has walked through the Footnotes study together, we’ve shared our favorite resources for prayer. Prayer doesn’t require anything but a willing heart and time spent with God. But sometimes it helps to have a few extra items on hand to journal, record, and remember what you’ve brought before God in prayer.
What follows here are a few resources that I personally use to help sharpen my prayer life. But I’d love it if you would share some of your favorites by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post. Let’s encourage one another as we deepen our prayer life!
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Favorite Resources for Deepening Your Prayer Life
Prayers of My Heart, by Debbie Taylor Williams
With month-at-a-glance and week-at-a-glance pages, along with lined pages for extra thoughts, Prayers of My Heart helps my easily distractible mind sort and organize all the things I want to pray for into a visual chart. I have columns for my family, friends, this ministry, my church, missionaries, unbelievers, our nation, and our world. With the month-at-a-glance page, I can easily keep track of date-specific events that need prayer. I love this prayer journal!
The CSB Notetaking Bible
I just ordered the CSB Notetaking Bible, because I wanted a hard copy of the CSB translation to study with. But what I love most about this Bible is the space for notetaking. I often pray specific verses over people or specific situations, so I appreciate the opportunity to write a name, topic, or date in the lined margins of this Bible.
A Blank Journal
The Leuchtturm1917 journal is my favorite journal brand (any bullet journal fans out there?) because of its quality paper, numbered pages, and the absolute best – a hard cover that LAYS FLAT. For anyone who scribbles in a journal as much as I do, this is a crucial quality. Leuchtturm1917 offers a variety of sizes and you can customize each journal with dotted, plain, ruled, or squared interior pages. My favorite is this one.
Prayer is powerful.
Prayer is powerful. Prayer fixes our earthly problems. If you are facing something today that holds no foreseeable resolution, would you allow God to stretch your prayer habit? Pour out your heart to Him. God hears and responds to His children. He is faithful to see His will accomplished on this earth and He will not fail you today.
Reminder: post your favorite prayer resource in the comments below! I’d love to hear what works for you.
