Tag: prayer requests

Remember to Pray

Jeannie Waters28 Comments on Remember to Pray

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. Share on X

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

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-

Eight Strategies for Remembering Prayer Requests

Jeannie Waters32 Comments on Eight Strategies for Remembering Prayer Requests

My Indy 500 day blew past like Dale Earnhardt. I looked at the clock. “Oh no! It’s 3:00. I completely missed my daughter’s exam time.”

I’d always promised to pray for her study time and success on final exams. This time, however, I neglected to fulfill this important responsibility.

Have you ever promised to pray for someone’s broken heart or surgery or job interview and then realized later you’d forgotten? We mean well, but our memories sometimes fail.  

In my teen years, I often voiced prayer needs to Pam, a mentor. She would respond, “Let’s pray now. I don’t want to forget.” Her statement emphasized the responsibility of receiving a request and the importance of lifting it to our heavenly Father.  

The Bible teaches,

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

Colossians 4:2 ESV

Paul commended fervent prayer,

Epaphras … greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.

Colossians 4:12 ESV

Do you use memory aides or organizational techniques for important responsibilities like prayer? Methods for remembering the needs we notice can help us honor the privilege of communicating with God on behalf of others.

Methods for remembering the needs we notice can help us honor the privilege of communicating with God on behalf of others. Share on X

I hope you can use or adapt one of the strategies below.

Eight Strategies for Remembering Prayer Requests

1. Listen attentively to requests.

Establish eye contact and listen carefully when someone requests prayer. Ask an appropriate question or repeat the need to enhance your memory. When the ladies in my email prayer group read a request, they often ask a clarifying question and inquire later about results. This practice encourages believers and reflects the love of Christ to those who have not yet met Him

2. Seek God’s help.

Ask the Father to remind you of requests and lead you to an applicable Bible verse to use as a prayer springboard. On busy days, we sometimes hear His whisper in our minds and hearts reminding us of the need to pray.

3. Organize an index card file.

A simple file box with index cards and tabs can categorize requests and provide space for recording answers. Some requests are long-term and may require multiple cards. When I used this method of memory prompts, I enjoyed reviewing the cards in the “Answered Prayer” section which demonstrated God’s faithfulness.

4. Create a prayer journal or notebook.

A small loose-leaf binder can house dividers labeled with days of the week or categories like family, neighbors, church, missionaries, urgent, and government leaders. I currently use this system with a tab for each day of the week. Before the first divider, I added sheets labeled “Week of ___” to which I add Monday’s date and requests specific to that week.

5. Use sticky notes.

For urgent situations or daily reminders, affix colorful sticky notes to the refrigerator, a mirror, computer, key chain, or steering wheel. A friend once wrote a reminder note about praying for our family’s concern and placed it on his office shelves. Each time he sat down at his desk, he saw the note and prayed. Assurance that our need was being lifted to the Lord calmed our hearts.

6. Set a timer or a phone alarm.

When requests are time-specific, use of a timer or phone alarm may help. Today, while concentrating on writing, I’m praying for a friend’s health as she travels with airline delays and for family members on a lengthy road trip. My phone alarms cue me to continue prayer support throughout the day.

7. Design a bookmark.

Record a long-term request on a bookmark. Add an appropriate verse and insert it into a book you’re currently reading. You could write the same verse on an additional bookmark and mail it to the person you’re praying for with an encouraging note.

8. Construct a small table tent.

Write prayer reminders on stiff paper, fold tent-style, and place on the coffee table or beside your spot at the dinner table. Change the location from time to time to ensure the tent catches your eye.

When the minutes in your day fly by with race car speed, perhaps one of these strategies will bring prayer requests to mind. Although communication with God requires no system, reminders can keep us on track. Paul said, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you” (Colossians 1:3 ESV). What a worthy goal for us!

Your comments encourage me and other readers. How do you remember to pray for the needs of others?