39. 3 Hours of Prayer a Day

39. 3 Hours of Prayer a Day

 

Dan 6:10

 

10 But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.

 

▣ Prayer times for Christians are getting shorter.

As a result of a survey of 1,286 Christians nationwide by the 'Meeting for Spiritual Ministry' led by Professor Hae-ryong Hae of Presbyterian Theological Seminary, the average prayer time per person per day was 24 minutes and 41 seconds. This is about 2 minutes and 19 seconds shorter than the 27 minutes survey by Gallup Korea in 2005.

At a spiritual retreat held at Somang Retreat Center in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do, Gyeong-Yong Lee (Associate Pastor of Somang Church), Hae-Ryong Ha (Professor Hae-Ryong, Presbyterian Theological Seminary), and Ui-Sung Son (Director of Social Welfare Research Center, Yonsei University), etc. Research Survey Results' - It was revealed at the presentation of a study on the prayer life of Korean church members (contents compiled in the September 2007 issue of Ministry and Theology).

 

When asked about the 'average prayer time per day', the survey respondents answered variously from 'I do not pray' to the answer that they prayed for up to 210 minutes, with an average of 24 minutes and 41 seconds. For the question 'How long do you want to pray?', the average time was 51 minutes.

This suggests that most Christians are not satisfied with their prayer life.

51.5% of those who pray regularly, and 48.5% say that they pray irregularly.

 

Now, it is an urgent task to further increase the time of prayer.

 

1. People of prayer prayed three hours a day.

 

Jesus also lived a life of prayer from dawn to night.

He lived a life where sometimes he stayed up all night and sometimes he prayed in the twilight of dawn.

When Martin Luther became too busy with his own work, he increased the time of his prayers even more, praying for three hours each.

 

The Reformer Martin Luther said, "If I fail to pray for three hours in the morning, the victory of the day goes to the devil."

John Knox, the founder of the Presbyterian Church, was also a man who dedicated himself to prayer by consecrating three hours in the morning.

 

Scottish missionary John welches prayed 8 to 10 hours a day.

Also, Bishop Andrew said he prayed for 5 hours every day.

Warner Maker, the founder of American department stores, prayed for 1 hour normally, 2 hours when he was busy, and 3 hours when he was constantly busy.

 

E. M. Bounds woke up at 4 am every day and started the day by praying for 3 hours every day.

He clearly showed with his life that 'prayer' is the way to accomplish all that God can do.

His books on prayer have challenged and thrilled thousands of Christians for 100 years.

It made me jump into the closet.

 

“No one can do the great and eternal work of God except a man of prayer.

No man can be a man of prayer without spending a lot of time in prayer."

 

 

2. It is enough to pray three hours a day.

 

You must pray for a long time to be able to pray enough.

If the prayer time is short, it is not enough just to pray that needs to be resolved immediately.

If you pray for a long time, you will not only pray for the problem you were asking for, but also pray for the Lord.

 

A person who prays for 5 minutes is like pouring water into a gourd.

One gulp of water is barely enough to brush your teeth and wash your cat.

A person who prays for 30 minutes is like getting water in a bathtub.

You can wash yourself clean with the water in the bathtub.

A person who prays for an hour is like filling the water tank of his house.

It may be enough for his own family to use.

A person who prays for 3 hours is like filling the water tank of an apartment building.

That person can provide the necessary water for the residents of the apartment.

 

Those who do much for God are those who have given much time to prayer.

You cannot do the great work of God without a lot of prayer.

Unless he devotes a lot of his time to prayer, he cannot be a man of powerful prayer.

 

3. Three hours of prayer a day is a deeper prayer.

 

Three hours is a very long time for prayer.

It is not easy for ordinary people to exceed 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, you have passed 1/6.

The great time of the remaining 5/6 is waiting for you.

From then on, this time becomes really boring and difficult.

My body aches here and there, I have to pray, but I have nothing to say, time goes by slowly, and I have many thoughts.

torment yourself.

 

I have doubts about whether it is necessary to pray to fill the time like this, and I look for excuses because I want to quit.

That is why many people give up on prayer halfway through.

A person who gives up for a good reason thinks his actions are justified and hardens his heart.

And when they encounter difficult problems in their later life, they find an excuse to compromise.

I always live with the thought of finishing on the right line rather than doing my best.

 

The three hours of prayer is a training to learn how to deal with the numerous negative thoughts that arise during that time.

If you communicate directly with the Lord and live a life led by the Holy Spirit, doubts and shaking will lose their place.

 

The key to a continuous and deep prayer life is to set a certain prayer time and pray. Amen