I have had my prayer since about 2014. I don't use it every day, but it is the main backbone of my prayer time. I love it.
It's messy.
It's well used.
and much loved.
Recently I tried something new with it. The cool people call this a "hack." I call it "carrying a person through my prayer binder."
Here's how it goes:
If there's a person heavy on my heart, or someone I have been thinking about or praying for, I'll "carry" them through each of my prayer binder sections. Let me tell you my sections, then specifically, how I do it.
THE TABS:
My current prayer binder tabs (or sections) are:
Praise
Rest
Confess
Petition
Others
Prodigals
And a tab for my husband and each of my sons
THE CARRY:
For this example, I carried one of my sons through the sections. He's currently not walking with the Lord. Here's how I carried him through each tab:
PRAISE:
I praised God for giving us this son. Praised Him that children are a gift of the Lord. I praised Him for the wonderful times we've had with him. For the sweet memories to the hard, hard times. I praised Him for forming me through the painful times and smoothing my rough edges through the sandpaper times (when my son and I were painfully scraping against each other). I praised Him for humbling me with the hard gift of a headstrong son. I praised Him that He is not done working in either one of us yet.
This is where I pray for myself in the relationship with my son. I pray that He would enable me to wait well and die to myself better. That He would give me wisdom and discernment and clear thinking when I'm with my son. That I would be sensitive to His spirit and not move head ahead or retreat back without Him. I pray for grace in our interactions. I pray for me to have His grace to mortify my own sins instead of looking at my son's. I pray for times to interact with my son, and sometimes I'll pause here and write a note to remember to text him and ask him to dinner or to do something.
I pray the same for my other sons. That they will remember the good times they had growing up together. That they would forgive old sins and hurts. That they would be humbled and forgivers. That the Lord would grow them in love and mercy and grace for each other. That as they grow into adults that their relationships would be strengthened and close.
.
.
I love this method because it helps me pray in ways that I normally wouldn't think of.
If you don't have a prayer binder, why not start one to use in the new year?
You can find all the information under my Prayer Binder tab above.
If you do have one, but it's been a while since you've used it, pull it out and try to carry someone who you have been praying for through the tabs. I'd love to hear how it works for you!
Kari,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing so openly with us! What a great idea of praying someone through our prayer binder sections! I am excited to carry someone on my heart through my prayer binder! You are always an inspiration to me! I love my prayer binder which was inspired by your binder! May God bless you as you have blessed me and countless others! God Bless you and your family!
Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!
Love this , so helpful and practical
ReplyDeleteWow Kari! My heart is so touched by this method of prayer. Question: Do you write your prayers in your binder?
ReplyDeleteThis is AWESOME! I wouldn't be able to write down my entire prayer,cuz of chrome illness issues.i have a prayer & praise book,but I haven't written anything in about a month or two. I've just always wondered how long does it take to pray through your war binder every night, on average? The only reason I ask if because between Bible study, Bible journaling & Bible quilting, I don't know how much time I devote to something that's time consuming Thank you for sharing this! May you & your family have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
ReplyDeleteSorry, 'chronic' issues, not 'chrome.' 🤔
ReplyDeleteThank you for reminding me what MY responsibility is in praying for a child who is going through big challenges. We want what the Lord wants, but it is hard not to let emotions rule. Having a plan (prayer binder) helps be better prepared in conversation because we remember what we said in prayer for that child.
ReplyDeleteI was looking for help with this exact thing thanks so much
ReplyDelete