This is a post I recently wrote for a missionary friend, explaining to the people who had signed up to pray for her,
exactly how I pray for an extended period of time.
Once a month my husband and I spend at least half an hour praying for our friend Hillary.
Some of her supporters are puzzled as to how to pray that long, so here is how I did it.
I set the timer so I wouldn’t keep looking at the clock. I’ve done this before while praying—usually when I have somewhere to be and don’t want to be late.
Setting the timer frees me to focus what I’m doing- praying- and allows me to relax and wait for the Holy Spirit to lead my prayers.
I like to use the PRAY acronym.
I can’t tell you how long I spend on each letter– each component of the prayer time– but it helps organize me and the time.
P stands for Praise.
I begin by thanking God for the honor to pray for Hillary and for Sicily. I praise God for specific things I know about Hillary’s life and circumstances. I remember incidents from the past that God has used in her life and thus in mine.
I praise God for Hillary’s family, for her education, for her experiences, for her love of Scripture, for her enthusiasm for the gospel, for her obedience to Christ.
I praise God for experiences I’ve had with Hillary, for things I’ve learned from her, for the people in her life who have blessed me, for her perseverance and a host of other things.
I also spent time just praising God for who he is and how he works in our lives; for the Holy Spirit’s promptings, Jesus’ willingness to die on our behalf and so forth.
It’s probably worth noting that prior to praying for Hillary, I read through passages of Scripture.
When I feel like I have exhausted this category—it feels like I’m mentally gone through the closets in my brain looking for things to praise God for—I move on.
R stands for Repent
What does that have to do with praying for Hillary? Maybe nothing, but again, it helps keep me organized to have the framework.
I don’t personally know of any areas in her life that Hillary needs to repent, and it’s none of my business anyway. However, the Holy Spirit knows her heart and so I ask that she would be receptive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in any area that needs to be addressed.
I repent for things I may have said that have not been helpful to Hillary—my own lack of faith in certain areas of her ministry.
A is for Ask
Most of us think asking God for things is prayer, and I’m no different, so I spend the most time here.
Hillary provides us a list of specific prayer concerns each month and I work through those. Several are of particular interest to me and I pray around them from different angles.
In addition, I pray for
*People—those in her current life encouraging her, those whom she encourages, those she needs to speak with, those with whom she will be working in Sicily, those who need her in Sicily.
*Places—her current job, her ministries, the towns of Belpasso and Catania, wherever she is today.
*Things—specific items I know she needs (visa, new computer, more financial support)
*Responses to the Holy Spirit—that she would recognize where and when she is being sent and respond in accordance with Scripture.
I’m sure you have similar lists.
Y stands for Yield
I yield Hillary’s life up to God, gave her ministry and her situation to the Lord, and asked him to bring peace into her heart about her current circumstances.
I praise God and thank him as well, because that so often is the result of prayer.
When the timer dinged off, I was done with my half hour.
It went faster than I thought!
Closing Thoughts
Author Carolyn Weber on April 15, 2014 Family Life Today, spoke of the result of one man’s willingness to share the gospel with her. (The whole story is told in her wonderful memoir Surprised by Oxford):
“As the result of Kent sharing the gospel with me—living the gospel out to me, and even marrying me—it’s changed the hearts of my family, of my unbelieving friends, of my students, of my community at Oxford, my community in Canada, my children—everything. Everything has changed from that one drop in the pond.”
Prayer is the vehicle by which God changes people’s lives, prompts them to speak, and gives them the confidence to trust everything into God’s hands.
Is half an hour of prayer one day a month for one person a long time? Click to Tweet
What would I do to break the hold of sin on one person’s heart? Click to Tweet
What does it mean to love my neighbor through prayer? Click to Tweet
It’s a privilege to join with my brothers and sisters in Christ on behalf of Jesus in Sicily.
And to thank him for providing a willing heart in Hillary.
Join me, won’t you? Or do you have someone/thing else that needs lengthy prayer? 
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