Prayer Crutches

Have you ever sat in your prayer time and just sat there...and sat...and sat...and sat? Pretty soon your mind begins to make up stories and day dreams. Then doubt sneaks in and says things like, "You've already prayed that before, don't do it again!" or, "He knows what I need to pray, I'll just sit here and count it as praying."

I've had the incredible experience to lead a prayer ministry for years and I've had incredible encounters with God during prayer and worship...times that I could almost literally touch His face. And yet, there I sit in the wee hours of the dark morning unable to utter a prayer.

While God may honor the time that I've committed, I doubt much is getting accomplished by my prayer, or lack thereof. In those times, which have become really quite frequent, I have found something very valuable: prayer crutches.

I have been sick enough physically to know when I need help, and I have learned to know the signs of spiritual fatigue to know when I need help as well. So these last months I have kept two wonderful books by my side during prayer and have prayed through them three or four times each.

One of the books said something which made great sense to me. It answered the question, "Does it really work to pray prayers that someone else has written?" The answer was, "Does it really work to sing praise songs written by other people?"

That made sense to me. Now I can take these prayers when I am stumped, and pray them until a part resonates with my heart. Then I can elaborate and expound on these points and I am back into a praying spirit.

The first of these two books is, "The Power of a Praying Husband" by Stormie. The second is "The Love Dare" by Stephan and Alex Kendrick. After reading both from cover to cover, I have subsequently gone back and simply prayed through the hundreds of Scriptures and prayer bullets and full prayers without going back through the text.

The result is sure. God works through prayer. And He works through other people and their works. I have seen more change in the days that I pray from these "crutches" than I have seen in hundreds of days of vague prayers caused by spiritual fatigue.

I encourage you, stay in prayer. Stay focused and pray earnestly with all your heart and from a place of selflessness.

Jam 5:16 NKJV - Confess [your] trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Jack