SUGGESTIONS:
- PRAISE: start by praising the Lord. Praise Him for things that are on your mind right now; for one special thing He has done in your life in the past week; for His goodness to your family (Psalm 34:1)
- WAITING: wait on the Lord. Let Him pull together reflections for you. Think about the hour before you and the things you want the Lord to do in your life (Psalm 27:14)
- CONFESSION: ask the Holy Spirit to show you anything in your life which might be displeasing to Him; to point out attitudes that are wrong, as well as specific acts for which you have not yet made a prayer of confession. Confess these things to the Lord and claim 1 John 1:9 (Psalm 51:1-19)
- READ THE WORD: read God’s promises in the Psalms, the prophets, and other passages (Psalm 119:97)
- PETITION: general requests for others, praying through prayer lists, or prayer cards (Hebrews 4:16)
- INTERCESSION: specific prayer on behalf of others (Romans 15:30-33)
- PRAY THE WORD: take the Scriptures and pray them aloud. Certain sections of Psalm 119 lend themselves beautifully to prayer expression (Psalm 119:38-46)
- THANKSGIVING: spend these minutes giving thanks to the Lord for things in your life, things on behalf of the church, things on behalf of your family (Philippians 4:6)
- SINGING: let this time be a time of praise through song (Psalm 59:17)
- MEDITATE: ask the Lord to speak back to you; keep a paper and pen handy to record what He impresses on your heart (Psalm 63)
- LISTEN: spend time merging the things you have read from the Word, the things you have prayed, the things you have thanked the Lord for, the things that you have been singing, and see how the Lord brings them all together to speak to you (1 Samuel 3:9-10)
- END WITH PRAISE: Praise the Lord for the time you have spent with Him. Praise Him for the impressions that He has given you. Praise Him for the prayer requests He raised up in your mind (Psalm 145:1-13)