How to Spend an Hour in Prayer

by Pastor Robert C. Stone

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"Those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."—Isaiah 40:31

 

"How can anyone possibly pray an entire hour? Here's how to structure an hour in prayer with 12 scripturally based aspects."—Dick Eastman

1. Praise—Ps. 63:3; Heb. 12:15; Matt. 6:9b. Prayer should begin with a recognition of God's nature. Praise is prayer which vocally esteems God for His virtues and accomplishments.
2. Waiting—Ps. 37:7; Is. 40:31; Lam. 3:25. Not only should we begin with praise, but time should also be given to being "quiet" in God's presence. This is not meditation, or just a time for listening; it is simply taking time to let God love you.
3. Confession—Ps. 139:23-24; 51:10; John 1:9. The psalmist asked God to search his heart for unconfessed sin.
4. The Word—2 Tim. 3:16; Ps. 19:7-8. 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.
5. Intercession—I Tim. 2:1-2; Ps. 2:8; Matt. 9:37-38. Our prayer now centers on intercession for a lost and dying world. This is praying for others who have needs.
6. Petition—Matt. 7:7; 6:11; James 4:2. This aspect of prayer concerns our personal needs.
7. The Word—Jer. 23:29; 2 Sam. 22:31; Num. 23:19. Here we bring actual Scripture into our prayer. We can never pray out of God's will if we are praying God's Word.
8. Thanksgiving—Phil. 4:6; Ps. 100:4. Thanksgiving differs from praise, in that praise recognizes God for who He is, and thanksgiving recognizes God for specific things He has done.
9. Singing—Ps. 100:2; 114:9; Eph. 5:19. Melody in its truest sense is a gift from God for the purpose of singing praises unto Him.
10. Meditation—Joshua 1:8; Ps. 1:1-2; 77:12. Meditation differs from waiting in that our mind is very active. To meditate is to ponder spiritual themes in reference to God and His Word.
11. Listening—Eccl. 5:2; I Kings 19:11-12. God speaks to praying Christians, but we must listen.
12. Praise—Matt 6:13; Ps. 100:4. We begin our prayer by recognizing God's nature and we end the same way.