Standing in the Need of Prayer

Lately, I have fallen behind on several things, one of which is this blog. I enjoy writing because it clears my head and helps me focus my own thoughts. This blog has helped me give a lot more thought to issues that are important to me – faith, family, and other things that I didn’t even write about. However, I am getting behind on much more important writing.

In my prayer life, I have devoted time each day to keeping a prayer journal. Well, I had been devoting time to a prayer journal, but even that has fallen to the side. For months, I set aside time each day to write down my thoughts and pray about them. It is very rewarding.

Keeping a prayer journal is not a mandate from above, it is simply a way for me to set aside time and focus on my thoughts and remember other people’s needs as well as my own. It is a time to reflect on the good things in my life, and I am thankful for those things.

Some people complain that writing your prayers down is a way of testing God or keeping score. Not for me. Setting aside time to write down my prayers each day is a way to develop the good habit of setting aside time each day for God. That’s a good habit. Putting it in writing is a way to keep myself accountable – a physical reminder to focus. God doesn’t need help in that area, but I do.

I have seen many prayers answered in the time that I have kept my journal. Some of them were for me and many were for other people. There is an old gospel song called “Standing in the Need of Prayer” that reminds me of life. Aren’t we all in need of prayer? If you set aside time each day to focus on God, don’t forget to say a prayer for those of us who are standing in the need of prayer. We all need it, but not everyone knows to ask.