2025 hasn’t been the year I thought it would be. I seem to find myself saying repeatedly, “This can’t be. This doesn’t make sense. Why is life so hard right now?” We’ve had the police called to our little cul-de-sac three times since January because one family is struggling with a suicidal teen, and another is involved in a difficult custody battle. Hurt seems to be running rampant through our community. Sickness and loss have impacted our family and those close to us multiple times. It seems we don’t have a minute to catch our breath before the next wave of bad news comes rolling in to unsettle our footing. All this chaos has brought me to a place where I’ve been asking the Lord what I can do to help. And the answer has been consistent—PRAY.
Just a few weeks ago, a young man my daughter has grown up with was admitted into pediatric ICU with complications from pneumonia and strep. Things quickly went downhill and instead of improving, his condition worsened rapidly. He was a healthy, fourteen-year-old, strong swimmer who is now fighting for his life in critical condition. I couldn’t wrap my mind around this. Lord, how does this happen? Lord, this doesn’t make sense. Just weeks ago, my daughter was laughing and talking with this boy during our homeschool co-op lunch. The burden of grief and uncertainty hung heavily.
It was here in this dark place that our family and community joined together in fervent prayer. We began to cry out for this young man. The students in his class signed up for time slots to fast and pray so he would be covered in prayer for 24 hours. These ended up being the most critical 24 hours of his care. At the time we didn’t know that, but God did. God had called His saints to battle, and we were going to stand just as He called us to in Ephesians 6:18. We watched God sustain this young man’s life, give his body strength, and heal his lungs. He’s still in ICU as I write this, but his body is healing. Praise the Lord. Doctors have used the word “miraculous” to describe many steps on his journey so far. I know there will be many more to come.
Walking through this trial has reminded me of the importance of two things. One, we need our brothers and sisters in Christ as we face the intense battles coming our way. God gives us this community to help us stand when life is overwhelming and unmanageable. And two, prayer is vital. We are commanded to pray on all occasions with all types of prayer.
As you read this, ask yourself—do I use prayer as a last resort or as my first and best option? Is it my spare tire or my steering wheel as I navigate life? I often hear the phrase, “Well, all we can do now is pray.” Not so. Billy Graham said that when we come to the end of ourselves, in prayer, we come to beginning of God. Prayer is powerful and effective (James 5:16). Prayer is commanded (1 Thessalonians 5:16). Prayer is a great weapon (Ephesians 6:18).
At our She Stands conference last August, I led a break-out session on prayer that helped women dive into the power of using Scripture in prayer. I want to share some of these tools with you now. We have a great opportunity to intercede for our families, for our churches, for our communities. As one of my close friends says, “God is able.” So, let us, dear friend, go to battle together.
Here are five “Prayer Stations” that follow the five components of effective prayer: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication, and Petition. These are tangible ways to meditate and pray through Scripture. They give our hearts and minds a place to focus, so we can be more intentional in our time of prayer. You can find many more ideas on Pinterest or with a quick Internet search, but here are a few to get you started.
- STATION #1: ADORATION—Here we praise God for who He is—holy, righteous, all-powerful. James 4:8 promises us that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. Look at the verse below and pause on every word in bold. Take time to focus on that word and what it is saying about God. Use it as a prompt to praise God for who He is. Intentionally turn your heart to worship.
- Revelation 5:13— “And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’”
- Another verse for contemplation: Isaiah 6:3
- STATION #2: CONFESSION—This step is so important and one we often set aside. It allows us to keep our hearts clean before God and share our deepest fears and failings. I like to use a hand-held mirror and a dry erase marker for this activity, but any mirror in your house would work. Start by thinking about the following verse:
- James 1:23-25—”Whoever hears God’s truth, but does not act on it, is like someone who forgets their own reflection once they have moved away from a mirror. But whoever looks intently into, and continues in the perfect law, gains freedom and will be blessed.”
- Think about the places you have not held onto God’s truth in your life. You have forgotten the commands or simply made an opposite choice. Write your confessions on the mirror. I write down the attitudes and actions that I know haven’t lined up with His Word:
“Lord, I’m struggling to forgive this person.”
“I’m speaking harshly toward my children in anger.”
I also confess places of inaction and disobedience— “Forgive me, Lord, when I do not put you first in my life. Today I chose to jump into my routine instead of making time to be with you.” Once I’ve written everything down the Lord brought to mind, I take a wet paper towel and erase everything, remembering that God promises to cleanse me from all unrighteousness in Christ Jesus.
- STATION #3: THANKSGIVING—Here we praise God for what He does. “He heals our diseases, he provides peace, he meets our needs.” For this activity, go to a window where you can look out at the horizon. Maybe you can’t see the horizon line, but try to find a tree, a structure or something that is the farthest thing you can see. As you focus out into the distance, reflect on this verse:
- “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19). Thank God for the new things He is doing in your life or for the ones He is going to do—they are just on the horizon. Thank Him that even when we don’t see direct evidence yet, He is still working.
- Verses for continued reflection: Daniel 9:23; Lamentations 3:22-23
- STATION #4: SUPPLICATION—Here we take time to pause and pray for others—our family members, friends, church leaders, and country. The global church needs our prayers. Today as we begin to pray, reflect on John 9:31: “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”
- Take a notecard and write down a person who needs Jesus to fill an empty place in their lives. Or maybe it is a situation where Jesus needs to fill the space with His truth, He peace, His healing. As you write down the person or situation, pray over it, giving it to God. Then, roll it up and stick it in a safe place. Remind yourself that God holds all our petitions close to His heart.
- STATION #5: PETITION—In this last station, we’re going to ask God to help us. Where do we need to see more of Jesus in our lives? For this activity, grab a small piece of rope, string or yarn. It should be something you can work with easily. Tie several knots in the string. Each knot represents something you worry about; worry ties us up in knots. As you pray and give that situation over to your heavenly Father, untie the knot and release that concern to Him. Reflect on Philippians 4:6-7 as your pray:
- “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
- Verses for continued reflection: Isaiah 41:10, 1 Peter 5:7, Matthew 6:25
It is an honor to go to battle with you, my sister. Remember—we are not worriers; we are prayer warriors.
