2 Timothy 1:3
“I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;”
Paul makes a bold statement about his prayer life when he says, “…without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;” Paul wanted to be an encouragement to Timothy, and he chose to be an encouragement to him by reminding him that he was remembered in his prayers. I’m sure this was a great encouragement for Timothy because Paul was his mentor in the ministry.
To pray without ceasing does not mean that Paul was praying twenty-four hours a day for Timothy; rather, he was saying that anytime he was reminded of Timothy he prayed for him. It was a prayer life that Paul used to be an encouragement to others. The key word that Paul used in this verse is “remembrance.” Paul set up reminders to help him to remember to pray for Timothy. You are also going to have to set up reminders to pray for others if you want to encourage and be a help to others through prayer. Let me give you some suggestions that will help you to have remembering prayers.
First, have a list where you have the names of others listed for whom you wish to pray. You will find that if you don’t have a list, then you will often forget to pray for others. Sadly, the only time we remember to pray for others is when we see them. It is not an intentional act on our behalf to do this, but we simply forget to pray for them because they are not on our minds. If you are going to remember others in prayer, then you need a list you follow and with the names of others on it.
Second, have a set time to pray for others. You will notice that Paul said he prayed for Timothy “night and day.” This means that he had a set time daily when he prayed. If you don’t have a set time to pray, then you will find it hard to pray for others. In my personal prayer life, I have found it hard to pray for everyone each day. To accommodate my desire to pray for everyone, I have set days when I pray for certain groups of people. If you put people into categories, then you can pray for certain categories on certain days so that you can pray for everyone each week.
Third, have a “without ceasing” prayer life by letting reminders of people cause you to pray for them. Certain things will cause you to remember people. It may be a car that reminds you of person or a face of a person who reminds you of another person. Whenever God allows something to remind you of others, then stop and pray for them at that moment. God has reminded you of that person at that moment because they need your prayers at that time. Let reminders help you to have remembering prayers.
Finally, use your prayer life to be an encouragement to others. Paul let Timothy know that he had prayed for him. I believe you could be an encouragement to others by letting them know that you are praying for them. A simple note or text message can be very encouraging to others. I have heard people say to me over and over again that they received a text that I was praying for them at a very needed time. Let your remembering prayers be encouraging prayers.
Your prayer life can be enhanced greatly with these suggestions. Take them and implement them in your life. It will not only help your personal prayer life, but it will also help your prayer life to be an encouragement to others.