Stages of Prayer

“Prayer lays hold of God’s plan and becomes the link between His will and its accomplishment on earth.” – Elisabeth Elliot

Let us delve into the stages that an individual who prays goes through. Prayer can be both personal and corporate, but the focus of this book is on personal prayer for believers.

There are three stages that prayer progresses through:

Activation Stage:

This initial stage introduces an individual to the act and art of prayer. It forms the foundational understanding of prayer and follows immediately after one accepts the life of Christ. Regardless of whether someone attends church or engages in earnest prayer beforehand, entering this basic stage requires having the life of Christ within. Admission into the School of Prayer is marked by possessing the life of Christ. Therefore, lacking this foundation means one cannot activate their prayer life, as it is the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous person that avails much, not that of an unrighteous person. Being devout or involved in church activities does not equate to righteousness. A case in point is Cornelius in the Bible, who prayed devoutly but did not truly love God. Acts 10:1-2
[1]There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
[2]A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.

Unction Stage:

In this stage, an individual is no longer reliant solely on the prayers of others, but they are expected to have developed their own connection with prayer. The ability to pray is experienced with urgency, prompted by the Holy Spirit. This unction stage is activated by the Spirit of God Himself, leading to moments of sudden urge or burden to pray, even when not in a specific atmosphere.

Switch Stage:

At this stage, an effective prayer life is defined. Individuals can switch on their own prayer power, without depending on their spiritual mentors or specific settings. Here, Apostle Paul’s words resonate, expressing the choice to pray with the spirit or understanding. The stage accommodates both structured and unstructured prayer. Structured prayer involves having a prayer schedule, while unstructured prayer occurs when one’s spiritual senses catch a frequency, prompting prayer. The effectiveness of structured prayer sharpens the spiritual senses for unstructured prayer. (1 Corinthians 14:15
[15]What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.

By now, you may have identified your current stage. However, the journey of prayer continues beyond identification. It’s a pursuit of more, striving toward the fullness of Christ. Even great spiritual figures find themselves grappling at the switch stage, underscoring the ongoing nature of this spiritual journey. (Ephesians 4:13
[13]Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: