Praying Better
Three Tips for Better Small Group Prayer
I linked to the article How to Lead More Vibrant Prayer Meetings earlier this week. I lead our marriage small group, and I really enjoy our prayer time. Here are my own personal tips for better small group prayer:
Before diving into prayer, begin with a word from God. It doesn’t have to be lengthy. My opening devotionals usually start with, “The Bible says…” followed by how that truth applies to our lives. For example, “The Bible says we should be fighting our sin,” or, “The Bible says we should evangelize.” This sets the spiritual tone and helps align our hearts and minds with God before we go to him in prayer.
Personal and specific prayer requests are always easier to pray for than generic or ambiguous ones. This needs to start with the leaders so the rest of the group knows what to expect. Jess and I make it a point to share about ourselves as well as our kids. We also share about different areas of our lives, such as our day jobs and our church ministries.
There’s nothing wrong with popcorn prayer. After my opening devotional, I share how it applies to Jess and me, and then we share our prayer requests. We then “popcorn” someone (choosing who will share next and pray for us), and they do the same. It makes things more efficient and less awkward because we’re not waiting around for someone to volunteer, and it also keeps everyone on their toes!
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become increasingly passionate about prayer. Somewhat surprisingly, preaching has only deepened that passion. Maybe I’ll write more about that another day!
This article was first shared in my free Substack.