Prayer is difficult for me. I might have all the good intentions in the world, but if I sit down to close my eyes and pray, I last for all of two minutes. Three minutes if it’s an exceptionally good day.
To really pray longer than three minutes, I need to be doing something. I need to be walking on the trail at the park. For my mind to find focus, my hands need to be hanging laundry or cooking or moving a pen. Sometimes I write out prayer in colored words in my journal.
I’ve discovered a way to help anchor my thoughts and find direction for my prayer life at the same time. I make personal prayer maps. They help me to make prayer into more than an order at a fast food restaurant.
Repeating the same requests over a list gets boring. (Shh! Did I really say that?) Shouldn’t prayer be more than a To-Do list for God?
Shouldn’t prayer invite more of God into our lives?
Last year, I asked God to show me seven Big Things I could ask Him for. I made a list: Greater Faith, Healing, Joy, Anointing, Provision, a Life that Honors God, and Passion for Christ. I mapped these out on paper and included scriptures, song quotes, written out prayers, and specific requests.
I’ve used this map to guide my prayer life since then. Some days I take a few minutes to listen to a worship song and pray through my map. Other days, I pray for one or two of the items while on the walking trail. My map has become part of my prayer life. It reminds me of what I really want from God when I’m tempted to reduce prayer to asking for help to make it through dinner time. (Of course we always need practical, daily help too!)
Here’s how you can make your own personal prayer map:
First, take some time to think and pray about your Big-Picture prayer requests. Ask God to lead you, but don’t make it hard; trust that He’ll speak to you. Over several days, snatch a few spare moments to make a list of 6-7 words or phrases that represent what you most want God to do in your life.
What You’ll Need:
I used a two page spread in my journal and marked it with a stick-on tab, so I can turn to it easily. You could also use a piece of typing paper and keep it folded in your Bible. I used colored pens. You can make yours as plain or fancy as you like, even incorporating scrapbook materials to make your map pretty. Plan on taking 6 or 7 days to make it, one day to pray for and think about each request.
How to Do It:
1. Start by writing the first word or phrase in big letters, on the top third of one side of your page. Circle it.
2. Choose several of the following to write around or next to it:
- A related Bible verse or promise
- A song quote
- A one sentence prayer
- Specific, short requests
3. The next day do the same thing with your next prayer request until you’ve finished.
You can also make a map for your family, circling each name and surrounding it with requests for that person. I have a family prayer map in my journal that reminds me of how to pray for my children.
A prayer map can be as creative, elaborate, or simple as you want. The most important thing is to actually use it! Prayer mapping can help you center your thoughts and find direction when you want prayer to be more than a to-do list for God. How about giving it a try?
Now it’s your turn: What creative ways to pray have you found?
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Betsy,
I love this idea, and am going to do it! What a creative, simple way to be more focused on what God wants for us to pray about and focus on. Love this post! Thank-you!
Glad if this gives you a new idea, Holly. Thanks for reading!
Thank You BETSY
What a wonderful way to keep close to our Lord
I think keeping a journal is also very inspiring
As I still mourn my Mothers death (coming up 1 yr. this April 25th)
this will not only strengthen me in Faith but other friends, sisters & brothers
I will continue to read your blog
Have a glorious Easter Sunday
Happy Easter to you, too Sally. I’m so sorry about your losing your dear mother. I’m praying now for God’s grace to surround you and strengthen you in your faith.
I love this idea! This is a wonderful and different way to keep our prayers focused and intentional. Thank you!
Thanks so much for reading, Joanne. Glad if this encourages.
This is so great, Betsy! You know I’ll be sharing this! Anything to bring prayer and pretty pens together! XO
Thanks so much, Liz. I appreciate you.
Betsy, This is awesome! I have a hard time with prayer too and find praying while walking or gardening very effective. But I do find myself reducing my prayer to a list of requests without meaning to. I’m going to give this a try and share it with my groups. Thank you!
Glad to hear I’m not the only one who has a hard time praying, Cathy! Thanks so much, friend. Praying while gardening is a great idea!
Betsy,
I do often think my prayer life needs more structure to it…so I may have to give this a try. One of my favorite times to pray is when I take a walk by myself and lay my heart before God. Often He answers me with analogies through His creation. Other times….I simply walk and BE in His presence. I also find that having silence around the house (easier now that I’m an empty nester), but the silence seems to usher in God’s presence more often than all the white noise that surrounds us. I think we can pray in lots of different ways and your mapping gives some intentional thought to how our prayers will flow. Thanks for the idea…
Blessings,
Bev xx
I love to pray while walking also, Bev. I know what you mean about God speaking through creation. He does that with me too.
Betsy, your posts are always so inspirational. Thank you. I’d forgotten you’d done the seven big things map. Thanks for breaking it down. I feel like I might give it a try. 🙂 I pray as naturally as I breathe. I’m not sure how I’d actually carry on with life without prayer, I’ve become so dependent on it. I like the idea of having some part of it formalized like this though. I like the added focus. Thanks for sharing, Betsy. ((xoxo))
Now it’s your turn to inspire me, Brenda. Praying as naturally as you breathe. I want this kind of natural communication too, but I get distracted somehow. 🙂 I’m going to focus on trying to pray as naturally as I breathe…
Oh goodness, don’t want to come off as being super-human or anything. 🙂 I just meant that I’m constantly bugging God…talking to Him, sharing with Him…needing Him. He’s the one I talk to the most. That’s what I meant — didn’t mean for you to think I’m in a giant war room sitting in silence praying all day long. *smile* 🙂 — Also, I meant to tell you the other day. Your verse mapping has been such a blessing to me. I can’t remember when you first shared that, but thank you. 🙂 ((xoxo))
No, you didn’t come across that way AT ALL, Brenda. 🙂 Love to you.
This is awesome Betsy! I have done verse mapping but never prayer mapping. I imagine that God honors not only the time you spend with Him but the process you engage in as you seek to go deeper.
I will be trying this on my own and can’t wait to see how God moves and works in my heart.
I’m praying for you now, Mary, that God will guide you and speak to you as you seek Him. <3
Betsy, what’s a great idea. I especially love how you use meeting to pray over your family. Sharing this!
Thanks so much, Lisa.
Love this idea. I’ve done this a few times, but I like the way you’ve approached the big picture. Asking God for 6 things to pray for the year… so practical.
This is a great idea, Betsy. Thanks for sharing. It looks like a great way to focus prayer on what is really important and I’m sure it will be helpful to look back at and see how God has answered too.
Yes, Lesley. I’m always so encouraged when I can look back and see how God answered. Sometimes different than I expected, but still He answers.
Betsy, what a fantastic idea. I love it. It reminds me of something I saw in Kelly O’Dell Stanley’s Designed to Pray, but her exercise was a little different. This type of thing is exactly what my prayer life needs. Thank you, friend!
Praying for you now, Abby! And thanks for that book mention. I’ll have to check that book out. I’d never heard of it but love the title.
Thanks for sharing a way to reignite our prayer time. You explain it so clearly too. Stopping by from Holley’s link-up.
Thanks so much for reading today, Debby!
Wow, Betsy, this is so visual and so focused. And the act of writing and planning the words definitely gives structure to the prayer life.
Thanks for sharing your idea!
You’re welcome, Michele! I need to write to think. I think? And anything involving colored pens helps me. 🙂
love this, friend! i’m absolutely with you on the delights of praying in colored ink, lined pages, blue suede covers.
i need the focus, i need to see the trail of our conversation.
He understands …
I have to be very intentional about prayer too, Betsy. My thoughts are prone to wonder. Thanks for sharing this idea.
My best bet is to keep it short too. 🙂 Because otherwise I zone out. But I guess that’s okay too. 🙂
I’ve been in a prayer rut as of late, so I cannot wait to try this out! Thanks for sharing, sweet friend. XO
Oh, I know how those prayer ruts go, Lauren. Lifting a prayer for you now, friend.
This is so cool! Thank you for sharing and giving me a good idea! 🙂
Thanks for the encouragement, Sarah.
Hi Betsy,
I love this. I’m going to give it a try! Thanks for writing. Keep it up.
Susie
Hey there, Susie! I always remember your Tres Dias talk on Bible study, friend. Love to you.
I love this approach Betsy. And I love how you made a list of seven Big Things. This is a great pattern that we can each individualize! Thanks for taking time to explain and show it to us.
This has been so inspiring . . . Thanks, Betsy!
Thanks for reading today, Jarmila!
Well this is a revelation, Betsy… this is something my often dysthymic and muddied brain would benefit from during my personal prayer time, HUGE! I’m so very thankful I was your neighbour today at Crystal’s #HeartEncouragement linkup!!! I’m doing this starting tonight! I can’t wait!!!
Oh Christine, you’re making me smile today. I’m praying for you now, friend. I’m so thankful to know you.
Betsy, I love this! I’m getting ready to write a post about how to choose 7 scriptures to pray over yourself and had some creative ideas to share on that. When I do, I will be sure to link back to this post so my readers can have other ideas to go along with it. I love the mapping idea! Thank you for sharing!
Blessings to you, Leslie. Thanks so much for reading, friend.
Love this, Betsy! I’ve been to a mind mapping class to help flesh out book and article ideas but never considered trying it with prayer. Thank you for this creative way to pray, sweet friend! ((Hugs))
I haven’t done mind mapping like you describe in a while, Crystal, for work or writing. But I did it a lot last year and found it so helpful. I need to get back to it!
Hi Betsy,
Cooooooooooooooooooool, absolutely cooooooooooooooooooooooooool.
So Cool i’am going to teach my teens Sunday school class how to do this.
Thanks
Tunji.
Lagos, Nigeria
You’re making me smile here, Tunji.
I like how you focus on 7 things over the course of one year. And I really like the idea of adding scripture, written prayer, etc. What a great way to cement the truths of scripture, His promises, in our minds as it relates to our requests! We can never go wrong when we pray His will according to the Word. Great post, Betsy!