Strategic Prayer: the Writing Process

In the previous blog post, I laid out an introductory understanding of written conversations with God using Strategic Prayer Worksheets. You might say, that post explained the “why” and the “how.” In this post, we will describe what to do to have a written conversation with God.

You can use this process both for journaling your prayers and for prayer worksheets. With the worksheets, we’ve provided the questions for you. For journaling, you can provide the questions—and you may find that God has some questions for you, too!

1. Start by thanking God or telling Him what you appreciate. To connect with God, it is necessary to be in relational mode. In other words, the part of your brain that empathizes and actively engages in relationship has to be switched on. The Strategic Prayer worksheets start with a section for thanksgiving in order to switch on those relational circuits in our brain.
   Another tip: make sure you actually begin to feel thankful as you do this. When you feel thankful, it lets you know that those relational circuits are activated.
   
   
2. After several minutes, pause and allow God to respond to your thanksgiving. Take a breath—or two or three. Be quiet, and still. Allow your thoughts to slow and your heart rate to become calmer. Sometimes we are so anxious for answers to our questions that we are not actually listening. This is where journaling can help. Writing our thanksgiving begins to slow our thought processes. Pausing to breathe and pay attention internally helps us to quiet even more. As Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
   
   
3. Write down the thoughts that come to mind. For now, as you are writing, just let it flow. If what you perceive in your spirit sounds like the character of God, assume that it is. Try not to interrupt the conversation with a lot of doubts and questions. Remember, you are trying to get acquainted with God. After you have completed the writing process, then you can take a more critical look at what transpired. If this is difficult for you, see “How Do I Know It’s God” in the previous blog post, or work with an experienced prayer facilitator until you are more confident in your spiritual eyes and ears.
   
   
4. Proceed with the rest of the questions on the worksheet you are using, or as they come to mind, if you’re journaling. If at any point you feel stuck, pause and take some time to reconnect with God through thanksgiving. Then resume the questions. If at any point something doesn’t make sense, seek Godly counsel. This includes searching the scriptures and the wisdom of mature, godly believers.
   
   
5. Test the spirits. Anything that God tells you will be aligned with Biblical truth. It is ALWAYS a good idea to check what you hear in your spirit with the Bible, and with mature, godly people who have a strong walk with God and are Biblically grounded. Don’t try to walk with God in isolation. We have an enemy who is a predator, and who will pick off those who don’t stay near the rest of the flock (see 1 Peter 5:8)
   
   
6. Follow through. Did you receive instructions? Then take action. Do you have more questions? Search the scriptures. Seek godly counsel from wise, mature Christians. Continue in prayer. The purpose of Strategic Prayer is to align our plans and actions with what God already has purposed for us. Is that always easy? No. Do we sometimes have doubts and questions? Yes. This was true for the heroes and saints in the Bible as well. Hebrews tells us that God rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Do you really want to know God and His will for you? This is different from wanting God’s approval for our own will. As you diligently seek to align your life with what God wants for you, He will help you to do so.

Where do I Start?

We like to recommend starting with a Listening Through Scripture worksheet you can download below. You can use it as a model for approaching other scriptures as well.

You may also want to seek assistance from someone who has been trained in assisting people. The Deeper Walk School of Ministry trains Prayer Ministers to facilitate interactive prayer sessions for inner healing and spiritual warfare. You can find Deeper Walk Certified Prayer Ministers on the referrals page of our website.

Want to be trained to help others finding healing and freedom through prayer ministry? Learn more about our Certification in Deeper Walk Prayer Ministry at DWISOM.org.

Note: This article is adapted from the book Strategic Business Prayer, by Dawn Whitestone, published by Deeper Walk International.