I threw this question out to members of the last church I pastored and quickly wrote down their answers. Aside from an entire discussion on why in the world would anyone get bored visiting with the Ruler of the Universe, which is a great question and one that deserves its own treatment, here are their answers.

50. Repent of it. Praying boring prayers is an insult to Almighty God.

49. Determine to start believing in God. You’re already saved but you need to start taking the Lord seriously and His promises at face value.

48. Sing a hymn prayerfully.

47. Be thankful for your blessings.

46. Pray for others: friends, family, those in need.

45. Get a prayer partner, especially someone experienced in real prayer.

44. Keep a prayer journal. Write your prayer list, insights God gives you, Scriptures that help you, answers to prayers, etc.

43. Find new things to pray for.

42. Pray a complete prayer–praise, thanksgiving, for God’s will, supplication, and forgiveness.

41. Study the promises of God and claim them in prayer. Begin expecting.

40. Focus on the One to whom you are praying. Spend the first one-fourth of your prayer time worshiping and adoring God the Father.

39. Count your blessings.

38. Read some Scriptures at various times as you pray. God’s Word will suggest things to pray for you haven’t thought of.

37. Type or write out your prayers.

36. Listen for God to speak.

35. Do a prayer walk. Circle your block, praying for your neighbors. Walk around your church and pray for its effectiveness.

34. Get out of your La-Z-boy when you pray. If you sit down, use a straight backed chair.

33. Praise Him for Who He is, an awesome God.

32. Change your place of prayer.

31. Change your time of prayer. Set it earlier or later in the day.

30. Go witness to someone. You will have someone to pray for.

29. Set aside a certain time every day when you will pray.

28. Keep the lines of prayer open between you and God.

27. Use natural language in your prayer. Speak as though you were talking with a friend. You are, you know.

26. Vary the times, ways, and places you pray.

25. Study about prayer. Visit the church library or any good Christian store. You may be surprised to find your public library has good books on prayer. (It has some not so good, too, so use discernment.)

24. Keep your prayer list up to date.

23. Talk to your soul. Psalm 42:11 is a good reminder.

22. Pray with a broken heart.

21. Ask another Christian if the two of you can hold each other accountable about praying.

20. Make requests which you expect God to answer.

19. Pray in the morning when you are not tired and sleepy.

18. Make a list of the ten most wanted unsaved people you are praying for.

17. Fall in love with Jesus.

16. Begin your prayer with praise.

15. Acknowledge His work and presence in your life constantly throughout the day.

14. Pray with a child.

13. Make a list of the biggest and most exciting needs you can imagine. Pray for revival to break out in New Orleans, for Roe v. Wade to be reversed, and for the war in Iraq to end peacefully.

12. Make a list of celebrities you’d love to see come to Christ and pray for them. Put Madonna on it, and Britney and Paris. List the most prominent athletes and politicians and actors and rock stars.

11. Face death, either your own or your loved ones. Nothing concentrates the mind like realizing your remaining days on earth are numbered.

10. Start caring.

9. Get involved in a project too big for you, so that you have to pray desperately.

8. Read a book of prayers like those by Peter Marshall or “The Book of Common Prayer.” You’ll soon be praying with a new freshness.

7. Sign up for an hour in your church’s prayer ministry. Read the requests. Pray specifically for the requests. If your church doesn’t have such a ministry, start one.

6. Drop by a nursing home or the local Children’s Hospital. Sit in the waiting room one hour. You will see more suffering there in an hour than you have seen in a week. This should jumpstart your prayers.

5. Read the newspaper every day and pray for the needy and suffering and misguided. Pray for our local and national leaders, for God to grant them wisdom and discernment.

4. Pray about upcoming legislation in your state assembly and Congress. Pray about trials going on, for the judges to be given wisdom and victims justice.

3. Send up “prayer arrows,” short to-the-point prayers, throughout the day.

2. Ask friends to give you their greatest prayer needs, then go home and intercede for them.

1. Be honest. Tell the Lord, “Father, even if I am bored, it’s my fault and not yours. I believe you hear prayers, even from one like me who prays so poorly. So, with that in mind, I will continue with my praying….”

I was walking in my neighborhood talking to the Lord one night when He spoke. “If you are not going to pray for your children and grandchildren, who do you think is?” Ever since, that wonderful nudge has made all the difference in my intercession for these whom I love so much.

The book of Revelation has an interesting take on prayer. The Apostle John glimpsed the 24 elders in Heaven standing near the throne of God. “Every one of them carried harps and golden vials full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (5:8) Later, John saw “another angel” at the altar, “having a golden censer. And there was given to him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.” (8:3)

I like to imagine our prayers ascending to Heaven as pleasant-smelling smoke rising upward. It disappears from our sight, but soon arrives in Heaven “upon the golden altar near the throne.”

How exciting a prospect is that!

(Now, how do you resist boredom in your praying? Leave your answers for others to benefit from.)