Prayer Request Bowls

Colossians 4:2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”  

Try This:

Make a list of prayer topics.  Put them on index cards or type out a long list and cut them up.  Place your cards or prayer slips into a bowl marked, “Prayer Requests.”  Pick out a few to pray over at a time.  You might want to pray fervently over a few at a time and come back to the “Prayer Requests” bowl throughout the day.  When you are done praying over a prayer need, place those slips of paper into another bowl marked, “Prayed For.”  As a goal try to get through all those prayer topics at least every week.  Once your “Prayer Requests” bowl is empty, fill it up again with those same requests and add new ones as needed.  In this way, you will have a systematic, creative way of praying for a variety of needs. As you pick up a new request (a new topic, a new name) there will be greater freshness and thought to our prayers.  Watch how God will answer as we keep on praying.

Here are some suggestions of what to include as you begin filling your “Prayer Request” bowl:

-names of classmates

-names of coworkers

-names of people in your church

-names of government leaders

-names of family members

-names of neighbors

-names of unsaved loved ones

-names of teachers

-pressing issues like COVID-19, the economy, crime and global warming

-healing for sick people

-revival 

-your country, state, city, block or school

If you are trying this idea with young children, you can have them decorate their own wooden treasure chest of prayer requests.  As an adult who loves crafts, I think even adults would love to paint, color and embellish their bowls.  In the meantime I have used some silver cups to serve the purpose.  We want to revitalize our prayer lives and encourage everyone in our families to be praying!