Global Week of Prayer

This prayer guide can be used to give inspiration for any time of prayer, including to help structure a 30-minute or one hour time slot during the Global Week of 24/7 Prayer that New Covenant will be participating in on September 6th-13th. If you would like to sign up for a time slot follow the button.

Sign Up for a Time Slot

Resources

We have put together a Prayer Guide that can give you one format for what it looks like to be in prayer. If you would like to download the PDF of the prayer guide you can find that below, otherwise you can use this webpage. Also, our Director of Worship Arts, Shelly Paige, has put together a Spotify playlist with modern worship songs that can serve as an inspiration during a prayer time.

Download the Prayer Guide PDF

Be In Prayer

Introduction

This guide was created as a resource for anyone who wants to pray.

HOW TO PRAY

This guide uses the acronymn PRAY, from Pete Greig’s book, How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People.

Our examples also give you the option to organize your time in four segments that total either 30-minutes or one-hour.

  1. pause

  2. rejoice

  3. ask

  4. yield

Pause

7.5 minutes of 30 minutes | 15 minutes of an hour

“The best way to start praying is actually to stop praying. To pause. To be still. To start, we must stop. To move forward, we must pause.” – Pete Greig 

“Be still and know that I am God.” – Psalm 46:10 

 

GUDING STEPS FOR PAUSE

1. Offer a simple prayer of invitation:  

Lord, Father, Abba, God (Whatever primary way you address God in prayer), I come into your presence in prayer to simply dwell with you. I am here to listen to your voice, to be reminded that you love me and that you listen to the prayers of your people.  

Whatever I have brought into this place- things I am aware of and things that remain hidden- I lay at your feet. I receive your tender grace, your easy yoke, your peace and mercy.  

 Help me ward off distraction and any attempts of the enemy of my soul to take me from your presence. I surrender my life and this moment to you. Do in me, with me, and through me whatever you will.  

Amen.  

2. Breathe Deeply: As you inhale, put in your mind breathing in the presence of God. As you exhale, breathe out everything that does not belong in your heart and mind. Come back to this practice when distraction or discouragement arises.  

3. Keep returning to silence. Our minds are cluttered. As you feel your mind wandering to other things, receive God’s grace, return to the quiet.  

4. Breath Prayers: A simple tool for centering, quieting, and pausing is called the breath prayer.  

Pete Greig helps define the breath prayer: “You might simply say the name ‘Jesus’ and focus on Him until a word comes forth. Brennan Manning encourages a simple process of sitting comfortably in silence and, as you inhale, quietly whispering the name “Abba,” and as you exhale, softly saying, “I belong to you.” 

5. Concluding: Although there is a timeframe if you follow the pathway defined above, part of our growth in prayer is discerning when we are ready to move on. The encouragement I hope you receive in love is to NOT move on too fast. As we grow in prayer, we'll find that Pause rarely gets shorter. If anything, it tends to grow longer, as our hearts become more attuned through regular, intentional prayer. 

Rejoice

7.5 minutes of 30 minutes | 15 minutes of an hour

“The Lord’s Prayer begins with an invitation to adoration. Having paused to be still at the start of our prayer time, the most natural and appropriate response to God’s presence is reverence. Hallowing the Father’s name is the most important and enjoyable dimension of prayer. Linger here, rejoicing in God’s blessings before asking for anymore.” – Pete Greig 

Proclaiming who God is reminds us that we are not coming to a far-away deity who does not care about the plight of our lives and our world, but that we proclaim his character and nature, reminding us that the God of the universe is also the God who desires communion with His people. George Buttrick captured the nature of prayer in light of our reverence for the Lord, “Prayer’s deepest mood is friendship held in reverence.” - George Buttrick 

GIVE THANKS

The easiest starting point is to rejoice by simply giving thanks. Keep an inventory of the things you are grateful for and lift them up to the Lord, for every good and perfect gift comes from Him.  

Sometimes we feel wordy or perhaps not adequately prepared to communicate the holiness and hallowedness of God. I have found that the simplest way to rejoice in the Lord is to memorize and pray the language of the Holy Scriptures. 

SCRIPTURES OF REJOICING


Revelation 4:8 

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” (Rev 4:8)  

Revelation 4:11 

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”  

Revelation 15:3-4a 

Great and astounding are your deeds, Lord God, the All-Powerful! Just and true are your ways, King over the nations! Who will not fear you, O Lord, and glorify your name, because you alone are holy? All nations will come and worship before you… 

1 Chronicles 29:11–13 

“YOURS, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty: for everything in heaven and on earth belongs to you; YOURS is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you reign over all; and in your hand is power and might; and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all. Now, therefore, our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name.” 

1 Samuel 2:1–2   

My heart rejoices in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: My mouth is enlarged over MY enemies, because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.”  

Psalm 100:4–5  

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to all generations.” 

Psalm 145:8–10  

“The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. All YOUR works shall praise thee, O LORD; and YOUR saints shall bless thee.” 

Daniel 2:20–23  

Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changes the times and the seasons: he removes kings, and SETS up kings: 

He gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He reveals the deep and secret things: he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.I thank you, and praise you, O thou God of my fathers, who has given me wisdom and might.” 

Romans 11:33–36  

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counselor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 

For in him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.” 

REMEMBERING WHO GOD IS

Another means of rejoicing in God through prayer is to proclaim and remember God's various names and attributes.  

The Names of God: 

  1. YHWH (The LORD) – Exodus 3:14–15 

  2. El Shaddai (God Almighty) – Genesis 17:1 

  3. El Elyon (God Most High) – Genesis 14:18–20 

  4. Adonai (Lord, Master) – Psalm 8:1 

  5. Jehovah Jireh (The LORD Will Provide) – Genesis 22:14 

  6. Jehovah Rapha (The LORD Who Heals) – Exodus 15:26 

  7. Jehovah Nissi (The LORD My Banner) – Exodus 17:15 

  8. Jehovah Shalom (The LORD Is Peace) – Judges 6:24 

  9. Jehovah Rohi (The LORD My Shepherd) – Psalm 23:1 

  10. Jehovah Tsidkenu (The LORD Our Righteousness) – Jeremiah 23:6 

  11. Jehovah Shammah (The LORD Is There) – Ezekiel 48:35 

  12. Abba, Father – Romans 8:15 

  13. Alpha and Omega – Revelation 1:8 

  14. King of Kings and Lord of Lords – Revelation 19:16 

  15. Ancient of Days – Daniel 7:9 

The Qualities/Attributes of God 

  1. Holy – Isaiah 6:3 

  2. Good – Psalm 100:5 

  3. Faithful – Lamentations 3:22–23 

  4. Merciful – Psalm 103:8 

  5. Gracious – Exodus 34:6 

  6. Loving (Steadfast Love) – Psalm 136:1 

  7. Just – Deuteronomy 32:4 

  8. Righteous – Psalm 145:17 

  9. Compassionate – Psalm 103:13 

  10. Patient / Slow to Anger – Numbers 14:18 

  11. Sovereign – Psalm 115:3 

  12. All-Powerful (Omnipotent) – Jeremiah 32:17 

  13. All-Knowing (Omniscient) – Psalm 147:5 

  14. Ever-Present (Omnipresent) – Psalm 139:7–10 

  15. Unchanging (Immutable) – Malachi 3:6 

  16. Truth – John 14:6; Titus 1:2 

  17. Light – 1 John 1:5 

  18. Love – 1 John 4:8 

PRAY PRAYERS FROM CHURCH HISTORY

One of the most damaging misconceptions about prayer is that our prayer, to be “good” prayer, has to be extemporaneous, meaning all the words prayed must originate within the heart and mind of the one praying. A beautiful, powerful God-given tool for Rejoicing is to pray prayers given to us from our church history. Here are some of those prayers for your use:  

O LORD, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Glory to the FATHER, and to the Son, and to the HOLY SPIRIT: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. (Hallelujah.)   

O GOD, make speed to save us. O LORD, make haste to help us.  Glory to the FATHER, and to the SON, and to the HOLY SPIRIT: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. (Hallelujah.)  

Almighty GOD, Father of all mercies, we, your unworthy servants, give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our LORD Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen. 

Ask

7.5 minutes of 30 minutes | 15 minutes of an hour

God does nothing but in answer to prayer – John Wesley

“History belongs to the intercessors, who believe the future into being.” – Walter Wink

This is where our prayers turn toward petitioning God to act on behalf of ourselves, others, and in the world. We emphatically believe that prayer is powerful.  

ASKING SCRIPTURES

“First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people, even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2  

“So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness.”James 5:16 

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.”Romans 8:26 

“With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and petitions for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:18 

“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive it, so that your joy may be complete.”John 16:24 

GUDING STEPS FOR ASK:

1. Start with Confession: Be specific and thorough in confessing your sins before the Lord. Ask and receive his forgiveness, and ask that the Lord might reveal to you what sins of others you are holding unforgiveness toward. 

“Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”

2. Intercession: Be Specific. Be persistent. Be Bold! 

Here are guiding ways you might use to be in intercession:  

  1. Inward: Pray for any inward need you might have. In your clarity of heart and mind beforehand, your clarity in praying for yourself, in whatever need, will be clear and in alignment with the will and desires of God for you.  

  2. Your Family: Pray individually, personally, and directly for your family. Be as broad or as narrow as your heart leads you. 

  3. Your Church: Pray for the church. Both the church you are a member of and for the church universal. Pray for clarity of purpose, boldness in proclamation, and that Jesus would be the central focus of every action the church engages in. Pray also for the staff and pastoral leadership by name.  

  4. Your Friends & Fellowship: Pray for your friends, and the people in your small groups, Sunday schools, or Discipleship Groups you regularly connect with. 

  5. Your School:  If you are a student, teacher, administrator, or staff, lift your school in prayer before the Lord. If you aren’t currently in a school, you can pray for the schools in your neighborhood or district, the schools you attended, or the schools your family attends.

  6. Your City: Pray for the people who live, work, study, and visit your city. Pray that they might receiving healing, wholeness, and a life-changing love through a relationship with Christ. One option is to pray over your city one street at a time, consider naming the major streets that move east to west, or north to south. Pray for people appointed or elected to positions of leadership, and all the people who they lead. Pray for the city’s helpers, first-responders, firefighters, police officers, medical workers, and care givers. Pray for those who might feel like outsiders in your city like people who are unhoused, students or families who recently moved into your city, immigrants, and others who might be lonely. 

  7. Your State: Pray for the people who live, work, study, and visit Oklahoma. One option is to consider all 77 counties of Oklahoma and pray for the people there to receive healing, wholeness, and a life-changing love through a relationship with Christ. Consider the different areas of Oklahoma such as rural communities and our major cities, including prisons, hospitals, schools, businesses, farms, and homes. Pray for people appointed or elected to positions of leadership, and all the people who they lead. Pray for the churches throughout the state to be a light to each community they touch.

  8. Your Country: Pray for the people who live, work, study, and visit the United States. One option is to consider all fifty states and pray for the people there to receive healing, wholeness, and a life-changing love through a relationship with Christ. Pray for people appointed or elected to positions of leadership, and all the people who are under their leadership. Pray for the churches throughout this country to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to be peacemakers in each community they touch, that all people might experience the love of Jesus. Pray that in every aspect of our country, you and the church might seek first the Kingdom of God as we await the full realization of the Kingdom come. 

  9. Your World: Pray for our world. Pray for people all over the world who are image bearers of our creator and precious children of God. One option is to pray for the different continents, countries, or geographical areas to help you remember the people who are living or visiting there and asking God to provide them with their daily bread—daily needs—and that each person might receive healing, wholeness, and a life-changing love through a relationship with Christ. Pray for the people appointed or elected to positions of leadership, that they might be good and wise leaders who govern justly, and pray for all the people who are under their leadership. Pray for the followers of Christ all over the world to be lights in each community they touch, that the peace, generosity, and compassion that we’ve been given through Jesus’ example, might continue to flow through us to the transformation of the world as we seek first the Kingdom of God as we await the full realization of the Kingdom come.

  10. For those distant from the Lord: Start with the specific and move to the broad. If you have people in your life who have drifted away from the faith, or who have never heard of or received the Lord as their Savior, pray that the Lord might reveal His heart, love, and purpose to them.  

Once you have prayed for specific people, ask for the names and faces of others who have walked away from the faith, and ask that the Lord would give you the sense and words for their needed return to the Lord.  

In addition to the prodigals in our lives and world, pray that the LORD would continue to make His name known in the unreached areas of our world and that the Lord would equip new missionaries to take the good news of the Kingdom of God to the world until every knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  

11. For those who are hurting, sick, struggling with: Be Specific. Be persistent. Be Bold! 

  • Physical Difficulties.  

  • Spiritual Struggles 

  • Emotional Brokenness.  

  • Mental Distress.    

Yield

7.5 minutes of 30 minutes | 15 minutes of an hour

“Listening to the Lord is the first thing, the second thing, and the third thing necessary for successful intercession.” – Richard Foster 

This is the moment of surrender. Of conceding your place in the story God is composing and trusting in His sovereignty and guidance for your life.  

There are two simple prayers drawn from the Scriptures that can be used in the act of yielding:  

  1. Not my will, but your will be done. 

  2. Help me to decrease as you increase in and through my life. 

HELPFUL PRAYERS OF YIELDING

A Slow, meditative, sentence-by-sentence journey through Psalm 23:  

The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. (Pause and Reflect)  

He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside the quiet waters; he restores my soul. (Pause and Reflect) 

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. (Pause and Reflect) 

Even though I walk through the darkest valleys, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.  

Your Rod and your staff they comfort me. (Pause and Reflect) 

You have prepared a feast before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (Pause and Reflect) 

Surely it is your goodness and your mercy that pursue me all my days. (Pause and Reflect) 

Until I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Pause and Reflect) 

Amen. 

 

Prayer of St. Francis:  

LORD, make me an instrument of your peace, where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith;  where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy; o divine master,  grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.  

Wesley’s Covenant Prayer:

I am no longer my own, but yours. Put me to what you will, place me with whom you will. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be put to work for you or set aside for you, praised for you, or criticized for you. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and fully surrender all things to your glory and service. 

And now, O wonderful and holy GOD, creator, redeemer, and sustainer, you are mine, and I am yours. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it also be made in heaven.  Amen. 

The Awakening Prayer (Seedbed):  

“Today I sow for a Great Awakening. Today, I stake everything on the promise of the Word of God. I depend entirely on the power of the Holy Spirit. I have the same mind in me that was in Christ Jesus. Because Jesus is good news and Jesus is in me, I am good news. Today, I will sow the extravagance of the Gospel everywhere I go and into everyone I meet. Today, I will love others as Jesus has loved me. Today, I will remember that the tiniest seeds become the tallest trees; that the seeds sown today become the shade of tomorrow; that the faith of right now becomes the future of the everlasting Kingdom. Today, I sow for a Great Awakening. 

 

Steve Trice’s Daily Prayer of Consecration:  

Father, all that I am is Yours. All that I have is Yours. Please show me this day what You would have me to do with the time, spiritual gifts, talent, and treasure that You have so richly entrusted me to steward for You. Amen.