How to Pray for an Hour

And Not Run Out of Things to Say

It was supposed to be a pamphlet, or maybe a small PDF with a few mere pages. But then it grew into something more.

It began with a simple desire: I wanted to pray for an hour.

But without a plan, I knew I’d falter. I would probably start out strong enough, but within a matter of minutes, I’d likely run out of things to say, or I’d find myself saying the same thing over and over.

Still, I wanted to grow deeper in prayer, so I asked God to help me. Then I had an idea.

I would start with the Lord’s Prayer, which I knew had seven petitions. I would then expand each petition by writing a longer prayer that maintained each petition’s theme, culminating in seven prayers total. I wanted each of the seven prayers, if prayed out loud, to be eight or nine minutes long. Then all seven prayers would combine for a full hour of prayer.

One hour of prayer. To meet with God. And intercede for loved ones. That was my aim.

Then I had another idea. I would share these seven prayers with my friends. I could pray these prayers for them and their kids, and they could do the same. Together, we could go to God on behalf of our families and our communities.

Just imagine it. Women praying for one another. Interceding for each other’s kids as well as our own. What a beautiful thing that could be.

So, I immersed myself in Scripture, and what started out as a simple pamphlet — with seven prayers that modeled the Lord’s Prayer — grew into something more. I grew too.

If you type “books on prayer” in Amazon’s search bar, over ten thousand possible results pop up. I’ve read quite a few of them. Some were helpful while others were more like dry academic tomes. Solomon was right when he said the making of books has no end (Ecclesiastes 12:12). Do we really need another book on prayer?

With so many books on prayer, I’ve also noticed my own tendency to continue reading about prayer, rather than actually praying. So, instead of merely talking about prayer, as if we’re dissecting a corpse for examination, I wanted to really pray, which is why I wrote out seven longer prayers, based on the Lord’s Prayer and steeped in Scripture, that combine for a full hour of prayer.

Prayer is simply this: We breathe in God’s Word and breathe out our prayers.

I’m hardly the first to recognize the Bible as the primary source of our prayers, but it’s a timeless truth that never wears out. The more we immerse ourselves in the language of the Bible, which is inspired by God the Spirit, the more easily we can converse with God who is Spirit (John 4:24).

In the days ahead, I’ll be sharing some ways we can grow deeper in prayer, as well as some prayers we can pray together. I never take it for granted that other souls — with full lives and busy schedules — take the time to read my words. Thank you for the gift of your shared presence in my life. You are a gift to me. Thank you.

Shalom.

A Few Notes…

*My new book, While Waiting for Morning: An Invitation to Pray, is now available. If you’re like me and you prefer to hold a printed book in your hands, you can pick up a copy at Barnes and Noble here.

*Thank you for your vote of confidence when you tap on the “heart” at the top of each post. And, as always, you are welcome to share these words with a friend.

*And lastly, no part of this newsletter—nor anything I have ever published—has been made with Artificial Intelligence (AI) or ghostwriters. All of my words, including any accidental typos, are my own, except for when I quote others with appropriate citations and links.