HANDS ON PRAYER


Lately there are an abundance of things to pray for on my prayer list. I want to be efficient and thorough when I go to the Heavenly Father with my list. I searched for an archived email I received some time back that demonstrated how to use your fingers to pray. Each finger serves as a reminder of different ways to pray for others. If you’re looking for ideas to improve your prayer life, give it a try. It does help.

Thumb:  The strongest digit on your hand. Give thanks for all the strong things in your life, like home and family, or relationships that support and sustain you.

Index finger:  This is the pointing finger. Pray for those people and things that guide and help you in your life. Friends, teachers, doctors, nurses, emergency services and so on.

Middle finger:  The tallest finger. Pray for all the important people who have power in the world, like world leaders and governments, members of congress and local officials, city mayors and aldermen, our president.

Ring finger:  The weakest finger on your hand. It cannot do much by itself (ask anyone who plays piano). Remember the poor, the weak, the helpless, the hungry, the sick, the ill and the bereaved.

Little finger:  The smallest and the last finger on your hand. Pray for yourself.

One of the things I like most about this guide to prayer is that it reminds me to keep others before myself. Too often when I pray, I immediately present God with my needs, wants and desires, and then lose my train of thought before I even think to pray for anyone else. Try using this tool as you drive home from work or go out for a walk. Prayer is something we can do at all times and this may be just the tool to make it a part of your life, not just something you do before you go to bed or face a difficult situation. Prayer is an activity we can’t engage in enough. Because the Bible says,  “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). God hears our prayers and your hand is a good way to remind yourself to pray for someone else.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 80-20 Rule

In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country, observing that twenty percent of the people owned eighty percent of the wealth. The Pareto Principle, or 80/20 rule, states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.   Although this rule was first applied in Italy when Pareto was looking at the dispersal of wealth, it has since become a rule of thumb for many businesses.   It has been said that 20% of your workforce does 80% of the work, or 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients.   I think this law comes into play in our lives as well.   Life is 20% what happens to you and 80% what you make of it. There are tons of stories about people who come out of difficult situations — gang life, in and out of jail, drug addiction, broken families, abuse – yet still seem to rise to the top.   And of course, there are many stories of those who have been given...
Read more

Control Yourself

When it comes to our life, we have nothing to say about our birth and little say about our death, but in between these two events most of the decisions are ours to be made. Are you letting life and circumstances control you, or are you controlling your own life and destiny with God’s help. Don't let life pass you by when you have the God-given ability to make things happen. I've heard it said: You can't control the length of your life, but you can control its use. You can't control your facial appearance, but you can control its expression. You can't control the weather, but you can control the moral atmosphere that surrounds you. You can't control the distance of your head above the ground, but you can control the height of the contents in your head. You can't control the other fellow's annoying faults, but you can see to it that you do not develop similar faults. Why worry about things you cannot cont...
Read more

Bounce Back

As a 7th grader in junior high school, I was devastated when I was cut from the starting 8th grade football team and sent to the second team.   I felt disappointed, embarrassed and dejected.   Latter that week, I spoke with my grandfather who passed on these words of wisdom, “It’s not how far you fall, but how high you bounce back that matters.”   I took those words to heart. The Bible says in Proverbs 25:11, “Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket.” I valued his wise words and committed to doing my best for this second string team, instead of pouting and complaining over my sense of failure. I committed to working hard, giving my all to bounce back. It served me well as I entered high school and played on two state championship teams. I learned that day that what happens to me in life doesn’t count as much as how I react to those things.   I had a choice the day I was cut from the team—I could wallow in misery and quit the team, or I ...
Read more