Our Prayer Basket

Have you ever told someone you would pray for them and realized later that you had forgotten?  I have been there, and always feel this huge burden of guilt weighing on me.  I feel like a complete failure.

This little basket that you see above has helped me hold true to my commitments to pray for someone.  What is even better is that our three kids are involved!  On most weekday mornings after breakfast, we go into the family room and pass around our prayer basket.  We each take some prayer cards and take turns praying for the names on our prayer baskets as well as whatever else the Lord puts on our hearts.

At times we have color coded the cards.  An upcoming surgery or immediate situation might be a bright color, while ongoing prayers will often be on a white card.  At our church the children receive cards for specific children that are orphans in Malawi, Africa.  We use the cards from church with the names of the children in our prayer basket.

If you are considering using some sort of prayer basket, keep it simple.  I find that when I try to make things too complicated, I always fail in making something a habit.  Maybe instead of praying at home, you could put a few cards in your car, and each day pray for a few people on the way to work.  Keeping your prayer basket by your purse or car keys will make it easy to grab a few on your way out the door.  Maybe you can create a habit of praying for others at breakfast or dinner time.  Each family member could take just one prayer card and pray for that particular prayer need before dinner.

You will never regret taking the time and effort to make prayer a habit!