Prayer Strategies
Recruit Prayer
Personal Prayer
Praying with…
Tips
Don't be afraid to ask for prayer - it makes a world of difference. People want to pray but often forget or don't know what to pray for.
Have specific requests – then people can pray specifically, and you can watch God answer specifically. It’s hard to measure answers to vague prayers.
Don't forget to tell pray'ers about answered prayer! This builds faith & leads to more prayer.
Sharing your experiences with the people who are praying for you is a great way to communicate God’s heart for UPGs and the people in your country!
Recruit Prayer
Daily Prayer Coverage
Recruit 7 people to pray for you – one for each day of the week.
Text them specific requests for the day – let them know when God answers!
On-Time Prayer Group
Create a group on Signal/WhatsApp/Groupme and send out messages as needs arise
Signal is the most secure.
To avoid blowing up people's phones, ask everyone to only reply with a "reaction." They can send you a private message if they want to say more.
Send out a monthly newsletter
Mailchimp is a free tool for sending out updates. Be aware that it is not very secure – updates are stored online.
Send out a weekly story and picture
Epistle.org makes this easy (but costs $12/month). It’s more secure than MailChimp and has special options for people in restricted nations, but if you are in a sensitive location, still be careful! Don’t use the real names of the people to whom you are reaching out.
We all believe we need to pray more. Here are ideas to help you succeed in that!
Personal Prayer
Keep up a steady conversation with God throughout the day as you go from one thing to another
Pray with music – praise God with your favorite worship music and use the musical interludes to cry out to God
Pray the 1-hour wheel – divide an hour into twelve 5-minute segments praying in a certain way or for a certain topic each segment
Use index cards – put requests on cards and pull them out when you have a few minutes to pray throughout the day
Journal your prayers – write your requests instead of speaking them
Pray by the day of the week – pray for a different topic every day of the week (e.g., Monday – family, Tuesday – world events, etc.)
Use a prayer calendar – pray for a different person every day of the month (e.g., on the 15th pray for Sally; text Sally to let her know you’re praying for her and ask if she has any specific requests)
Use a prayer app – PrayerMate, Echo Prayer, Unreached of the day (by Joshua Project), VOM Pray Today, Operation World, YouVersion (has a daily guided prayer section)
Pray scripture – use God’s words to pray His heart
Personal prayer retreat – get away by yourself for a night and day. Moms have said this refreshed their spirits and renewed their patience allowing them to love their families well
Praying with…
Your family:
Pray with your kids and your husband (don't be afraid to have a family prayer time or a family praise time - bring out the instruments & dance. Make a joyful noise!)
Incorporate prayer into the rhythms of your family life. Create a habit of praying: on the way to school, after dinner, over the kids at bedtime, with your spouse at the end of the day, etc.
Check out these resources:
Pray for the World - prayer info on every country
Window on the World - prayer guide for kids
Global Prayer with Kids - ideas for family prayer
Your friends:
15-minute prayer with a friend (have a hard stop so that you don't go over & stay consistent)
Prayer walking – walk and pray through the community with a friend or your spouse. Stop and ask the people you see if you can pray for them. If you want a little more info, check out this page.