A Prayer “Bucket List”

Have you ever considered making a “bucket list?” A bucket list is a list of experiences or goals you want to fulfill before you “kick the bucket.” Many people challenge themselves to do 212 adventurous things or visit 100 exotic places or reach 25 life goals (or a combination of several different experiences).

Such lists can be helpful as a way to challenge ourselves to come out of our comfort zone and try new things or visit new places. But they can also produce stress, as we try to achieve some goals or challenges that may be unrealistic or overly selfish.

In pursuing prayer, I have challenged myself to do certain things. It is a sort of “prayer bucket list.” And I find it helps keep my pursuit of prayer vital and exciting.

What does a “prayer bucket list” look like? For me, it involves some key challenges to stretch the way I think about, and practice, prayer:

• Develop and keep a Prayer Journal– this helps me track my prayers throughout the year. Each day, I pray for a certain region of the world. It may be a nation, a state or province, a major city, or even a major geographical feature. I also pray for people I know who are celebrating a birthday or anniversary. And I keep a running list of current requests for health issues, family issues, etc. Finally, I leave plenty of space to track God’s answers to these prayers! Over the years, I can see how God has led me to pray, and how He has responded to those prayers. See more here : Prayer Journal
• Make a consistent time each day to pray– I try to pray and do Bible study first thing in the morning. But you can do it at night, or on your lunch hour, or any other time. But it helps to be consistent in taking dedicated time out of each day to visit with God one-on-one
• Pray corporately–I belong to a weekly prayer group that meets for an hour every Wednesday to pray for local concerns, our church leadership, the needs of people in our church and in our families, as well as national and global issues. While prayer is also a solo endeavor, it is amazing to pray with other Christians, whether in person, or on a streaming prayer service, or at a prayer event.
• Learn about and practice different “methods” of prayer– I’ve challenged myself to pray a Psalm or a hymn, to write out prayers, to pray using the ACTS method (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication) and other outlines for prayer, reciting or reading a prayer like the Prayer of St. Francis or The LORD’s Prayer, and many others.
• Pray “around the neighborhood”– literally walk around the block (or drive down the street or lane) praying for the households, businesses, people, or even the trees, fields, flowers, streams, etc. that you pass along the way. For your safety, it is best to say these prayers with eyes wide open! If weather or mobility prohibits this, you can draw a map or list and pray over that instead.
• Pray the phone book– (I used to do this, but we don’t have phone books like we used to, so any random list will do)–pray for people on the list. You don’t have to be acquainted with them, just pray for the name. God already knows them far better than we do, anyway!
• “Thank you for…”prayers–instead of closing your eyes for prayer, keep them open and thank God for everything you can see around you: the walls of the room, the furniture, the clothes you are wearing, your fingers and hands, the floor or carpet, the ceiling or roof– if you’re outdoors, you can thank God for the grass, trees, sidewalk, cars, buildings… I’m always amazed at how much I take for granted when I do this– pencils and breath mints and stamps in my desk, for instance.

And there are a lot of other “bucket list” items you can add:

• Travel prayers–say a prayer in a cathedral in a foreign city; pray while traveling in a bus or on an airplane..
• Rhyming prayers–try to make your prayer rhyme– at least some of the time!
• Raised hand prayers– keep your hands raised to heaven for the entirety of your prayer. You’ll end up developing some arm muscles!
• “Campfire” prayers– pray in a natural setting. This is especially meaningful near sunset or in a setting with a spectacular view of God’s amazing creation.
• Prayer retreat– get away for an entire day to pray and commune with God
• School yearbook prayers– go through one of your old yearbooks from school. Pray for all your classmates! Thank God for your teachers (or thank Him that you passed out of their class!) This also works for staff lists and bosses at your current place of employment.

Ultimately, prayer is not about a particular list or method or “experience.” But it should be part of the challenge of the Christian Life, and something that we pursue with intention and enthusiasm. If making a “bucket list” helps, then we should consider it as a way to build our prayer life and become part of our legacy.