With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints....
- Ephesians 6:18  (New American Standard Bible)

Prayer connects us to the God of the Universe and often effects the pray-er more than the pray-ee. The word 'pray' appears 362 times in the Bible. With the Bible as our guide, we could read a different verse about prayer nearly every day for a year. How might this affect our understanding of prayer?

This is just one idea for stimulating prayer. Below are several others that have been excerpted from 'Igniter Ideas to Stimulate Prayer'* that we hope will give you ideas for developing a rich prayer life for yourself and for your children.

Reminders to Pray

1. Watch and Pray
Place a small colored sticker on the face of your watch to remind you to pray (at a certain time or whenever you glance at your watch).

2. Computer Reminders
Put "Remember to Pray Today" on your computer screen saver at home or at work.

3. Password Reminders
Use some derivation of the word "pray" (praytoday) as the password for your computer at work as you log on.

4. Memory Prayer Jogger
3 x 5 prayer reminder cards. Put your most urgent prayer requests on a recipe card and put it where you will see it (bathroom mirror, refrigerator, car visor). If you make new cards at least weekly, you will continue to use this card to prompt you to pray.

5. Prayer Reminders
There are many variations of prayer reminders that you can place in your pocket. There is the ‘cross in my pocket', or a simple stone to remind us that Jesus is our rock and fortress, or a nail which reminds us of the cross, as we bring other peoples' concerns to the cross in prayer.

Prayer Ideas

1) Praying With Scripture
Select one of your favorite verses of the Bible, memorize it or put it on a 3 x 5 card and repeat it until it begins to take root in your heart. Praying the scriptures back to God is like praying the very heart of God. This builds confidence in our prayer life and oftentimes stretches us beyond our normal thoughts and prayers.

2) Praying For Family/Friends
Adapt the pronouns and insert the names of those for whom you are praying.

3) Using Scripture In Prayer
An example of prayer using Psalm 127:1: Lord, in your word it says that "unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Lord, unless you build the house of my life, I will labor in vain. I'm tired of laboring in vain, Lord. Help me to get out of the way! I yield my life to you. Help me to build the house of my life, Lord. This I pray in Jesus' name.

Praying with Children

1) Alphabet Prayers
Give thanks to God by encouraging everyone to add an alphabetical thanks when it is their turn:
God, we give you thanks today for...
A-aunts and uncles
b-my brother
c-clothing
d-dreams

2) Acronym Prayers
Each letter of a word is used to create prayer words:
1) ACTS: Adoration; Confession; Thanksgiving; Supplication
2) PRAY: Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield
3) TRIP: Thanksgiving; Regrets; Intercession; Purpose (what God desires from us?)

3) Hand Prayers
On paper, trace a child's hand and then write on traced...
Thumb: Praise & Worship - Psalm 147:1
Pointer finger: Confess Our Sins - 1 John 1:8-9
Examine your life and know the promises of God: that in Jesus Christ we are forgiven. This makes us thankful.
Middle finger: Thanking God - Philippians 4:6; Psalm 136:1
Ring finger: Needs of Others - 1 Timothy 2:1-4
The weakest of our fingers reminds us of our need to pray for those who are in need.
Pinky finger: Our Needs - 1 John 3:22
The pinky is the least of our fingers yet the most essential for having a strong grip.
Center of Palm: Draw a nail mark and write: In Jesus' Name
This will help children remember that we can all call upon God in prayer because of Jesus death for our sins. So we pray "in Jesus' name."

Prayer Ideas for Teenagers

Prayer Map
As our postmodern teens have been raised in the virtual world of the internet and video games, many of them are visual and tactile learners. It is wise to play off that reality and download maps and information about life for teenagers around this ever-shrinking world. Jesus modeled for us that there is value and power in using your hands to make physical contact by touch while praying for them.

Read about the needs of people from a particular congregation or country. Encourage touching the map while you look at the country and pray. This prayer idea has many positives as it increases our global awareness, sensitivity to others, and reinforces the power of prayer.

*Excerpts from 'Igniter Ideas to Stimulate Prayer' http://www.elca.org/prayer/resources/prayerideas.html reprinted with permission by ELCA.org