How to Pray for an Hour

Do you know your Heavenly Father? Do you understand God and His ways? If you answered yes, how did you come to know and understand Him? If you answered no, what will you do to get to know and understand Him? The Bible tells us that in order for us to know God we must spend time with Him and obey His commandments.

Like children who yearn to spend time with and get to know their earthly father, we must have the same yearning for our Heavenly Father who created us. Nowadays you can run tests to find out where you come from and who your ancestors are. Why not have the same zeal to know our Heavenly Father and understand our spiritual DNA?

• John 4:24 (NKJV) says this, “ God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
• Ephesians 6:18 (NLT) “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”

The best way to get to know someone is to spend time with them. So let us remember to sit down, and make room for God in our daily lives. He is the only one who knows and understands the inner workings of our hearts. Therefore we should be eager children who honor God by taking time to pray daily.

Can you give one hour of your time to God? Can you give it to Him in prayer? If you answered yes, do you do that daily? If you answered no, do you know how? Praying for an hour may sound like a daunting task, but if you understood the different kinds of prayer that there are, then that hour may not seem so long. In fact, it may go by quicker than you think.

Here are the different types of prayer you can start with for your one hour daily:

1 – Supplication

Supplication is commonly defined as (1): “The action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly.” (Oxford Dictionary)

Supplication communicates how we should pray. It is more than just submitting our requests to God, but instead, submitting them with the mindset that we should humble ourselves and become supple, or flexible before God. This is so that He can mold our thinking, our opinions, and our emotions to be in line with His will. David prayed such a prayer in Psalms 51 when he confessed his sin to God and prayed that God would forgive him, cleanse him, and create in him a clean heart and renew his spirit. David did not want God to change to meet his desires. He wanted God to change him to meet God’s desires.

Philippians 4:6 (AMPC) “Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.”

2 – Thanksgiving

This goes hand in hand with supplication. Humbly thanking God for the things He has already done can never be done enough. Even when prayers have not yet been answered, there is always something that we can find to thank the Lord for. From waking up in the morning to having food to cook. From the traffic accident that we avoided to the A/C  we have in our cars.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV) “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

3 – Forgiveness

This could also be called confession of sins. God’s Word promises us that we are forgiven, but let us still humbly come to Him asking for His forgiveness. This is an outward confession and acknowledgment that we can proclaim in His presence. This is also a time to let go of any unforgiveness we have towards others. God expects us to forgive others, just as He has forgiven us. Be genuine in your repentance.

Mark 11:25 (NKJV) “ And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”

4 – Praise and Worship

This is how we start our Sunday services, with praise and worship. These words mean to honor, glorify, magnify and adore God. This can also be done during your prayer time with God. God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him. Feel free to listen to a worship song, or sing one on your own.

John 4:23 (NKJV) “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”

5 – Intercession

This means to pray to God on behalf of someone else. It could be someone you know and are close to, like family and/or friends. It could even be someone you do not know and are not close to, like your neighborhood or community. There are no limits to who we can pray for. God is looking for people who are willing to stand in the gap for others.

Ezekiel 22:30 (NKJV) “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”

6 – Faith

We must remember to be confident that God will see His promises through. If He said He’ll do it, He will do it. It may not be when we want it, but it will always come right when we need it. Proclaim this in your prayer time, believing and declaring that it will be done. This also includes rebuking the enemy and his schemes from coming to fruition. We have authority through Christ Jesus over Satan and his hosts.

2 Corinthians 1:20 (NKJV) “ For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us”

7 – Praying in Tongues

When you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, you receive a gift from God—the gift of speaking (or praying) in tongues. It is a powerful gift that every believer should desire. When you pray in tongues, you are praying God’s will, directly to Him. It allows your mind to get out of the way so your spirit can commune with the Father. Even when you don’t know how or what to pray, you can still pray…in tongues. You can trust your spirit to pray the perfect will of God, regardless of the situation.

Romans 8:26-28 (NKJV) “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

If you spend just a few minutes in each of these sections before you know it your hour will have flown by. If your time is limited, set an alarm that way you can get to your next appointment. But if you do not have to rush off, pray without an alarm and let God keep you for as long as He needs to.

While you are in your prayer time, have your Bible with you and something to write with. The Holy Spirit may put people on your heart to pray for, specific things to pray for or bring unconfessed sins to light. He may put a song or a verse on your heart. Keep a journal and document what happens in your prayer time with God. That way you can look back and see what God has brought to pass.

We hope that your time with God is refreshing and renews not only your mind but also your relationship with Him. Please feel free to share with us some of the amazing things that God is doing through your prayer time.