Have you ever forgotten to pray for someone after they asked you for prayer? I have. Oftentimes, since I know that I might forget, I pray the moment I receive their request. Sometimes, though, the prayer-need requires on-going attention. So I’ve kept prayer journals for such things, but the requests end up getting disorganized. Maybe I forget to write something down, or later I decide to change the way I originally started the layout of my prayer journal. At that point I usually determine I “must” get another journal to start over. Goodness gracious! The amount of stress and time-wasted on my prayer-request-process has been, in all likelihood, misguided, to say the least.

Then one day, after receiving a text about one of my dear friends who needed ongoing prayer for health concerns, I was watering one of my outdoor plants. That’s when it hit me! I decided to give that plant my friend’s name. I did this so that whenever I water or tend to or even see that plant, I’m reminded to pray for that particular friend. It’s what I do now for people who’ve asked for ongoing prayer. The results have been two-fold — not only has it become an easier way for me to remember my friends’ prayer needs, it’s made the experience of praying for them more joyful and beautiful. As a bonus, my plants are better cared for now because of this.

Philippians 1:3-4 (NIV) says, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.” Maybe in the act of praying for people we love that have ongoing needs, rather than forcing the process, we can be reminded by God through His creation and pray with joy in our hearts because we can trust His plan for them and know that they will be in His care.