What an honor to share my site today with my friend and author, Carla G. Pollard. I know her story and wise words about remembering prayer requests will brighten your day and encourage you. You’ll find her photo, bio, and links to her website and social media below. Please check out the beautiful writing on her site.
Here’s Carla.
She had a joyful expression as she navigated towards me through the crowded foyer of our church. As women’s ministry leader, I had a responsibility to learn the needs of others, and I had spent time with Jenny discussing hers.
“I want to thank you for praying for my husband,” Jenny expressed as she reached out to shake my hand. “He finally found a job last week. He starts first thing in the morning.”
I strained a smile and nodded as she turned and headed out the door.
Conviction pierced my heart as the memory of her plea for prayers came flooding back. I had forgotten her need. I didn’t pray for her husband. Until she thanked me, I hadn’t even remembered her request.
Dear Lord, please forgive me. I did not hesitate one moment to send up an earnest cry.
Please help me remember the needs of those around me, especially if they ask for my prayers. Please forgive me for letting Jenny believe I had prayed as she had asked. Help me fix this.
It had happened before, forgetting prayer requests. Guilt settled over my heart like a dark cloud.
Just leave it with God and try harder next time.
But I found little solace in my uninspired advice. I knew I would not find relief from this burden until I spoke to Jenny again.
Over the next week, as I sought wisdom on approaching Jenny with my failure, the Holy Spirit reminded me of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane the evening before He faced death on the cross. Jesus agonized for us. His burdens were so great His sweat poured out as great drops of blood. During this prayer vigil, He sought the help of His disciples, but they proved weak in their flesh. I had been like those disciples, weak in the flesh by forgetting her need.
At the next week’s service, I swallowed my pride and faced my failure.
“Jenny,” I found her sitting off to the right of the sanctuary, “I must confess something to you; I forgot you asked me to pray for your husband’s employment. I don’t deserve any thanks. I want to ask you to forgive me.”
She responded with grace and gratefulness. She was happy her prayers were answered regardless. We hugged as we acknowledged God knows what we need and meets our needs.
God taught me a valuable lesson through my experience with Jenny. I know how much I depend on the prayers of others and how much others depend on mine. Bringing the needs of family and friends to God in prayer is a privilege that brings greater love and understanding in our relationships with one another.
Bringing the needs of family and friends to God in prayer is a privilege that brings greater love and understanding in our relationships with one another. Click To Tweet
Sometimes, our busy lives squeeze out the memory of spoken prayer requests only to fill us later with conviction and guilt when we realize our omission. A friend once said to her teenage son who justified his lack of responsibility with his failing memory, “But you didn’t do anything to help you not forget.” From my encounter with Jenny, I realized I needed a strategy to help me remember. The Lord gave me PRAY.
Have there been times when you have forgotten prayer requests? If so, remember PRAY. These four steps will help you not forget when you are asked to PRAY:
P: Remember what a Privilege it is to pray for others.
R: Pray Right then with the person, if appropriate.
A: Access your App and set a reminder or make a note in your cell phone or on a note pad to pray.
Y: Then, when you pray, Yield your spirit to God’s and Yoke your heart with His.
I sense God’s presence with me when I use these four steps each time I am asked to pray. Through my heartfelt petitions for others, I find renewed strength to face my own problems with hope and purpose. I know you will too when you PRAY for others.
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Acts 2:42 ESV
Please share with us how you remember the prayer requests of others or how the prayers of family and friends have blessed you.
Carla G. Pollard is an author and teacher. She loves people and desires to see them reach their full potential through a vibrant relationship with Jesus. She is active in her community and is a shoulder-to-shoulder leader who ministers to the homeless, the imprisoned, the abused, the elderly, and infirm. Her works have appeared in Prayer Connect, CBN Online Devotions, P31 Woman, Power for Living, The Bible Advocate and Together with God. She is a contributing author in Unimaginable: Finding Love through Pain and Sustaining Life’s Victories. Her inspiring messages resonate strength and happiness birthed through pain and sorrow. Carla’s motto is: Be faithful to Jesus; He’s faithful to you.
Carla invites you to connect with her through her blog at www.carlagpollard.com and on Facebook, and Twitter.
Here’s another post about remembering prayer requests.
Eight-Strategies-for-Remembering-Prayer-Requests-
Carla, I try to pray when I’m asked. I admire those who remember requests and keep praying. I also write some in my calendar.
Yes, I believe it really touches the heart of God when we bow our heads with others no matter where we are at the time. We get to share our love and concern to those in need and we acknowledge the very presence of God with us to meet those needs. Thank you Debbie.
Your strategies are easy to remember with the acronym. I admit I have been guilty of forgetting to pray for others too. Thanks for sharing, Jeannie and Carla.
I think all of us miss some requests, Barbara. I agree Carla’s acronym will help us. Thanks for stopping by.
Oh Barbara, we are not alone. It is part of our human frailty and it plays right into the enemy’s schemes. Having a plan helps. I’m glad the PRAY acronym is helpful.
Amen. Pray. Noting those prayer requests immediately helps me to remember to continue praying.
Hi Melissa, yes, making note right away is effective. Jeannie offered some great strategies too in her article on prayer. I find when we enter these conversations with one another we can discover methods and wisdom to help us all. God reflects His creativity throughout His church. We discover we are not alone and there are a myriad of ways to conquer problems.
Carla,
I’ve done that too. It is so difficult to remember so many prayer requests especially when we add the ones we find on social media. I appreciate the points you suggested. I also try to stop and pray immediately. Prayer requests are a precious treasure, and I don’t want to take them lightly. Thanks for addressing this.
Thank you, Sylvia. We ate human and we do forget sometimes, It never hurts to have a method to help us not forget.
I love this, Carla. Thank you for being transparent about your struggles and providing a way out of them. I, too, find that praying immediately whenever possible is the best way not to forget. Thanks for this excellent post.
Yes, immediate is the best.
It is so important to pray with/for those that ask us. I’ve started using an app to remind me also. Thanks for the advice and glad to get to know Carla.
Thank you, Yvonne. Apps are great and you can set alerts and timers.
Thank you, Carla, for humbly sharing this reminder of the importance of praying for others and how not to forget. I have also forgotten prayer requests. Sometimes I’d remember that someone asked for prayer, but I’d forget who it was or what the request had been. In those times, I confess to God my forgetfulness and prayerfully ask His intervention because I know He hasn’t forgotten. Thank you, Jeannie, for hosting Carla this week. Wishing you both a week filled with joy and blessings.
Thank you Katherine. I am so glad for God’s forgiveness and for His faithfulness to us. He never forgets and answer sometimes before we even ask.
Thanks, Jeannie, for the tips to remember prayer requests. A friend keeps a list of prayer requests on her refrigerator door. Every time she opens the door, she randomly chooses a name and prays for that person.
What a great idea, Peggy. Thank you for sharing.
YES, I have a friend who keeps stones in her pocket with names of those who need her prayers. All day long, she touches the stones and remembers their needs and whisper her prayer.
Love this! Such a great way to remember to pray faithfully for those who ask us to pray. I’ve had my fair share of forgetting to pray for someone as well so this really spoke to me. Thanks!!
Thank you Jean.
Thank you Carla for the acronym and especially the suggestions to make a note in our phone or pray on the spot or shortly thereafter.
I’m so grateful for how the Lord is using this to speak to hearts. I appreciate everyone taking the time to read it and to comment.
Carla, what a great way to help us remember the importance of praying for others. I will remember to P.R.A.Y.
Thank you Dawn.
Thanks for the reminder to pray right away. I call it “stop, drop, and pray.” When I pray with someone when they ask, I don’t forget to do it later. Also, my former pastor had what he called “alarm clock prayer” where he set reminders in his phone for him to pray for people. Great ideas, thanks for sharing.
What great ideas, Joanna. Thank you for sharing those.
Carla, I’ve had the same problem and conviction. I really like the PRAY acrostic. Thanks for sharing it.
I loved Carla’s acronym, too . Thanks so much for reading and commenting.