How to Spend an Hour in Prayer - NAD Prayer Ministries

---

HOW TO SPEND AN HOUR IN PRAYER “ Howc a na ny on epos s i bl ypr a ya ne n t i r eh ou r ? ”He r e ’ sh owt os t r u c t u r ea nh ou ri npr a y e rwi t ht we l v es c r ipturally based aspects. Conveniently, each hour can be divided into twelve five-minute points of focus, allowing specific time for each of these vital areas. Of course, some of these aspects may require only a minute, whereas others—such as intercessory prayer for the world—will require far more than a mere five minutes. 1.

Praise Psalm 63:3; Hebrews 13:15; Matthew 6:9b Al lpr a y e rs h oul dbe g i nwi t hr e c og n i t i onofGod’ sn a t u r e .Th eLor d’ sPr a y e r —our model for all praying—be gi nswi t h“ Ou r Fa t h e rwhi c ha r ti nh e a v e n ,h a l l owe dbyThyn a me . ”Pr a i s ei st h a ta s pe c tofpr a y e r ,wh i c hv oc a l l ye s t e e msGodf orHi s virtues and accomplishments.

2.

Waiting. Psalm 37:7; Isaiah 40:31; Lamentations 3:25, 26 Noton l ys h ou l dwebe g i ni twi t hpr a i s e ,bu tt i mea l s os h ou l dbeg i v e nt obe i ng“ qu i e t ”i nGod’ spr e s e n c e .Th i si sn ot meditation or just a time for listening; it is simply taking time to let God love you.

3.

Confession. Psalm 139:23, 24; Psalm 51:10; 1 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.

4.

The Word. 11 Timothy 3:16; Psalm 19:7,8 “Th ec omma n dme n toft h eLor d( Hi sWor d)i spu r e ,e n l i g ht e n i ngt h ee y e s , ”wr ot eKi ngDa v i d.Wh e nwebr i ngGod’ sWord into our prayer, we are opening our eyes t on e wpos s i bi l i t i e si nGod.Att h i spoi n ti npr a y e r ,r e a dGo d’ sWor d.

5.

Intercession. 1 Timothy 2:1-4; Psalm 2:8; Matthew 9:37, 38 Our prayer now centers on intercession for a lost and dying world. This concerns praying for others who have desperate needs.

6.

Petition. Matthew 7:7; Matthew 6:11; James 4:2 Th i sa s pe c tofpr a y e rc on c e r n sou rpe r s on a ln e e ds .Pe t i t i oni si n c l u de di nt h eLor d’ sPr a y e ri nt h ee x pr e s s i on .“ Gi v eust h i s da you rda i l ybr e a d. ”Tope t i t i onGodi st oope nou rn e e dt oGodt h r ou g hprayer.

7.

The Word. Jeremiah 23:29; 11 Samuel 22:31; Numbers 23:19 Ea r l i e rwes u gg e s t e dy our e a dGod’ sWor d.Now,pr a yGod’ sWor d.He r ewebr i nga c t u a lSc r i pt u r ei n t oou rpr a y e r .We c a nn e v e rbeou tofGod’ swi l lwh e nwepr a yGod’ sWor d.

8.

Thanksgiving. Philippians 4:6; Psalm 100:4 Wh e nPa u lwr ot et ot h ePh i l i ppi a n s ,h ei n s t r u c t e dt h e mt oof f e rpr a y e ra n ds u ppl i c a t i on“ wi t ht h a nk s g i v i n g . ”Th a nk s g i v i n g differs from praise in that praise recognizes God for who He is, and thanksgiving recognizes God for specific things He has done.

9.

Singing. Psalm 100:2; Ephesians 5:19; Psalm 144:9 Melody in its truest sense is a gift of God for the purpose of singing praises unto Him. Many Christians, unfortunately, have n e v e rl e a r n e dt h ebe a u t yofs i n g i nga“ n e w”s ongunto God during prayer. These may come straight from the heart of the Hol ySpi r i tc r e a t i ngt h eme l ody .Pa u ls pok eofs i ng i ng“ s pi r i t u a ls on gs . ”Tos i n gun t ot h eLor di st owor s h i pGodi nme l ody .

10. Meditation. Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1, 2; Psalm 77:12 To wai ti nGod’ spr e s e n c ei ss i mpl yt obet h e r et ol ov eHi m.Me di t a t i ondi f f e r si nt h a tou rmi n di sv e r ya c t i v e .Tome di t a t e is to ponder spiritual themes in reference to God. 11. Listening. Ecclesiastes 5:2; 1 Kings 19:11, 12 Whether through His written Word orbyi nn e r“ s t i l ls ma l lvoi c e ”ofHi sHol ySpi r i t ,Gods pe a k st opr a y i n gCh r i s t i a n s .Bu t we must take time to listen. 12. Praise. Matthew 6:13 Psalm 100:4; Psalm 150 Webe g i nou rpr a y e rbyr e c ogn i z i n gGod’ sn a t u r e ,a n dwee n di ns i mi l a rf a s h i on .J e s u st a u ght this when He ended His pr a y e rwi t ht h es t a t e me n t ,“ Fort h i n ei st h ek i n g doma n dt h epowe ra n dt h eg l or yf or e v e r .Ame n . ” These are suggestions—everyone has a different prayer life. Developing such a prayer habit will lead you into a ministry that changes you and the world around you as well. Dick Eastman, World Literature Crusade How to Spend an Hour in Prayer –Focus Points

www.nadprayerministries.org