We’ve been looking at the Hour of Prayer as a way to pray intently – realizing our focus is God. We’ll return to the hour of prayer, but before we do – instead of encouraging, the concept of an hour of prayer may be discouraging. Often times we get discouraged because while the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).
Our Father wants to hear from us – while He would love to spend an hour with us, 15 minutes is better than nothing, and is a great way to begin building your prayer time.
Evangelist Steve Pettit has put together a book available for free download, How to Pray 15 Minutes a Day.
He uses a simple to remember acrostic, PRAY:
- Praise
- Repent
- Ask
- Yield
Let’s look at what he says about prayer:
Praise is a commandment. Psalm 150:6 says, “Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.” Of all commandments in the Bible, the one most frequently mentioned is to praise the Lord. Psalm 100:4 commands us to “enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise.” If you are not habitually praising God, you are living in disobedience.
Praise is also one of the ways you can offer sacrifices to God. In Old Testament days, the priesthood was comprised of males from Israel’s tribe of Levi. Their responsibilities revolved around the temple and its worship structure. While most of the men of Israel were busy farming the land, the Levites studied in preparation for their service in the temple of God. A considerable part of their education was learning how to make offerings to God. The first nine chapters of Leviticus deal with the various types of offerings: burnt, meal, peace, sin, and trespass.
The New Testament lists three spiritual sacrifices….Third is the sacrifice of one’s mouth. “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Heb. 13:15). Prayer is one of the means by which we offer this sacrifice unto God.
Read more in the free e-booklet, How to Pray 15 Minutes a Day.
