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24 hours of prayer
for america
Prayer hour outline 

​Thank you for your willingness to dedicate an hour of prayer during our celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. 

 

Praying for an hour may seem daunting, but we encourage you to prevail in prayer this hour for our nation.  

 

The idea of “prevailing” in prayer is mirrored in Jacob’s wrestling with God until the Lord blessed him (Genesis 32). Jesus himself encourages us to be persistent in prayer through the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18.  Luke tells us that the reason Jesus gave us this parable was that we would pray and not give up!  

 

Praying for an hour becomes more natural if you plan out the hour in 10 minute increments.  

 

Consider the following as a recommendation, not a mandate.  Remember that the Holy Spirit prays with you and helps you in prayer. This means that if at some point you find your heart particularly heavy with anguish or joyful with celebration, follow this as the prompting of God’s Spirit to press into this time and pray more fervently. The prompts and scriptures are given as suggestions to center your heart. 

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Opening 10 minutes: Celebration of God’s goodness

  • Enter into celebration, thanksgiving and praise for who God is and what he has done. 

  • Prompts:  God’s love, faithfulness, goodness, sovereignty, patience, presence, kindness, holiness, glory, righteousness, and mercy.  

  • Scripture: Psalm 105, Psalm 150 

 

Next 10 minutes: Repentance of sin 

  • Enter into a time of repentance both for your own personal waywardness and hardness of heart, but also for our national waywardness.  If there is an area of our nation's sins (past or present) that particularly grieves your heart, repent of this sin as if it were your own and call upon God for his mercy.  

  • Prompts:  For pride, arrogance, disobedience, dehumanization, love of money, hatred of neighbor, rebellion against God’s rule, brutal, and without self control. 

  • Scripture: Daniel 9:4-19, 2 Timothy 3:1-5 

 

Next 10 minutes: Appealing to God’s mercy

  • Remind yourself and God of his promises of mercy.  In scripture, intercessors often appealed to God’s mercy as a reminder of his character.  

  • Prompts:  Remind God and yourself that God has promised mercy to those who turn to him, that his character and nature exude compassion and forgiveness, that he will not always accuse and that he is always at work. 

  • Scripture: Psalm 145, Exodus 32:1-14, Jeremiah 29:11

 

Next 10 minutes: Intercession for our nation

  • It is time to pray specifically for God to act in situations and circumstances that only he can control. Remind yourself that God is able and willing to do more than we can ask or imagine. So intercede for individuals, families, institutions, officials, cities, states, government and our nation. 

  • Prompts:  Pray for areas of brokenness to be healed, hatred to cease, pride to be surrendered, systems to be mended, division to be overcome and shalom (peace) to reign. 

  • Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:1-12, 2 Chronicles 7:14 , Luke 4:18-19 

 

Next 10 minutes: Imagining and Pleading with God for revival 

  • Revival is the result of Christians sowing in prayer for a great awakening.  Revival is intensification and acceleration of the normal awakening work of the Spirit of God. Revival is a sovereign move of God that is prepared for in prayer. 

  • Prompts:  Pray for an awakening in the church, in Christian communities and homes.  Pray for a supernatural move of the Spirit of God in repentance, restoration and renewal.  Pray for miracles, convictions, signs and wonders to occur in order to awaken sleeping hearts to God’s immediate presence. 

  • Scripture: Acts 4:23-31, Psalm 85, Isaiah 6:1-8

 

Next 10 minutes: Closing in silence and stillness 

  • As you finish your hour of prayer, ask the Holy Spirit if there is anything more he would say to you or would like you to pray about.  Sit in silence for a few moments and if something is impressed upon your heart or mind, write it down.  End this hour of prayer with quiet whispers of thankfulness for God’s presence and promises. 

  •  Prompts:  Listen in quietness, still your soul, sing a quiet song of praise that arises in your heart 

  • Scripture: Habakuk 2:2, Psalm 131 

 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 

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Thank you for praying with us. 

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