The Blessings of Alphabet Praying

This post is a very simple idea for prayer. But the simple stuff - disciplines of prayer and Bible reading and service and praise - is what gives us focus and balance and enables us to keep walking with Jesus.

“Alphabet praying” just means using the alphabet to prompt prayer for people whose names start with specific letters of the alphabet.

It works great while you’re exercising or stuck in traffic or sitting in a waiting room. Any time you have 15 or 20 minutes of “down time,” consider alphabet praying.

Ask the Lord to bring to mind people He wants you to pray for. Then start with A and see whom the Lord brings to mind. While you might know multiple people whose names begin with the same letter, I suggest taking the first A name that pops up. Then move to B, C, and so forth. The other day, for variety’s sake, I started with Z and worked backward.

Sometimes I draw a blank when I think of a particular letter. (Q, X, and Z can be challenging!) Just wait for the Lord, and He might surprise you. But if no one comes to mind, just move on.

What would you pray for? Perhaps the Lord will prompt you with very specific needs connected to the person. But if not, consider the “Three C’s” (speaking of letters):

• Christ - Pray that they’ll come to know the Savior! For their salvation, and to grow closer to Him.
• Character - You could choose one or more of the “fruit” virtues Paul lists in Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. For example, “Help J develop joy today.” Or “Work in M’s life to become more faithful in her walk with you and others.” (Praying for their character in a specific way does not imply that they have a sin problem in this area, of course. We all need to develop the fruit of the Spirit!)
• Circumstances - Health, finances, job, family are all specifics for which you can ask God’s provision.

Some of the blessings of “alphabet praying”  -

1. I've enjoyed greater traction as a prayer warrior by spending spare blocks of time in intercession.
2. I've been able to pray for a lot more people in a relatively short span of time.
3. I've prayed for people I don’t routinely pray for. In fact The Lord has reminded me of people I haven’t seen in many years, all the way back to high school, and I was able to lift them up to Him.
4. It’s a blessing to experience God’s guidance in such an important area.

May God bless you in the ABC’s of praying!