This is the Truth Network. Encouraging Prayer God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything. On encouraging prayer, Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling Prayers for Prodigals and many other books on prayer, provides weekly biblical insight to help you learn to love to pray. And now...
Here's James. Oh, I'm excited about today's encouraging prayer. I know I'm going to get encouraged because James is going to talk about. tools to help us pray. That's it.
Amazing thing. God gave us the ability to use tools, but tools to help us pray? That's a new topic, James. Yeah, it's a new one and it's it's a fun one because This is where you can really get creative and have the faith of a child. And uh, you know, i I just uh have several different things that that helped me color outside the lines a bit.
Um You know, just Go to Jesus with them. And so one of the first tools I'd mentioned is I have this little olive wood cross right by my bed. And it's a smooth cross that's made for holding in your hand. But It's been chewed on by puppies and um My Granddaughter loves it. Whenever she comes to her house, she'll take this cross and run around the house with it.
So I use this. to pray for Leilani. She, um you know, is is so precious to me. My only granddaughter.
So I will hold this cross in my hand. at night. And you know, just lift her up and the needs going on in in her little life. And it's a wonderful Physical thing. you know to to hold on to And help me pray.
Oh, I I absolutely Love them. Physical. I have several myself, James. I got to tell you that. One of my favorites I got in Israel.
It's a it's a Prayer shall. Right? That uh it actually speaks to the hem of the garment garment that the the girl teeth a tou touch that had the flow of blood. And um It's really neat the way that it has These tassels all over it. And it even.
You know, it has to do with the wings. Like when God wanted to put his wings around, you know. his arms around Jerusalem and pray for him. And so The way you do that is before the sun comes up, you wrap yourself around in this thing and you simply say, Blessed are you, Lord God, King of the universe, who brings forth light. And it it is the funnest way for me to just really Connect with God early in the morning.
Yeah. Yeah. Another uh thing that I use is a bowl. There's actually a group called Prayer Bowls. And they make these beautiful wooden bowls, and my wife gave them to me.
They come with cards in them that you can fill out with your Prayer requests. And you can kind of you know, add new cards and shuffle them around. But just having a bold that you write down things that you're praying about. And uh you know putting them in there. Uh To kind of break up the You know, they're kind of stiff.
standard routine. Yeah. Uh just such a a helpful way to pray.
So there's another one. What else have you got?
Well uh before we move on to that, I you know You know, obviously, or maybe not, but in Revelation, God keeps prayers in bowls, right? And so I just resonate with that. I hadn't heard of that one, but what a neat thing. To have bowls, and along those same lines, I do something because there's incense in those bowls, and the idea of prayer being incense. And so I.
I often, right? And and because I love the idea that in the temple they were constantly lifting up smoke in different ways, one of which was the incense. And when you watch incense go up, it it It I I burn incense in the morning as I begin my prayers and watch it and think about that idea of man, Lord. Can my prayers go up the way this smoke is doing? And may they smell It may smell sweetening your nostrils, you know, like I want this to be a delightful experience for both of us.
Yeah. Here are Yeah, and you're right, that's right out of the Revelation. That's beautiful. And again, these are tactile ways, if you will, of of bringing our senses in into our prayers. And of course another way is through reading.
And um you know those are There are so many helpful devotional books. When we pray? Oh, yeah. That's a good point to bring up some shameless plugs here. 'Cause I can think of all these prayer books there, you know.
Um Praying the prayers of the Bible and Prayers for prodigals and you know, there's one hinting at it, Ronald. Yeah, okay. And also, I have this dear friend by the name of Robbie Dilmore who recently went to Israel. And um I asked him to bring me something Made of olive wood from Israel. And he came back.
Uh with this one. box a little box It's what was in that box. That I found so touching and is also. Help me to pray. Um First of all, There was a on a small rock from the Garden of Gethsemane.
And I can hold that in my hand and pray, especially when I'm you know, when I'm down or or just suffering through something. And thank Lord I know I'm not alone. and that you are with me. And then There's another rock, a little rock from amount of beatitudes. And I hold that, and I thank God for my blessings.
and am reminded You know, of all the blessings that I have, of course, the Beatitudes: Blessed are you. Um then There's um There are a couple of small rocks from the Dead Sea. And those are salt rocks. And probably I've even tasted one of those before. Did you really?
Yeah, I did. I mean, it is salt, no doubt about it. And minerals, yeah, it's got all that. Yeah, but you and I were talking about that, and you mentioned the prophecy that. the Dead Sea would bloom.
And you know, that is happening in certain places in Israel. And There's freshwater that encroaches upon the Dead Sea. Very interesting thing. Yeah. it's a reminder to me of God's promises.
And Mm-hmm. that they will come true. You know, it's just a few rocks, but it's amazing. how God can use them to help me pray. Let's pray.
Father, thank you. that that you just want us to come to you. And that you use many ways, Jesus, to draw us near. especially through your word and through the writings of others. And And you You just give us I think of the the tool of nature, if you will.
how it proclaims your glory. Just the beauty of it. and so many other things, Lord, just please. us coming back. Help us.
us to pray. Bless us to be about the things of your kingdom and to see it. More and more. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website. JamesBanks.org or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray. This is the Truth Network.
