Have you ever struggled to pray for an hour? Well, you are not alone, even the Apostle Peter struggled and fell asleep before an hour was up on a night that Jesus asked him to pray (Mark 14:37)

Prayer is a discipline and the more you do it, the more conditioned you become to it. When you’re not used to much prayer and you set out to do it for an extended time, it’s often a struggle.

SUGGESTIONS

Quiet Place

Find a quiet place with the least distractions, The more isolated and peaceful, the better. Jesus did this…(Luke 5:16) (Luke 6:12) (Matt 14:23) (Mk 1:35)

PEN AND PAPER

Bring pen and paper. Often time as soon as we slow down enough to start to pray, our mind gets flooded with things we need to do or forgot to do, people to call, emails to return..etc. Just write it down…that way you can clear it from your mind and not struggle to remember those things while you are praying.

DIVIDE AREAS OF PRAYER

Divide the time between several areas of prayer. If you just set out to pray for an hour with no direction, you may find the task overwhelming. But, if you break up the time into different important subjects for prayer…. an hour of prayer becomes far less daunting.

4 AREAS OF PRAYER TO DIVIDE THE TIME

(1) EXALTATION, PRAISE + THANKSGIVING

Jesus tells us to begin our times in prayer this way (Matthew 6:9). This is good for multiple reasons:

First & foremost, God is worthy of praise, and we have much to be thankful for.
It helps us refocus and remember who we have come to meet with. Often, we come into times of prayer weary and distracted by the busyness of life, and need to remind ourselves that we have come to commune with the living God.
It helps to take us off the throne and place Christ back on the throne of our lives (Psalm 115:1)
Praise God for who He is (maybe sing a worship song)
Pray out the attributes of God.
Give thanks to God for all that He has done and is doing in your life (keep a list if need to). (Phl 4:6) (1 Thes 5:17-18) (Psalm 95:2) (Psalm 100:4)
- HOW TO DO THIS?
  - Praise God for who He is (maybe sing a worship song)
  - Pray out the attributes of God.
  - Give thanks to God for all that He has done and is doing in your life
    (keep a list if need to). (Phl 4:6) (1 Thes 5:17-18) (Psalm 95:2) (Psalm 100:4)

(2) PRAY FOR GOD'S WILL TO BE DONE

Matthew 6:10 / Ask for God's will and plan to be done, even if it is different than your desires. Jesus did this in Luke 22:42. (1 John 5:14-15)

(3) REPENTANCE

Matthew 6:12 / Confess your sins to God and ask Him to forgive you (1 John 1:9). Ask God to search your heart and to reveal any wrong motives or attitudes (Psalm 139:23-24). Sin hinders prayer (Psalm 66:18) (Prov 15:29) (Isaiah 59:1-2).

(4) INTERCESSION

1 Timothy 2:1 / Use a prayer list. Sometimes when we set out to pray, we struggle to remember all the things and people that we should pray for. A prayer list is a great way to keep all those important prayers before us. Your prayer list can consist of anything or anyone that you feel you should pray for (a neighbor, a health condition, our church, missionaries, events, other churches in our community....anything that God puts on your heart). Keep your list close at hand so you can add to it throughout your day as you may see people or think of situations.

Remember, you can always go back to EXALTATION, PRAISE + THANKSGIVING.....you can never worship or thank the Lord too much!