Day 22 - Principle 8: Develop a Prayer Pattern

From Selwyn Hughes' 15 Ways to a More Effective Prayer Life:

• Decide how long your prayer time is going to be.  If you're not used to pray for a long time, try to start with 15 minutes.  You will find that, as you get deeper into regular prayer, you will start praying for longer periods.  (Note that this is not a time trial.  It is a guideline for yourself.  The point here is not to pray for x minutes.  The point is to pray.)
• Plan to cover these three aspects in your prayer:
  1. Look at God - Adore Him.  Praise Him.  Thank Him for His many, many blessings toward you.  Reflect on the fact that you have been cleansed of your sin and are welcome in the presence of this Holy God.  Think about everything that you have to be thankful for and name them.  Your heart will overflow with gratitude and thanksgiving will rise.
  2. Look at yourself - Pray about your own spiritual condition, i.e. think on how you can become more like Jesus.  Ask Him to show you what things there are that must be confessed and put right.  If it is something that must be done to someone, jot it down in your notebook (see principle 7).
  3. Look at others - Keep a list of people that have special needs and tell God about this.  Mention them by name and be specific in what you ask God.  (Note that we do this not because God is ignorant of our needs but to ensure that we know what we are asking.  Articulating a request often helps us to clarify exactly what it is we are asking.)

Remember that the above is a guideline, not a rule.  Experiment with it.