Ordinary Moments: Small Prayers That Can Change The WorldSample

Where Prayer Fits 

There are a lot of people in the world, and many of those people deal with a lot of hard things. 

Just turn on the news or open a social media app, and you’ll quickly be overloaded with information about pain and hurt in seemingly every country; it can be hard to know how you can help. But what if you could make a difference without traveling across the world or altering your daily routine? 

The solution is simple: prayer.

Your life is probably incredibly busy. But no matter what your day-to-day looks like, you can still make an impact with the time you do have by making a conscious effort to pray for people around the world throughout the day. Just like everything on your schedule, prayer should seamlessly fit into your daily routine. 

Take brushing your teeth, for example. 

Dentists recommend brushing your teeth for at least two minutes. They also recommend things like flossing and fluoride. But maybe you only spend about 30 seconds on your teeth each morning. 

Whether you’re passionate about your dental hygiene or just going through the motions, if you have 30 seconds, you can make a positive impact on the world through prayer. We know that God hears our prayers, because Scripture tells us “the LORD is close to all who call on him” (Ps. 145:18). So whether you have 30 seconds or 30 minutes, every time you pray, you’re choosing to draw close to God. And He’s drawing close to you too!

Try sticking this prayer on your bathroom mirror as a reminder to lift up people around the world each morning:  

Lord, thank you for the privilege of praying for others. I lift up the men, women and children around the world who are suffering. For everyone who feels burdened—by poverty, loneliness, conflicts or isolation—ease their pain. Draw them to You and to the hope that can only be found in your son, Jesus. Amen.  

Over the next few days, we’ll explore other ways to easily incorporate prayer into your busy schedule.

Things to Ponder:

• How do you currently incorporate prayer into your daily life?
• Write down another 30-second prayer you could pray this week.
• No matter how bad the news is, nothing is out of God’s control. What’s something in your life you can surrender to Him?