My Time Alone With God

I am very excited about our church’s emphasis to “Pray through the Word” this year. Even though prayer has always been a very important part of my life, I can tell that my “prayer temperature” has been raised a bit these last few weeks of January.

Each morning, I use the Experiencing God One Day at a Time daily devotional as a start to my time alone with God. In order to put the devotion in context, I read the entire chapter of the Bible from which the devotional is taken. Then, I read the devotional and then make notations in the area provided on the side. These notes include things that God says to me through His word and the devotional as well as written prayers.

Next, I pray. This prayer time includes a time of praising God, thanking God, confessing my sin, asking forgiveness, and interceding by praying through an organized prayer list. This list includes each of my family members, my Pastor and fellow Staff members, my men’s accountability group, church family including my ministry areas, lost people in my life, and government officials (including choosing our next President in upcoming elections.)

The “Walk in the Word” was very rich for me last year. This year, however, I am able to spend much more time praying during my time alone with God, and I have found that I am better organized in my intercessory prayer. I look forward to a great year as I continue to grow in my prayer life.


Benny Stofer