Prayer

1.  Prayer:  For many groups, the most meaningful time together is the prayer time.  Here are some tips for making your prayer time the best it can be. 

• Consider putting the prayer time before discussion if you find that you are having to cut short prayer because the group runs late.
• Rotate leadership of the prayer time.
• Pray for each other during the week:  One group puts the names of each group member in a box and people draw names to pray for during the week.  They can then call each other to ask about their requests.  They repeat this every week.
• Get creative. 
  • Adjust your posture: Read some Psalms and adjust your posture based on the reading.  If it says, “I life my eyes,” for example, then invite the group to literally lift their eyes.  Bow if it says bow down.  You get the idea.  Then debrief the experience with the group.  What was it like for you to pray using different postures?  Click here for illustrations of different postures.
  • Use illustrations:  This could include utilizing the artistic abilities in your group.  You could also choose an area of life – money, time, relationships, emotions, etc -to pray over specifically for everyone.
  • Pray according to the prayers of Scripture.  What did Jesus and his disciples pray for?  What do you read in the letters of Paul?  Ex.  Paul prayed for spiritual wisdom, insight, assurance of faith, and for the gospel to be well received (Colossians).  Jesus prayed for unity among the disciples (John 17). When you read Scripture together, take notice of what is being prayed for and pray for the same.  Break out of typical “prayer requests” and pray for what Jesus and his earliest followers prayed for.

• Pray missionally.  Pray according to and for the kingdom to spread through the group. 
  • Prayerwalk a neighborhood of the group.  When someone hosts, take an evening to prayer walk the neighborhood asking God’s blessings on the people in the homes.  Ask for God to be known among them.  Ask for opportunities to get to serve the neighbors.
  • Pray for those who do know know Christ.  Share the names of people in the circles of influence in the group that do not know Christ yet.  Do this on a regular, if not weekly, basis.