100 days of prayer

100 Days of Prayer – Part 2

Click here for Part 1 of 100 Days of Prayer.

By the end of January, I completed 100 days of prayer.

What I loved most was the consistency—the daily return, the discipline of intention. In a modern world that moves relentlessly fast, continual focus on anything feels countercultural. This practice invited me to slow down, to be deliberate, to remain present with God day after day.

As I approached the end of the 100 days, something unexpected happened.

I realized it was becoming less about what I was praying for.

It was less about my circumstances, less about the situations, and less about what I wanted God to do.

Instead, I sensed a gentle prompting from God—through the Holy Spirit—redirecting my attention to something deeper: my faith.

I captured this realization in a journal entry near the end of the practice:

I realize I’ve been praying similar prayers every day for almost 100 days. I’ve loved this practice—coming to You, God, with greater confidence, knowing what I want to say. It has strengthened my confidence in prayer. And now, I’m beginning to wonder if my prayer should change. I feel more resolved in one situation I’ve brought to You repeatedly. But what I want from You, Lord, is absolute clarity. Will I have that? No.

Lord, what do You want me to know right now? What is true? Faith is not certainty—that’s why it’s faith.

Scripture echoes this truth again and again. Faith is not something we see; it is something we hope for. Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

“By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” – Hebrews 1:3

Jesus speaks of faith as small as a mustard seed—tiny, unimpressive, easily overlooked—yet capable of extraordinary growth. A seed that moves mountains. A seed that uproots trees. A seed that changes everything.

Matthew 17:20 – “…if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “move from here to there” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Mustard seed scripture references: Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-32; Luke 17:6

Faith, then, is action without absolutes—anchored not in outcomes, but in who God is.

“I do believe; help me in my unbelief.” – Mark 9:24
“Come quickly to help me, Lord.” – Psalms 38:22
“Everything is possible for the one who believes.” – Mark 9:23

Over these 100 days, I began to see that the practice wasn’t meant to guarantee answers or clarity. It was shaping my trust, my faith in God.

God didn’t part the Red Sea for the Israelites after they saw the way forward. He made a way as they walked in obedience. Moses stepped forward in faith long before certainty appeared. Exodus 13:17-22; Exodus 14:21-22

And in my own quiet way, I noticed the same pattern. More peace than anxiety. More clarity of heart than clarity of circumstance. More encouragement than discouragement.

I also noticed how easily my faith drifts and wavers toward earthly assurances—control, outcomes, timelines—rather than resting fully in God. And that’s not where I want my trust to live.

Faith is action without absolutes, but the belief in those absolutes is God. That God is who He says He is.

So perhaps the 100 days of prayer were never primarily about changing my situation.

Perhaps they were about strengthening my faith.

Learning to let go, to let God.
Learning to trust.
Learning to follow—even when the path isn’t fully visible.

Lord, lead the way.
I need You.

Amen.

I haven’t begun a new 100 days of prayer yet, but I intend to.

Why don’t you join me? What has been on your mind and heart that you’d like to talk to God for 100 days about?

He’s ready.

He’s listening.

He wants to hear from you.

A Prayer to Begin Your Day

Late in 2025, I began 100 days of prayer. You can read more about it here.

I recently concluded those 100 days, praying intentionally about two specific topics. I plan to write more about that full experience—what it was like and what I learned—soon. Stay tuned.

What surprised me most is how prayer began to weave itself throughout my days more naturally than before.

And I’m certainly not mad about that.

It’s almost as if the structure of 100 days of intentional prayer gave me space to focus deeply, and then opened the door for prayer to spill into other areas of my life. Once I slowed down enough to pray intentionally, I found myself wanting to pray more—about everything.

In the mornings, my prayers look different depending on the day.

Sometimes, I pray a simple prayer as I begin my morning. Other days, I return to Matthew 6:9–13, the Lord’s Prayer.

I also have a prayer I wrote several years ago saved on my phone. Some mornings, I pray it out loud.

And some mornings, I sit with my husband and we pray together.

Lately, this is a prayer I’ve been praying. If you’re struggling to find the words, please feel free to use it.

A Morning Prayer

Lord, lead the way today. Help me to walk in and with Your Spirit.
Thank You for another day. I will rejoice and be glad in it, because this is a day You have made.

I invite You into my day—into my actions, words, thoughts, deeds, and interactions.
I can’t do this day without You, and I don’t want to do this day without You.

Help me remember that no matter the challenges or worries I carry today, You are already there. You already know. You are already working.

Help me to trust You. Strengthen my faith. Help me in my unbelief. I do believe, Lord, but I am still uncertain at times.

Help me remember that You are God and I am not. I am the sinner, and You are the Savior.

I want to hear from You, Lord. I am listening today. Help me hear Your voice above all others.

Thank You for making a way to be in relationship with You through Jesus. Thank You for being kind, even when I struggle to see it.

Thank You for never changing in a constantly changing world. Thank You for the hope of eternity with You.

Thank You for all that You do and all that You are.

Amen.

Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to pray—and He will.

When you ask Him, don’t be surprised if you begin praying differently. You may find yourself trying new ways of praying, new rhythms, new words. That’s not confusion—that’s guidance.

The most important thing to remember is this: God wants to hear from His children. Talk to Him.

There isn’t a right or wrong way. He simply wants you.

Grounding my mornings in prayer helps set the tone for my day. Even just a few minutes of pausing before the busyness begins makes a difference.

Use this prayer if it helps—and then make it your own.

Last year, an account I follow on Instagram, @bailshenry, shared the goal of not eating out at restaurants for all of 2024!

Considering how busy our lives are…this was an interesting goal. It would be a challenging goal.

Needless to say, she attracted a lot of followers, including me. We watched what she was making at home and serving her family. We watched as she and her family fulfilled their goal.

Bailey also lives in Mississippi and is a graduate from Mississippi State University, both of which are bonuses in my book! #hailstate

Recently, Bailey shared about the practice of 100 days of prayer.

When she shared about this practice, she didn’t think there would be much response. Instead, she was pleasantly surprised.

Many were curious and wanted to know how she did it.

She has a highlight reel on her account about it and shared how she structures hers.

Since the beginning of October, I’ve been struggling with some challenges. I was already praying about it.

Then, I remembered the 100 days of prayer practice that Bailey shared. I re-watched her highlight reels on how she structures hers and then set out to do my own.

I started by writing down the 2 situations that I wanted to pray about for 100 days.

Nothing too in depth. Bullet points about both situations.

I wrote out above the 2 prayer circumstances what the starting date of my 100 days would be and then end date.

It’s important to note that while you can track the 100 days…God is not impressed with the amount of days you are praying.

What is important is that God wants to hear from His children.

And even though He already knows the needs, the circumstances, and situations, He wants to hear from you about it.

If you are a mom or dad, don’t you want to know what on your children’s hearts and minds?

Especially if they are struggling?

Even if you know they are struggling?

With God, it’s no different. He wants to hear from His children.

I’ve never prayed with the same or similar prayer for 100 days.

As I write this, I’m 38 days into the 100 days.

Here are 5 things that I’ve noticed:

For 38 days, I’ve prayed the same or similar prayer over the 2 situations out loud.
There have been times I’ve gotten on my knees to pray. Not every time.
- Kneeling isn’t something I’ve done often in my prayer life either, however, I can say that it humbles me.
- It’s a symbol of reverence. He is God, I am not.
These prayers are not limited to only the 2 circumstances.
- I use this time to pray for other people and situations too.
I’ve been surprised how I like the repetition of praying the same or similar prayer.
- It is becoming a rhythm in my day. I don’t have to come up with a prayer. I already know and then can add on as needed.
- Sometimes praying can feel overwhelming with the uncertainty of what to say. The repetition is helpful.
- I find that I am praying more confidently.
Jeff and I have prayed together more often.
- We take turns praying.

I didn’t know what to expect when I began this practice. I’m so glad I started and have been consistently praying.

While I don’t have total clarity over the 2 situations, I have slight clarity on a piece of it.

God is moving. And He will answer.

It may not be the answers that I’m looking for or what I want.

That’s ok, too.

I want His voice to be the loudest in my life.

Less of me and more of Him.

Amen.

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