The Content of Intercession

One thing that I have learned over the years of intercession is that taking the same time every day to engage in prayer certainly does not mean it is necessary to slavish follow the same routine. I have tried a variety of different approaches over the years. At one time, when we lived next to a park, I tried going out for a walk in the early morning and praying while I walked. For now, my preferred style is to sit on the couch with a lap desk. The lap desk has pockets built right in, on each side where I can store my papers and books.

I have always been a person who writes lists. I find that if I do not write something down, I am liable to forget it. For that reason, I began many years ago to write down the prayer requests that I wanted to remember. Otherwise, I would nearly always forget them and feel a lot of guilt about that.

What is in those pockets of the desk? On one side are file folders with my lists. There is a large folder that I consult every day. This consists of what I would call my intensive care needs. These are the immediate concerns of people that are of a more urgent nature. I feel I need to remember them every day. I will give you some examples as we go along. The other lists in this folder are people who send me their prayer newsletters or lists of requests and I pray for one of their requests each day. For example, I belong to the prayer team of The Word Guild. Once a week I receive a list of prayer requests for our members. Each morning I will pray through one page of requests on that list. It is usually six to eight pages long, so that system just works out right over the course of the week.

As well as what I consider the daily folder, I also have folders for each day of the week. These contain requests that are less urgent and I remember them once a week. Continuing the hospital analogy, these people are the ones in the sections where they require less intensive care. They may be folks with an ongoing challenge that need prayer support just to keep going.

One other folder that I keep in the right side pocket contains the sheet that I have completed, that is there is no more room to write on them. On these sheets are listed the dates and Scriptures that I have recorded for that particular prayer item. I will tell you more about that in my next blog, as well as fill you in on the items in the left pocket of the desk. Keep tuned and thanks for walking with me.