In Psalms 55:17, it’s written, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.” This verse highlights the importance of prayer throughout the day. To truly develop an effective prayer life, one must establish an operating system for prayer. An Operating Prayer System involves dedicating specific times for prayer, which can be categorized into two types: Structured and Unstructured Systems.
The Structured System is about maintaining a consistent and interval-based prayer schedule. For instance, setting aside specific hours like 8:00pm to 9:00pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for focused prayer. This structured approach helps cultivate discipline and consistency in your prayer routine. On the other hand, the Unstructured System refers to those moments when the Spirit prompts you to pray without a pre-scheduled time. This system relies on spiritual sensitivity and promptings.
The effectiveness of your structured system directly impacts the potency of your unstructured system. When you engage well in your structured prayer times, your spiritual senses become sharper, making you more receptive to promptings from the Spirit during unstructured moments. In essence, a robust structured prayer system nurtures a vibrant unstructured prayer experience.
A crucial aspect of a strong prayer life is having dedicated prayer times. Interestingly, the word “LIFE” can be synonymous with “TIME.” So, when you claim to have a prayer life, you essentially have a designated PRAYER TIME. To enhance the effectiveness of your prayer life, it’s essential to establish a structured prayer time.
To illustrate the importance of timing in prayer, let’s turn to Acts 3:1, “Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.” This passage demonstrates that the early disciples had designated times for prayer, referred to as the “HOUR OF PRAYER.” Additionally, understanding the Jewish timing system sheds light on this concept. According to Jewish tradition, a day is divided into twelve hours, starting at 6am. Each hour has significance for prayer, emphasizing the importance of designated times:
- 1st Hour: 7am
- 2nd Hour: 8am
- 3rd Hour: 9am
- 4th Hour: 10am
- 5th Hour: 11am
- 6th Hour: 12noon
- 7th Hour: 1pm
- 8th Hour: 2pm
- 9th Hour: 3pm
- 10th Hour: 4pm
- 11th Hour: 5pm
- 12th Hour: 6pm
The correlation between specific hours and prayer is evident in Acts 2:15 as well: “For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.” The consistent prayer practices of the psalmist also highlight the significance of praying at different times of the day, as seen in Psalms 55:17.
Furthermore, the concept of watchmen adds another layer to effective prayer practices. Watchmen engage in full-time prayer ministry and adhere to a schedule of eight prayer watches throughout the day:
- 6pm to 9pm: 1st watch
- 9pm to 12am: 2nd watch
- 12am to 3am: 3rd watch
- 3am to 6am: 4th watch
- 6am to 9am: 5th watch
- 9am to 12pm: 6th watch
- 12pm to 3pm: 7th watch
- 3pm to 6pm: 8th watch
The practices of the Jews, the psalmist, and watchmen emphasize the power of incorporating a timing principle into your prayer life.
In conclusion, establishing an effective prayer life requires an operating system that encompasses both structured and unstructured prayer times. The timing principle, drawn from Biblical examples and traditions, highlights the importance of having designated prayer times for a vibrant and impactful prayer journey. Take time to reflect and consider how you can incorporate structured prayer times into your daily routine, aligning yourself with the spiritual rhythm observed by the early disciples and watchmen.
3 Comments
Thank you very much for this sir. GOD Bless you richly in JESUS Name.
Amen
Thanks for the message sir… More auction to function sir