Notes of Faith July 16, 2026
Arrow Prayers
Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy!
Nehemiah 13:22
In A Praying Life, Paul Miller recommends praying aloud as Jesus did. “We know what he is praying in Gethsemane because his disciples overhear him as he pours out his heart to his Father.... Praying out loud can be helpful because it keeps you from getting lost in your head. It makes your thoughts concrete.”
Miller admits, “Personally, I’ve found it hard to pray out loud because I’m so in the habit of praying silently. Still, when I confess a sin aloud, it feels more real. When I hear my own voice admitting that I’ve done something wrong, I’m surprised by how concrete the sin feels.”1
The book of Nehemiah is full of “arrow prayers,” which Nehemiah sends up in moments of need. Telling God our problems and needs is the first step to moving toward hope. When we describe our troubles aloud to God, we find He is bigger than our problems. Take your troubles to the Lord today.
Regardless of how or when you pray, if you give God the space, he will touch your soul. God knows you are exhausted, but at the same time he longs to be part of your life.
Paul Miller
1Paul Miller, A Praying Life (NavPress, 2017), 46-47.
This is praying without ceasing!
Eph 6:18
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, (about anything and everything!)
Luke 18:1
Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart.
The channel for communication with God is always open, ready for conversation, teaching, uplifting, encouraging, leading, guiding, directing, healing, preparing for the call that God has placed before you. Be ready to pray at any moment, in silence, eyes closed, hands raised, at work in a meeting, in the midst of sharing the gospel, standing, sitting, kneeling, driving (eyes open and on the road).
Strive to experience the presence of God with you at all times. This will give you endless opportunities to pray, to talk to God while you go through your day.
Jesus did this all the time in the midst of His travel, teaching, healing… read the gospels and listen to the prayers of Jesus, sometimes short “arrow” prayers during the work of His ministry.
I would guess that most of you would agree that we do not communicate with God too much. There is always room to pray more and be blessed by the intimacy of sharing everything with God.
Consider starting your prayer with, “In Jesus name, I pray…” This will focus our mind on Jesus and His will, not our own. May we be a blessing to God each day that H gives us, and may we seek to serve those God places around us for His glory and their good!
Pastor Dale