4 Ways to Pray About Anything in Every Situation
By Lynette Kittle
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” – Philippians 4:6
Over the years I’ve been growing in my understanding of prayer and how God wants to have an ongoing dialogue with me throughout my day, where I am accessible to Him in every aspect of my life.
Through prayer, I invite and involve God into my everydayness. Below are four ways I’ve been learning to include prayer into my daily life.
1. Seize the Moment
Instead of telling people “I’ll pray” when someone asks for prayer, my goal is to take time to actually pray right in the moment, because it’s easy to forget. Also when someone asks for prayer, it reflects openness on his or her part towards God, something that may not be present later on.
Sometimes the simplest of phrases can touch a hardened or hurting heart. Psalm 49:3 reassures me that God can help my mouth speak words of wisdom.
Even if words are awkward and don’t come easy, or if they flow easily, I trust God to give me words to speak that will encourage, comfort, and touch hearts.
2. Let God Lead
Scriptures states as a child of God, I’m to be led by His Spirit (Romans 8:14). Doing so helps me in so many ways such as recognizing when someone is open to prayer, situations where prayer is needed, and how to pray.
In asking the Lord to guide my prayers, I find myself praying in new and unexpected ways and places, trusting Him to lead my thoughts and prayers.
Letting God lead also frees me from things such as feelings of self-consciousness and trying to impress with well-expressed words or phrasing. Psalm 25:6 states that the Lord guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.
3. Take Time
When someone asks for prayer through an email, Facebook, or Twitter, take time to respond. Find a few minutes to send or post a thoughtful response to requests for prayer, trusting God to minister through your words.
Even with all of social media’s issues, there are still opportunities to bring a refreshing word.
Like Proverbs 15:23 states, “A person finds joy in giving an apt reply and how good is a timely word!”
4. Be Available
Let God know you are available, willing, and asking Him for opportunities to pray. When you do, commit to being on-call to pray 24/7, along with being open to surprising situations.
Unexpected opportunities in my life have included praying with a stranger outside an amusement park ride, during a Christmas party, on a crowded airliner, in a store’s check-out line, and more.
Like 2 Timothy 4:2 urges, I aim to be prepared in season and out of season, ready to reach out to others.
Reflect on today’s verse with us. Share your thoughts in the Your Daily Bible Verse discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/rudi_suardi
Related Resource: Praying Through Psalms 60: Victory in Hopeless Ground
What do you do when the battlefield stretches in every direction, and it looks like God Himself brought the defeat?
Join Jaime on the Praying Christian Women Podcast for a devotional on Psalm 60 — a raw, honest lament born out of being surrounded on all sides, where David dares to say You did this, God — and still picks up the banner and calls Him Lord.
Jaime unpacks the historical backdrop of David fighting enemies to the north, east, and south all at once, and shares a breathtaking story from her years near Death Valley — where barren, salt-crusted flats that look permanently dead suddenly erupted into a once-in-a-century bloom of purple wildflowers. Sometimes the victory is already buried right beneath the most hopeless-looking ground, waiting for God's rain to bring it to life. If this episode helps you navigate life with prayer and intention, be sure to follow Praying Christian Women on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!