The Hour That Changes the World

Many years ago I came across this book on prayer, and during the times that I followed Dick Eastman’s simple method of praying, I found that my daily prayer walk with the Lord was much deeper. Well, I recently came across this book again, and I realized that I had forgotten some of things that I had learned about prayer from this book. The prayer plan outlined in this book was not necessarily meant to be the one and only method for praying, but it simply contains suggestions based on Scripture that have helped many Christians in the United States (and around the world) revitalize their prayer lives. In fact, Joni Eareckson Tada has written the following about it: “Full of biblical insights about prayer, packed with testimonies of prayer warriors from years past, brimming with practical suggestions that will help you carve out a purposeful time of praise and intercession, Dick Eastman’s book is arguably the most significant book on prayer written in modern times.”

I want to challenge you to spend at least one hour of prayer using these twelve points of focus. Although you can vary the length of time that you spend on each part, including some of all of them is important. Everyone’s life is somewhat different depending upon what stage of life we are in; for various reasons, some may honestly find it almost impossible to spend an hour in prayer everyday, but I would guess that for most of us that an hour is not an impossible goal. And of course, you don’t have to limit your prayer to only one hour a day! God has told us that if we seek Him, we will find Him, when we search for Him with all of our heart (Jeremiah 29:130). Also, in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, we are told to pray without ceasing. Although we can be in a prayerful state of mind while talking to God about everything throughout the day, having longer, and more focused prayer is also very important. We see different times in the gospels that even Jesus spent long periods of time praying. In Matthew 26:40, while in the garden on the Mount of Olives, Jesus pleaded with the disciples to pray with Him for one hour (before He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, condemned to death on the cross, bearing the sins of the world, and separated from God the Father).

The following is a very brief summary of what is included in the prayer plan from The Hour That Changes the World:

PRAISE-(Psalm 63:3, Hebrews 13:15, Matthew 6:9b)- the aspect of prayer which vocally esteems God for His virtues and accomplishments.

WAITING-(Psalm37:7, Isaiah 40:31, Lamentations 3:25)- being quiet in God’s presence, and simply taking time to love God and to let God love you.

CONFESSION-(Psalm139:23, 1 John 1:9)- since sin is one of the greatest roadblocks to answered prayer (Psalm 66:18), we need to take time to confess any sin in our lives.

THE WORD-(2 Timothy 3:16, Psalm 19:7,8)- bringing God’s Word into our prayer, we are opening our eyes to new possibilities as we simply read sections of His Word.

INTERCESSION-(1Timothy 2:1,2, Psalm 2:8, Matthew 9:37, 38)- center your intercession on our lost and dying world.

PETITION-Matthew 6:11, Matthew 7:7, Philippians 4:6b, James 4:2)- this aspect concerns our personal needs.

THE WORD-(Jeremiah 23:29, 2 Samuel 22:31, Numbers 23:19)- now pray God’s will. You can never pray out of God’s will when you pray God’s Word back to Him.

THANKSGIVING-(Psalm 100:4, Philippians 4d:6)- recognizes God for specific things that He has done, while praise recognizes God for who He is.

SINGING-(Psalm 100:2, Ephesians 5:19, Psalm 144:9)- learn the beauty of singing a “new” song unto God during your prayer.

MEDITATION-(Joshua 1:8, Psalm 77:12, Psalm 1:1,2)- to meditate is to ponder spiritual themes in reference to God.

LISTENING-(Ecclesiastes 5:2, 1 Kings 19:11, 12)- we must take time to listen for specific direction from God, not just to talk.

PRAISE-(Matthew 6:13, Psalm 100:4, Psalm 150)- when our prayer moves toward its conclusion, we focus our praise on His omnipotence (power), His omniscience (knowledge), and His omnipresence (presence everywhere).

Growing Wiser While You Wait (Part 2)

It’s very important to choose movies that will help you grow wiser. The following is a short summary of some of the most uplifting movies that you and your family could ever watch, and you may find yourselves enjoying them over and over as you share them with others.

My favorite movies are all of the Sherwood Picture movies produced by the Kendrick brothers, but I will include a few other favorites, too.

Flywheel is about a car salesman, who changes his dishonest ways of selling cars, and sees the fruit of doing things God’s way.

Facing the Giants is a great movie for football enthusiasts that teaches lessons on perseverance, faith, and patience.

Fireproof encourages us to value the marriage covenant more, and to get rid of things that may destroy that relationship.

Courageous shows how a godly father can have an incredible impact on a family.

War Room is a film about prayer, and how God rewards our diligence of spending time with Him.

Overcomer, their newest film, begins by showing the consequences that negatively affect a child when parents make selfish choices; and then shows how God can heal relationships when a parent repents, still leaving a lasting legacy for his child.

Faith Like Potatoes is the true story of Angus Buchan, a Scottish-born African farmer who trusts God completely even when the odds are against him.

Second Chance is about a church that is ministering to the needs in an inner city along with its sister church that has grown into a mega-church and is focused on its own agenda rather than on the needs of people.

Treasures of the Snow teaches the lesson of forgiveness, whether we need to forgive ourself or someone who has terribly hurt us.

A Prayer for Healing Memories

As I was sorting through some old papers, and looking for things to recycle and throw away, I came across this prayer by Agnes Sanford. I had copied this into my journaling notebook when I was in college (and really struggling with our dysfunctional family situation). I thought it may be helpful to someone who is reading my blogs:

“Lord Jesus, I ask you to enter into this person who has need of your healing in the depths of the mind. I ask you to come, Lord, as a careful housekeeper might come into a house that has long been closed and neglected. Open all the windows and let in the fresh wind of your Spirit. Raise the shades, that the sunlight of Your love may fill this house of the soul. Where there is sunlight, there cannot be darkness. Therefore, I rejoice that as the light of Your love now fills this mansion of the soul, all darkness shall flee away. And indeed in Your Name I speak to that darkness gently telling it that it cannot abide here in this one whom you have redeemed upon your cross. Look and see, O Lord, whether there be any ugly pictures, take them down and give to this memory-house pictures of beauty and joy; so out of all the ugliness of the past make beauty. Transform old sorrows into the power to comfort others who have sorrowed. Heal old wounds by your redemptive love, and turn them mysteriously into a love that heals the wounds of others.

Go back, O Lord, through all the rooms of this memory-house. Open every closed door and look into every closet and bureau drawer and see if there be any dirty and broken things that are no longer needed in one’s present life, and if so, O Lord take them completely away. I give thanks! for this is the promise of the Scriptures: As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm103:12) Look, O Lord, upon any memories that may come up from the deep mind as those words are meditated upon, and in Thy mercy fulfill in this thy servant that forgiveness accomplished long ago on Calvary.

Go back even to the nursery in this memory-house — even to the years of childhood. Here, also, open windows long sealed and let in the gentle sunlight of Your love. Here, more than anywhere, Lord, make everything clean and beautiful within. Take a broom of mercy and sweep away all dirt from the floor of this memory-room, even the confusion and horror and the shame of ancient memories, perhaps of childish and uncomprehended sins, perhaps of the sins of the parents, those parents who should have been as God to this child, and were not.

Take a clean cloth, O Lord, and wash away all dust and wipe away every stain from the walls and from the furniture. Purge this Your child with hyssop, O Lord that the heart may be clean. Wash this one, that the soul (which was created in your own image and after your own likeness), may be whiter than snow. Look within the closets and under the furniture and see whether there be any broken and dirty toys, and old unclean rags of memory that are surely not needed any more at all in the adult life. And if so, O Lord, take them entirely away; gather them into your own redemptive love , that the burden of them may rest upon the soul no more.

Follow the soul of this Your child all the way back to the hour of birth and heal the soul even of the pain and the fear of being born into this darksome world. Restore in the soul that bright memory of your eternal being, that is not exactly memory, but which is rather an emanation, an unconscious infilling of the eternal radiance from which this one was born. And if even before birth the soul was shadowed by this human life and was darkened by the fears or sorrow of the human parents, then I pray that even those memories and impressions may be healed, so that this one may be restored to your original pattern, the soul as free and as clean as though nothing had ever dimmed its shining. Thus, I pray, O Lord, that you will restore the soul as You made it to be and will quicken and awaken in it all those creative impulses and ideas that you have placed therein, so that whatever your purpose may be for its human pilgrimage, that purpose may be fulfilled.

‘He restores my soul,’ so said David long ago. ‘He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake.’ (Psalm 23:3) I give thanks, O Lord, knowing that this healing of the soul is Your will and is the very purpose of the giving of Your life for us, and therefore, it is now being accomplished, and by faith, I set the seal upon it. Amen.”