Someone asked me recently the following question:
You talked about the Excel spreadsheet method of keeping track of prayer requests during your Sunday school class on having a quiet time. How does it work? I think I’d be happier with my prayer life if it were more organized — especially in regards to praying for people, etc.
The reason I am answering this question publicly is that I’m really interested in what others do to bring some order to their own prayer life. Often, I hesitate to tell someone, “I’ll pray for you” because if I do not write the request down, I will soon forget. (I am such a spiritual giant…!)
To keep track of requests over the years, I’ve tried notebooks, notecards, and sheets of paper with people’s names written at the top and requests below. For a couple of years, I’ve found Excel to be my friend for this purpose.
What I have done is simply use four columns of a simple Excel spreadsheet. In the first column, I list the date that I record a request. I like to keep track of when I begin praying for something. This gives me an idea of how long I’ve been asking God for a particular thing. In the second column, I type the name of the person for whom I am praying. In the third column, I list the request. The fourth column is labeled ‘answers’ and is a place where I can record incremental progress or notes regarding the answer to the request.
I actually have several worksheets set up this way — one for family, one for church, one for non-Christians, and one for general requests. I print each of these out and keep them with my Bible and other things which I use for my quiet time. This way I am not dependent upon the computer for my devotional life.
When requests change, are answered, or need to be added, I can write on what I’ve printed. Periodically this becomes messy. So, I open the spreadsheet, add and update requests and copy those that have been answered to another sheet labeled ‘answers’. I sort my lists by person and then by date. Then I print fresh copies and toss the old.
I know this sounds all so mechanical. But it works for me. I’d love to know what works for others of you.