Spend an hour in prayer
I had the privilege of leading a class on prayer for Gateway Seminary last week and was reminded of my favorite prayer resource. It was inspired by the Navigator's prayer wheel that provided a tool for spending an hour in prayer. Through the years I've adapted that wheel and come up with this: (Please feel free to adapt, copy, share, share, share!)
How to Spend an Hour in Prayer
Spending an hour in prayer is easier when you break it down into 5-minute segments. Here are 12 five-minute segments with Scripture guides. Read the Scripture and do the activity (praise, watching, confession, etc.) for the entire five minutes. Move on to the next activity when five minutes are done.
1st 5 minutes: Praise God for His Attributes.
- Proverbs 18:10
- Psalm 7:17, 145:17 and 63:3
2nd 5 minutes: Wait in silence.
- Psalm 46:10
- Psalm 27:14
- HINT: Keep a notepad handy, if your mind wanders to your “to do” list, just jot it down then concentrate on clearing your mind.
3rd 5 minutes: Confess your faults.
- Psalm 51
- Psalm 139:23-24
- Confession is agreeing with God regarding your attitudes and behavior; asking sincerely for forgiveness and recognizing that He wipes your slate clean
4th 5 minutes: Pray Scripture.
- Jeremiah 23:29
- 2 Corinthians 1:20
- Choose Scripture that applies to whatever comes to mind and pray those Scriptures to God.
5th 5 minutes: Watch.
- Colossians 4:2
- Hint: Ask God to heighten your awareness of evidence of His presence in your life. That summer I sat on the back porch and listened to the birds sing, the wind blow—I watched the clouds, the trees and the grass. Just be still and watch.
6th 5 minutes: Intercession (praying for others)
- I Timothy 2:1-2
- I am not normally a “list” pray-er, but this is where a list is handy. Pray for people you love, for leaders in your church, for people in positions of influence and for missionaries
7th 5 minutes: Petition (personal needs)
- John 15:7
- I Peter 3:12
8th 5 minutes: Thanksgiving
- Ephesians 5:20
- I Thessalonians 5:18
- Be specific and fresh each day (don’t just rehash the same list repeatedly)
9th 5 minutes: Singing
- Psalm 100:2
- Belt it out; this is music for God’s ears only using the voice He gave you. Even if you can’t carry a tune, He will enjoy it. If you can carry a tune sing even more!
10th 5 minutes: Meditate on Scripture
- Psalm 104:34
- If you’re reading through the Bible this is a good place to do that. If not, this is a good time to read a passage of Scripture slowly asking God to speak to you through His Word.
- Record certain verses or what you are hearing God say.
11th 5 minutes: Listen for instruction
- I Samuel 3:9
- God speaks to you in the way He knows you think. Invite Him to speak to you in this time. Record what you hear. Learn to trust your ability to hear God’s voice. As you are seeking Him know that He is also seeking you.
- Luke 19:10
12th 5 minutes: Praise God for the experience of your time together
- I John 5:14-15
- Psalm 113:3
It’s as simple as that! An entire hour spent in prayer. At first it might seem regimented and disciplined but as you grow in your experience of prayer you will forget the 5-minute limits and move from one thing to the next. You might camp out longer in thanksgiving or meditating, God will bless your efforts and reward you with spiritual wisdom and insight.
I'm using this hour in prayer throughout the summer to get into the daily practice of spending an hour in prayer and then, I'm going to invite my prayer clinic team members to join me! After that we are going to challenge our staff and leaders to join us until we have hundreds of people in our church spending an HOUR in prayer daily! Just think of what God will do with that!
Let's get our people praying!
