If you would like some basics on how to pray for an extended amount of time, this post may help you a lot. It's a summary of an old book call "The Hour That Changes the World."
The premise of the book states that, if you take 5 minutes in 12 different segments of prayer, you can easily pray for an hour. I would encourage you to try this whole outline or bits and pieces of it. If you are new to a prayer discipline, you may want to try each of these segments for a couple of minutes or so.
THE HOUR THAT CHANGES THE WORLD – HOW TO PRAY FOR ONE HOUREach segment of prayer can be done in five minutes:
1. PRAISE {Psalm 66:3}---“Recognize God’s Nature”PS 66:3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.a) By beginning your prayer time with praise, you first draw attention to God before drawing attention to yourself.
b) Early in prayer, express to God all that He is. Express these thoughts vocally to the Lord.
c) Select a specific theme for your praise such as His righteousness, His mightiness, His Word, His creative acts, etc.
d) “Alphabet Praise”
2. WAITING {Psalm 46:10}---“Silent Soul Surrender”PS 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."a) This is a time where we bring ourselves to complete silence before the Lord and focus totally upon Him.
b) Think no thoughts but God the Father, God the on & God the Holy Spirit.
c) This is a time of “silent love” to the Father
3. CONFESSION {Psalm 139:23}---“Temple Cleansing Time”PS 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.a) This is where we verbalize our spiritual shortcomings and admit to the Lord that we have sinned.
b) Ask God to search your heart for any unconfessed sin
c) Ask the Lord to show you ways you can avoid falling into the same sin again
d) “Head to Toe”
4. SCRIPTURE PRAYING {Jer 23:29}---“Word Enriched Prayer”JER 23:29 "Is not my word like fire," declares the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?a) It has been said only God can move mountains, but faith and prayer move God. (see Romans 10:17)
b) Examine a passage from the Gospels, Epistles, Psalms or Proverbs. Look carefully for ways to apply a specific verse or two to prayer.
c) Ask yourself, “What do these verses prompt me to pray for?”
d) Learn to develop actual prayers based on thoughts and phrases found in Scripture
5. WATCHING {Colossians 4:2}---“Developing Holy Alertness”COL 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankfula) A key to defeating any enemy is knowing what their strategy is.
b) Take a few moments of your prayer time to become spiritually alert.
c) Look for methods the devil has used or may try to use to spiritually defeat you
d) Ask God to give you power over the works of the enemy!
6. INTERCESSION {I Tim 2:1,2}---“Remembering the World”1TI 2:1 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.a) This is a time when you pray for others and for the rest of the world
b) Pray for laborers to be sent into the harvest field and that the lost would come to know the Lord
c) Pray for spiritual leaders, government leaders, community leaders, etc
d) Try to include specific countries & their leaders in your prayer time
7. PETITION {Matthew 7:7,8}---“Sharing Personal Needs”MT 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.a) Until now, we haven’t mentioned any of our personal needs to God yet.
b) Be sure to only bring requests to the Lord that would glorify Him.
c) Frequently examine your motives as you pray. Be sure they are pure in the sight of God
d) Remember, it’s not selfish to pray for your own needs--even Jesus did so!
8. THANKSGIVING {I Thess 5:18}---“Confessing My Blessings”1TH 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.a) Begin this segment of prayer by thinking about all that God has done for you in recent days
b) Think of the “small, everyday” things as well as the giant blessings
c) Take time to thank the Lord specifically for what He has done for you spiritually, materially, physically, etc
d) Be sure to thank Him in advance for what He WILL do for you
9. SINGING/MUSIC {Psalm 100:2}---“Worshiping in Song”PS 100:2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.a) Pause in your prayer time to sing a specific song to the Lord
b) You may want to sing a “new song” to the Lord as an act of worship to Him
10. MEDITATION {Joshua 1:8}--“Pondering Spiritual Themes”JOS 1:8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.a) Take time to devote ALL of your attention to a particular theme from the Bible (God the Father, God’s Word, His mighty acts or past victories)
b) You may want to focus on a specific teaching or sermon that spoke to you
c) Remember Philippians 4:8
11. LISTENING {Ecc 5:2}--“Receiving Spiritual Instruction”ECC 5:2 Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.a) Absorb any guidance the Lord may have for your day
b) Take time to hear His heart concerning the decisions you need to make
c) Be prepared to write down any ideas the Lord may share with you
12. PRAISE {Psalm 52:9}--“Recognizing God’s Nature”PS 52:9 I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.a) End your prayer time the same way you started it
b) Focus on God’s omnipotence, omniscience, & omnipresence
c) Praise God for hearing each & every one of your requests
