Ever tried praying through the alphabet?
Books have been written about praying the Lord’s prayer, praying the Psalms, and so forth.
Years ago, I learned from some friends the idea of praying through the alphabet using the characteristics of God. The idea is to just worship Him in prayer by acknowledging His character and His greatness. For example, for A, you could say, “God, you are awesome, all-powerful, the Almighty,” using as many words beginning with A as you can think of. Then move on to B, and so on.
My friends introduced this practice in a group setting, where one person prayed one A word, the next person prayed a B word, and so on, as long as time allowed. I found this to be a wonderful way to remember the many reasons that I am thankful to God, and I began to use it occasionally in my private prayer times. It helps me to focus on God and to express my adoration of Him.
Lately, I’ve adapted the idea of alphabet praying to intercessory prayer, especially at night before I go to sleep. I pray for people whose names start with each letter. I find the Lord often brings to mind someone I haven’t seen or thought of in weeks, or even years. Usually I don’t know of a specific need but I’m confident God knows, so I lift them up to Him; for those who are struggling physically, financially or emotionally, I pray for that specific need, of course, but often go beyond that to other aspects of their lives where only God knows the need.
I happen to have lots of friends and relatives whose names begin with A through J, but I don’t know anyone named Zachrary or Zelda or any other Z names.If I did, I guess I’d have to start with Z and work backwards. I find that I fall asleep somewhere around the Ls or Ms, so the next time I’m praying the alphabet, I start with a different letter, such as K, so that no one gets left out completely.
I’m grateful that God gives us creativity so that we can maintain a vital prayer life and connect with Him. Do you have any tips for adding variety and creativity to your own prayer time?
Never stop praying. Be ready for anything by praying and being thankful. Colossians 4:2, ERV
