A Practical Plan for Personal Prayer

Our church’s secretary recently revamped our church library, and it’s making a difference. Whereas I used to get a headache when I saw the chaos that was our library, now when I walk through the doors, my heart beats in anticipation as I gaze longingly at the well-ordered shelves of books. In support of all her efforts, I selected a book to read while walking, and this one on prayer jumped out to me.

The Hour That Changes the World is Dick Eastman’s system of prayer that’s changed his life and that he felt compelled to share with the world. In reading Jesus’ rebuke to the sleeping Apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane, “What, couldn’t you watch with me one hour?” (Matthew 26:40), Eastman felt convicted that one hour was the bare minimum he could give to his Lord each day. Yet because one hour appears to most as either daunting or impractical, Eastman continued searching the Scriptures and found a simple way to encourage other believers to join him in this cause: break the hour (or more) down into 12 (or so) segments, and you’ve got more ammunition for prayer than you could ever need. An hour’s time becomes incredibly short when you focus on praising God, thanking God, loving Him, relating His promises, meditating on His Word, etc. etc.

I found this book to be incredibly helpful in my own approach to prayer, and I was especially grateful for his chapter summaries which combine all his comments and proofs into 4 simple calls to action per step. His graph of the 12 Steps of Prayer was also extremely helpful, and I think every serious Christian should keep a copy of this handy while praying. Because Eastman shared his joy in how often this graph has been freely shared, I feel it’s ok to print it here without specific permission. Have at it!

This book also brought to mind a personal struggle I’m having with understanding the doctrine of confession in the believer’s life, and while I certainly don’t have all the answers, I do want to share my thoughts here. The key verses people (including Eastman) use to say that confession is essential for God even to hear our prayers come from the Old Testament, most notably Ps. 66:18, which says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Others like Isaiah 59:2 and Psalm 51:10-11 suggest the same, but I wonder: don’t passages like these only work if the person is either unsaved or a full-blooded Arminian? What good was Christ’s sacrifice for me if sin STILL separates me from my Father? What’s going to happen if I die without confessing this morning’s sins? Taking these thoughts to their logical conclusion, Christ’s sacrifice has little effect!

Those of us who have been forgiven by God through the sacrifice of Jesus are now clothed in His righteousness and sealed (eternally) by His Spirit. I’m not suggesting that we ignore our sin or that we don’t need “agree with God” about our daily sins! Confession is not me seeking forgiveness for sins that have separated me from God so I can once more be accepted by Him. Rather, confession is an acknowledgment of my sin and imperfection and gratitude for his eternal forgiveness (whether I’ve confessed every known sin this morning or not). One’s understanding of confession in the believer’s life says a lot about his understanding of justification and sanctification. I admit I have a lot to learn, but I fear that if we’re not careful, this aspect threatens to confuse people with thoughts of losing one’s salvation, removing eternal security, and misunderstanding what it means to have Christ’s Spirit as a guarantee, sealing my adoption forever!

Ok. Back to the review. This book ignited a great deal of devotional thought to my week, which I greatly appreciated. Eastman also was faithful to clarify what he means by some of the near synonymous words he uses throughout (i.e. waiting, listening, and meditating). For quotes I’d like to preserve, I highlighted the following:

“If I seldom talk to God, it indicates He plays a secondary role in my life.” (20)

“I can’t explain how some of the food I ate tonight for supper becomes brain, some blood, some bone, but I haven’t stopped eating just because I can’t explain it! In the same way, I can’t explain [prayer]…prayer works.” (Dr. Walter Judd, Missionary to China, 23)

“Waiting on the Lord is basically the silent surrendering of the soul to God… Praise is verbalizing our esteem of God. Waiting is a time of silent love. Praise cries boldly, ‘God, I see these excellent qualities in your nature.’ Waiting says softly, ‘God, I love you.'” (37; see also Ps. 52:9; 62:1; 130:6; Is. 40:31)

“We must not rush these moments of spiritual silence. If any quality seems typically ‘Christian,’ it is our impatience with God’s timing.” (41)

“To pray similar prayers daily for various nations of the world cannot be classified as ‘vain’ repetition. True, it may appear repetitious, but it is not vain.” (77; see Mt. 6:7)

“Thanksgiving differs from praise in that praise focuses on who God is, whereas thanksgiving focuses on what God has specifically done for us.” (88)

“Without prayer, every effort is wasted, for it leaves God out of the picture. Wise is the statement that there is much we can do after we have prayed but mothing we can do until we have prayed.” (129)

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone longing to become a prayer warrior or even just a slightly better pray-er. That’s me for sure, because for all the reasons that most honest preachers will tell you, prayer is simple but it sure isn’t easy. I pray that I’ll apply some of these lessons to my own prayer life, and I highly recommend this book as a tool to reignite your own.

©2023 E.T.