It's Prayer Time, part 2 of 2

Spiritual writer, Tonya Young, wrote a piece, How to Spend an Hour in Prayer, that I came across while searching through my husband's books on prayer and Bible study. This led me to Dr. Ralph F. Wilson of Joyful Heart Renewal Ministries, who authored an outline of the same title.

The following is a combination of the two outlines. I did not include the time increments listed by the authors, because I strongly believe the Holy Spirit will move so powerfully, 60 minutes won't seem like enough time.

FIRST! Ask God to help you spend this time profitably with Him. Ask His guidance. Give yourself to Him for this hour.

PRAISE - Psalm 63:3; Hebrews 12:15; Matthew 6:9b. Prayer should begin with a recognition of God's nature. The Lord's Prayer (a model for prayer) begins with "Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." Praise is that aspect of prayer which vocally esteems God for His virtues and accomplishments.


WAITING - Psalm 37:7; Isaiah 40:31; Lamentations 3:25. Not only should we begin prayer with praise, but time also should be given to being "quiet" in God's presence. This is not meditation or just a time for listening; it is simply taking the time to let God love you.


 CONFESSION - Psalm 139:23-24; Psalm 51:10; John 1:9 The psalmist asked God to search his heart for unconfessed sin. He knew sin was one of the greatest roadblocks to answered prayer. Early in prayer we need to make time for confession. This clears the way for powerful praying.

THE WORD - II Timothy 3:16; Psalm 19:7-8 "The commandment of the Lord (His Word) is pure, enlightening the eyes," wrote young King David. When we bring God's Word into our prayer, we are opening our eyes to new possibilities in God. At this point in prayer, read God's Word.

INTERCESSION - I Timothy 2:1-2; Psalm 2:8; Matthew 9:37-38 Our prayer now centers on intercession. Pray For Friends, Relatives, Neighbors, Fellow Workers. Don't just read a list of names to God, but talk to Him about their lives and needs. You can boldly ask Him for their salvation because Jesus died for them. Ask God to bring Believers into their lives, to alter circumstances, and to give you opportunities for witness and sharing in depth. Pray for the nation, our leaders, and the world. Pray that God's message of love and salvation reach worldwide and be accepted, for the building and coming of His kingdom - and pray for those who share the gospel.

PETITION - Matthew 7:7; Matthew 6:11; James 4:2 This aspect of prayer concerns our personal needs. Petition is included in the Lord's Prayer in the expression, "Give us this day our daily bread." To petition God is to open our need to God through prayer.

THE WORD - Jeremiah 23:29; II Samuel 22:31; Numbers 23:19 Earlier we suggested you read God's Word. Now, pray God's Word. Here we bring actual Scripture into our prayer. We can never pray out of God's will when we pray God's Word.

THANKSGIVING - Philippians 4:6; Psalm 100:4 When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he instructed them to offer prayer and supplication "with thanksgiving". Thanksgiving differs from praise in that praise recognizes God for who He is, and thanksgiving recognizes the specific things He has done.

SINGING - Psalm 100:2; Ephesians 5:19; Psalm 114:9 Melody in its truest sense is a gift of God for the purpose of singing praises unto Him. Many Believers, unfortunately, have never learned the beauty of singing a "new" song unto God during prayer. These songs may come straight from the heart with the Holy Spirit creating the melody. Paul spoke of singing "spiritual songs". To sing unto the Lord is to worship God in melody.

MEDITATION - Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-2; Psalm 77:12 To meditate in God's presence is simply to be there to love Him. Meditation differs in that our mind is very active. To meditate is to ponder spiritual themes in reference to God.

LISTENING - Ecclesiastes 5:2; I Kings 19:11-12 Whether through His written Word or by an inner "still small voice" of His Holy Spirit, God speaks to praying Believers. But we must take time to listen.

PRAISE - Matthew 6:13; Psalm 100:4; Psalm 150  We begin our prayer by recognizing God's nature, and we end in similar fashion. Jesus taught this when He ended His prayer with the statement, "For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

These are just suggestions - everyone has a different prayer life.  I believe developing such a prayer habit will lead us into a ministry that changes us and the world around us as well.