Our prayer jar bought at Hobby Lobby for $3:)
I have had prayer lists, prayer tabs in a notebook, prayer reminder cards, pretty much anything to help me remember....but if it is in my notebook and not with us when we pray as a family, it just doesn't happen. I'm so forgetful...I say I'm going to pray for people...sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. And that bothers me....it really really does. I don't like saying I am going to do something and then not doing it, especially prayer. Mine and John's prayer lists would be different....he wants to pray obvisously for those families that are in his Deacon Flock...the list goes on. I don't like disorder and our prayer life (although I know God would bless any prayer and make it for his Glory) was disorganized. I read in a blog about a prayer jar. It's a simple idea but so helpful for my crowded brain when trying to remember. We made a list of everyone that we wanted to continually lift up in prayer...this includes our Deacon Flock, our pastors and their families, our close friends, our family, our close co-workers and their families, a couple of people that we know right now battling cancer, people on our hearts and minds, and our neighbors. We wrote the family names on a slip of paper. I would say there are about 30 slips of paper.
We are blessed to eat most every meal together as a family...at least 2 of the 3 most days. So at each meal as we are eating we take turns drawing a slip of paper from the prayer jar. The excitement from the kids is so so sweet! They LOVE IT! The suspense just thrills them! Once we have our name, the kids choose who in that family they want to pray for. Sometimes while we are eating we talk about why that family means so much to us, sometimes it brings up discussion about hurt and heartache like Cancer. Then before we leave the table, we pray for that family. To hear the kids lift up their friends in prayer is awesome! And to hear them lift up one of our Deacon flock members like an elderly widow man that they don't know as well is awesome as well. The thing that is pleasing to me is that when I say we will pray for friends of ours, we do...it may take a few days but we eventually get to the name and discuss what is going on in their life. It helps put all the families together and helps us remember. We mark a little check on the back of the slip of paper to help us spread the prayers out if one name is drawn often. It has worked so well. It has been exciting and encouraging and fun. The kids are involved in praying over their pastors, close family friends and their grandparents. We hope the excitement continues!
