›› The List Cruise

1. Make five columns on a sheet of paper. Write one of the following words at the top of each column: wants, joys, sorrows, cares, and fears. Then write as many things as you can think of under each category. Each item must apply to you personally. Read the list to God as part of your prayer.
   
   
2. Get a blank book or notebook that will serve as your prayer journal. Make a list of those people for whom you want to pray. Beside each name, write your prayer desire for them. Read over the names and your requests each day during prayer time. Carry the list with you and flip to it while you are waiting at a stop light, at an office, or in a queue. Take advantage of spare moments to pray for those on your list.
   
   
3. Make a list of your blessings. Write a short paragraph about each one. Present this to God in a prayer of praise and thanksgiving. Include trials if you wish.
   
   
4. Do you have a decision to make in the near future? Divide a sheet of paper into two columns: pros and cons. Write a list of the advantages and disadvantages of the proposal. Commit the lists to God and ask Him to show you what you should do.
   
   
5. Set aside at least two hours for quiet meditation. Ask God to help you make a list of goals for the next 12 months. Consider physical, mental, social, spiritual, family, financial, and professional goals.
   
   
6. Make a to-do list for a day or a week. Write out a prayer that includes the list. Ask God to help you set priorities. Ask Him to show you what doesn’t need doing. Are there other things He wants you to do instead?
   
   
7. Make a list of all the qualities of character you would like to have. Or do it this way: draw a tree, then draw circles inside the tree. On each circle write one of the fruits of a righteous life that you need to see growing in your experience. Ask God to send His Holy Spirit to produce those fruits in your daily experience.
   
   
8. Make a list of answers to prayers you have received. Go back in your life as far as you wish. Then read the list to God and thank Him for each one.
   
   
9. For one week, keep a running list of little things that happen or that you see in nature which give you pleasure (examples: a child’s smile, a warbler’s song, a rainbow in a mud puddle, a call from a friend). Then offer that list to God in a prayer of praise and thanksgiving.
   
   
10. Make a book of lists. Divide a notebook into several sections. Keep a separate running list in each section. Some lists you may want to include: prayer list, praise list, thanksgiving list, goals list, wish list, quotation gems, best-thing-that-happened-today list, nature-joy list, and any other list you may want to keep. In my own book of lists, I include a list of books I’ve read; stories I’ve told, along with the date and place; writing ideas; and manuscripts I’ve sent to a publisher. Each of these lists at some time or other becomes a part of my prayer experience.

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Source: Dorothy Eaton Watts. Prayer Country: A Tour Guide to the Wonders of Prayer. Pacific Press Publishing Association, Boise, Idaho, 1993.