A Prayer Outline/Guideline

Luke 18:1-8, "And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"

Many years ago I heard an old preacher offer an outline to help make our prayer time more organized and focused. I have been following his suggestions for a long time and it has been a great help and blessing to me. Over the years I have added to and modified his original suggestion and I now offer my version. Again, this has greatly helped me in my prayer life and I pray it will be a help to you.

1. First of all, Begin with a Time of Worshipping God for Who and What He Is. Matthew 6:9, "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." Worship is somewhat difficult to define, but it involves recognizing God's great majesty, authority, wisdom and humbly submitting myself and my will to Him and His will. It includes obedience by faith. For instance, when Job lost everything, the Bible says, "Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped," (Job1:20). When David's newborn child was taken in death as a consequence of his sin of adultery with Bathsheba, the Bible says, "Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped:" (2 Samuel 12:20). When God instructed Abraham to take his son Isaac and offer him up as a sacrifice on an altar, Abraham without hesitation made preparation to do so and said, "And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship..." (Genesis 22:5). In each of these cases of heartache, pain, and difficulty, these men humbly recognized God's supreme authority over their lives and submitted themselves to His will, trusting His wisdom. When we begin our prayer time, it is wise to first humble ourselves before God and rehearse His great attributes to Him, giving Him the glory for who He is and what He is - my Creator, Redeemer, Heavenly Father, Lord, Eternal, Judge, and recognizing that He is Holy, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Sovereign, Good, Pure, Wise, Love, Just, etc. I have many more on my personal list, but you get the idea. This list will grow as we continue to study God's Word and discover more truths about our magnificent God. I have found that when I spend time in sincerely worshipping God, my perspective on my needs, wants, and situations often changes and I end up altering my requests.
   

2. Next, Spend Time in Praise to God for what He has Done for Me. Psalm 95:2, "Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms."

   Psalm 100:4, "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."

   Philippians 4:6, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." This involves praising God for: - Spiritual things He has done for me: salvation, indwelling Holy Spirit, forgiveness, eternal security, restoration, chastisement, trials, answered prayers, unanswered prayers, training, opportunities to serve, etc. - People He has brought into my life: Family, church family, friends, associates, neighbors, mentors, even antagonists. - Physical or material things He has provided for me: life, health, house, vehicles, food, clothing, income (job), needs he has allowed.
   

3. Then Take Time to Confess My Sin. Psalm 66:18, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:" To confess my sin to God is to agree with God as to their seriousness, as to the gravity of my disobedience. It means to judge my sin as God judges my sin, to see my sin as God see's my sins, to condemn my sin as God condemns my sin. Although I do not write out my specific sins (I do not want a continuing record of them), I do categorize them to help me be thorough in my confession. For instance: - Words: unnecessary, unkind, unwise, unholy, ungrateful, unspoken. - Deeds: foolish, forbidden, forsaken (laziness or neglect to do what I should have done.) - Thoughts: corrupt, covetous/discontentment, critical. - Weights: wasting time, anything that distracts from God's purpose for my life, etc. Proverbs 28:13, "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy."
   

4. It is Important to Submit myself to God's Will Before I Make any Requests. Matthew 6:10, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Luke 22:42, "Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." I must deliberately submit myself to God's will, endeavoring to be: - Sensitive to His will throughout the day.

   - Submissive to His will as it becomes known. - Steadfast in doing His will till it is accomplished. Matthew 6:33, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
   

5. Then I Begin to Bring My Requests to the Throne of God. Philippian 4:6, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Hebrews 4:16, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Our requests must be specific and persistent. Making my requests fervently, consistently, and persistently, waiting on God to answer in His time, believing and claiming His prayer promises. Pray for my... - Family: wife, children, parents, sibling, extended family. - Church: members by name (keep an exhaustive list), ministries, laborers, testimony in community, unity, revival, evangelism, etc. - Missionaries: each by name for their protection, power of God upon their ministries, wisdom in their situations, their marriage, children, finances, etc. - Preachers, Teachers, Evangelists: Ones I know personally and those who God has used to help me grow in my life. - Sister churches: especially those needing pastors and workers. - Salvation of unsaved loved ones. (Keep an ongoing list). - My country: peace in our streets, purity in our society, protection of our liberties, revival in our churches, wisdom for our authorities, etc. - Government officials: pray for by name, from the president, vice president, senators, representatives, governors, local officials (county commissioners, mayors, town council), etc.
   

Of course, this outline can and should be modified to fit each individual. When followed, I have found that my prayer time has become on of the most dynamic parts of my day. I can easily loose track of time in prayer.

I am convinced that a good period of time spent each morning in focused Bible reading and meditation and extended, intelligent prayer time is on of the most important ingredients in a healthy walk with God. I hope you will try this and pray that God will send a great revival to our hearts, homes, and churches.