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Pray about everything! That’s what the Bible says to do. But do you? What keeps us from praying about everything? The Apostle Paul wrote: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). And in Ephesians Paul writes, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18).
I think it is abundantly clear that we are to pray about everything. If there is something or someone in your life that is not a part of your prayer life, ask yourself: Why do I not pray about this? Here are some of the more common excuses we give for not praying about everything.
1.“I forget.”
This is very easy to do. That’s the reason that I advocate using a Prayer Journal, to help you remember what and who to pray for. If you’ve never used a Prayer Journal, we have a special edition of the one I’ve designed which we’ll be glad to send you for a donation in any amount.
I found it was very helpful to divide up some of my prayer list to different days of the week so I wouldn’t feel pressured or rushed. For example, I pray for my family on Mondays, my close friends on Tuesday, my staff and Board members on Wednesday, and so forth. Now, of course I can pray for anybody on any day, but having this structure helps me to remember who I want to pray for. If I did not have them written down, I would forget many of them. So, I really encourage you to use some type of a prayer journal to help you remember.
2.“Seems too trivial.”
First Peter 5:7 says: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” How much of your anxiety are you told to give over to God? All but the trivial stuff? Only the biggies? I don’t think so. God has infinite capacity. Trust Him! He can handle all your trivialities!