The Spirit Helps Us Pray by Robert L. Brandt and Zenas J. Bicket.

Chapter 16

The Disciplines of Prayer: A Practicum

Arriving at a basic theology or understanding of prayer 
should be a major priority for every believer. A study of 
biblical examples of effective prayer, as treated in 
earlier chapters, is also of vital importance. But until 
the Christian actually engages in prayer in a practical 
and meaningful way, the theology and study are of limited 
value. Prayer is not answered because a believer knows how 
it works, but because he knows personally the One to whom 
it is addressed.

Prayer is a love matter before it is anything else. It is 
not the finding of right methods, techniques, or processes 
to persuade God to do what we desire. The highest form of 
prayer is the love relationship of two hearts (the 
believer’s and God’s) beating as one. Walking with God in 
the sweet communion of prayer is a continuing 
relationship. It is certain that God hears the panicked 
cry for help and deliverance from disaster or calamity. 
But to deliver the believer from tribulation so he can 
settle back into his apathetic routine is not God’s 
purpose in answering prayer. The crisis may be His way of 
saying, “Come to Me; I love you and desire to have a 
mutual and continuing love relationship.”

But how does one develop this love that forms the 
foundation of an effective prayer life? The question is 
especially pertinent in today’s affluence and busyness. 
The cares and comforts of life draw human attachment to 
everything but God. Nor does this love relationship that 
covets divine communion with God himself come just for the 
asking. It must be nurtured and cultivated to maturity. It 
begins with the regular practice of the various 
disciplines of prayer and grows, with faithful 
persistence, into a beautiful love relationship with the 
Heavenly Father. Prayers are answered when they are sent 
heavenward via the love line. It is quite inconceivable 
that a believer could be identified as Spirit-filled, 
Pentecostal or charismatic, without a life-style in which 
effective prayer plays a significant role.1 

The preceding chapters are the foundation for the 
superstructure of effective prayer. To lay a foundation 
without erecting the finished structure would be foolish; 
so the pursuit of the theology and biblical examples of 
answered prayer are in vain until a day-by-day practice of 
prayer communion is built upon the foundation. This 
chapter, therefore, is a practicum providing direction, 
guidelines, and suggestions for all who would move from 
the mechanics of prayer into the realm of the divine 
dynamic, from the abstract and theoretical to the concrete 
and practical.

Personal Prayer

The serious believer should always be conscious of the 
nearness of a personal God who desires to communicate with 
His children. And when the mind and heart are freed from 
the temporal pursuits that occupy much of our waking 
hours, they should naturally turn toward the One with whom 
communion is so sweet. But there is more to Paul’s 
admonition to “pray continually” than that. The Jewish 
background from which Paul was writing placed great value 
on the practice of giving thanks to God for everything 
that comes one’s way. Even today, devout Jews sprinkle the 
entire day with short sentence prayers. The “blessings,” 
or “thanksgivings,” usually begin, “Blessed are you, O 
Lord, King of the universe.”2 In this way a devout Jew 
expresses a brief thanks to God for everything that 
happens to him: receiving a kindness, smelling a fragrant 
flower, watching a beautiful sunset, seeing a rainbow, or 
seeing God’s handiwork in the lightning and thunder of a 
storm. A sincere expression of thanks to Almighty God is a 
powerful expression of prayer.3

Human life consists of habits, both good and bad. The most 
productive habits are the fruit of discipline, practice, 
and application. Until prayer is a well-established habit 
and has become a part of the believer’s life-style, its 
genuine fruitfulness is not likely to be of appreciable 
effect.

The great people of prayer of the Bible were people of 
fixed prayer habits. David wrote, “evening, morning and 
noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice” (Ps. 
55:17). Of Daniel it is written, “He went home to his 
upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. 
Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, 
giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before” 
(Dan. 6:10). Daniel had such a fixed prayer habit that 
none of life’s circumstances was permitted to interrupt it.

Regular prayer was a customary habit among the Jews, for 
they had three established prayer periods each day. By New 
Testament times they were nine o’clock in the morning, 
three o’clock in the afternoon, and sundown. Although for 
some the practice had deteriorated into thing more than a 
ritual (cf. Matt. 6:5, 16), for the Early Church it 
appears that the set times of prayer were worth following. 
We are told that “Peter and John were going up to the 
temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon” 
(Acts 3:1).

There is no New Testament command requiring either a daily 
number of prayers or a set of times; but there are 
numerous instructions and examples illustrating the 
importance of and encouraging the habit of prayer (see 
Luke 18:1; Acts 2:42; 6:4; 10:2; 1 Thess. 5:17). Each 
believer, on his or her own initiative, should determine 
and devise a personal prayer habit, for without it, an 
effective prayer life is unlikely to develop.

Retire from the world each day to some private spot, even 
if it be only the bedroom . . . . Stay in the secret place 
till the surrounding noises begin to fade out of your 
heart and a sense of God’s presence envelops you. 
Deliberately tune out the unpleasant sounds and come out 
of your closet determined not to hear them. Listen for the 
inward Voice till you learn to recognize it. Stop trying 
to compete with others. Give yourself to God and then be 
what and who you are without regard to what others think. 
Reduce your interests to a few. Don’t try to know what 
will be of no service to you.4

We humans are so constituted that unless we develop a 
prayer habit, we tend to become dilatory in our prayer 
practice. Only by stern personal discipline will prayer 
have its necessary and rightful place; everything about 
this modern world militates against a regulated prayer 
life. The regulation should not be rigid and inflexible, 
but it should be sufficient to give meaning and direction 
to praying.

My prayer life5 was revolutionized when I charted a 
deliberate course for it. For an extended period I set 
aside my entire noon hour, five days a week. A definite 
prayer objective was chosen for each of the five days. The 
first half of Monday’s hour was exclusively for giving 
thanks, and the second half was for meditation on the 
person and work of Christ. Tuesday was the time for 
general requests. Wednesday was dedicated to concentration 
on the Spirit-filled life. Thursday’s praying was related 
to some Epistle read during the period. Friday was 
occupied with prayer for special needs.

Monday’s thanksgiving, which at the outset required stern 
discipline, suddenly became a thrilling experience—so 
thrilling in fact that at times it almost insisted on 
replacing other periods set apart for petition. 
Thanksgiving welled up on behalf of the petitions of other 
periods until my soul was as thankful as if the petitions 
were already answered.

Meditation on Christ and His work, the chosen direction 
for the second half hour, was most delightful and 
rewarding. It led me down a pathway of new and glorious 
insight. Tuesday’s petitions for general needs took an 
unexpected turn. Instead of the usual praying for 
physical, material, earthly and temporal needs, I found 
myself almost entirely forgetful of these, and instead 
constrained to pray Paul’s prayers. Wednesday’s praying 
about the Spirit-filled life opened new vistas of truth. 
Understanding was born concerning the means and the 
consequence of the Spirit-filled life-style. Predicating 
prayer on the content of an Epistle resulted in praying on 
Thursday for things not ordinarily on a prayer list. It 
was this practice that the Holy Spirit used to direct my 
attention to Paul’s prayers, resulting in a personal 
prayer revolution and the writing of the book Praying with 
Paul.6 Friday’s period for special requests was 
essentially for God’s children and God’s work. There are 
always urgent needs vying for our interest and attention. 
These can consume all of our prayer time every day; yet 
this fault can be avoided by a well-ordered discipline.

A note of caution is in order. There will be special times 
when the Holy Spirit may burden the believer along a 
certain line for a day or for an extended period. In such 
times it is important to move with the Spirit and to set 
aside a previously charted course. We may return to it in 
due season, or we may find ourselves directed by the 
Spirit to follow another course. In more recent years my 
praying has been for an hour each morning, generally 
during a three-mile walk. It has incorporated a rather 
firmly entrenched order:

1. Thanksgiving and worship

2. Prayer for the president and vice-president of the 
United States, and their advisers

3. Prayer for the Congress and the Supreme Court

4. Prayer for the governor and lieutenant governor of my 
state, and for all in government

5. Prayer for the national officers of our Movement, by 
name, including the head of our vast foreign missions 
outreach and his four assistants

6. Prayer for my district superintendent and his 
assistant, as well as for all the district officers by 
name

7. Prayer for all the pastors and churches within the 
district, as well as prayer for specific churches and 
pastors having special needs

8. Prayer for several of our colleges, including their 
presidents, faculty, staff, and student bodies

9. Prayer for my spouse, for each of our children and 
their spouses, and for the grandchildren

10. Prayer for neighbors by name

11. Paul’s prayers (memorized)

12. Prayer for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and for a 
manifestation of each of the Holy Spirit’s gifts through 
the body of believers

13. Prayer for special needs, and for God’s enablement in 
my own life and ministry.

While each believer must personalize a pattern of 
discipline, there are some general practices that are of 
great value in developing an effective prayer life. One of 
the most significant is the use of Scripture to guide 
one’s prayer time. There is no prayer practice that is 
more useful in building one’s faith. Let all who pray 
learn early in their praying to bring into focus special 
passages dealing with prayer. The following are excellent 
examples: 

When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray 
to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees 
what is done in secret, will reward you (Matt. 6:6).
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by 
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your 
requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends 
all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds 
in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6–7).

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, 
so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in 
our time of need (Heb. 4:16).

A second practice of general significance is praying in 
the Spirit. Jude 20, “Pray in the Holy Spirit,” is 
evidently a reference to praying in tongues. First 
Corinthians 14:14–15 is obviously a reference to praying 
in tongues: “If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but 
my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray 
with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind.” 
Praying in the Spirit is a most effective way of praying 
and an effective means of avoiding the tendency for prayer 
to deteriorate into mere ritual.

It is doubtful if any single spiritual practice of the 
believer holds more promise of reward than waiting upon 
God. “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their 
strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will 
run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” 
(Isa. 40:31). “Hope in” (Heb. qawah) means “to wait 
for,” “to look for with intense, eager expectation.” 
Though the promise of reward is great, learning to wait is 
not easy. It is an art to be learned and a discipline to 
be developed.

The fact we place our hope in the Lord implies our waiting 
for Him to move and then moving along with Him. Our hope 
causes us to wait patiently and steadfastly, confident 
that God will decisively act on behalf of His people. It 
is not simply turning to one’s own interests while God 
takes care of His own business. Instead, it is a time when 
the focus is on God, not self. It requires the expenditure 
of time in God’s presence, usually in solitude. It 
involves drawing near to God via meditation and 
contemplation, and developing an ear to hear the gentle 
voice of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Kings 19:12). Sometimes 
God interrupts us and gets our attention in a powerful 
way. More often, waiting for the Lord is long on 
listening, but short on speaking, and implies a readiness 
to obey.

Meditation involves musing over God and His Word. It 
recalls truth from memory and considers and reconsiders it 
until the one praying or meditating is perfectly aligned 
with that truth (cf. Ps. 1:2). Contemplation is a state of 
mystical awareness of God’s being, an act of thinking 
about God with concentration and attention. Developing an 
ear to hear what God is saying becomes the application and 
the fruit of meditation and contemplation.

Waiting for God to move develops an inward confidence and 
an expectation of His intervention and revelation. It 
prepares us to receive what He has for us. “Since ancient 
times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has 
seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who 
wait for him” (Isa. 64:4). In seeking to develop the art 
of waiting for God, try a gradual approach. Let it begin 
with a few minutes of quality time daily. Consistence is 
important. A particular place and time will aid the 
process. Body posture is not of consequence, whether it be 
lying upon one’s bed, seated in a comfortable position, or 
kneeling in a quiet place. Once the habit has been 
established, the time given to it may be determined by the 
circumstances, the need, and the Spirit’s leading.

Family Prayer

Though under unrelenting siege by he forces of darkness, 
the home is the divinely ordained basic unit of society. 
In the home, life’s values are communicated and 
established. Spiritual foundations are there laid. The 
home is designed by God as the primary learning center:

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon 
your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about 
them when you sit at home and when you walk along the 
road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as 
symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 
Write them on the doorframes of your houses and your gates 
(Deut. 6:6–9).

The Christian home is the plot in which the seeds of 
godliness are to be planted. This requires a God-centered 
atmosphere, which should be initiated and fostered by the 
husband and the wife, giving serious attention to, among 
other things, the Word of God, family devotions, table 
prayers, and bedtime prayers. Could it be that Jesus had 
the husband-wife union in mind when He said, “ ‘If two of 
you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be 
done for you by my Father in heaven’ ” (Matt. 18:19)?

In the Christian family, the father is to be the spiritual 
leader. This role is not just his privilege and 
prerogative; it is his sacred responsibility. He is to 
teach his children by word and by practice. As a regular 
practice, he should daily lead in family devotions. He 
should teach his children to pray and to depend upon God 
in all of life’s circumstances. Family devotions when the 
children are young should be child-oriented, rather than 
adult-oriented (e.g., no adult expositions). Mother should 
also have an active part in the spiritual development of 
the children. Some mothers pray with each child before he 
or she leaves for school.

Table prayers should accompany every mealtime. Jesus is 
our pattern: “Taking the five loaves and the two fish and 
looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. 
Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave 
them to the people” (Matt. 14:19; see also Matt. 26:26; 
Luke 24:30; and 1 Tim. 4:4–5). It is noteworthy that even 
though the great crowd needed a miraculous provision of 
food, Jesus did not ask for a miracle. He thanked the One 
who provides for our physical needs; the miracle followed. 
Spiritual leadership in the home should focus on God as 
the great Provider (instead of on either the father or the 
mother as the one who knows how to ask and receive from 
the Provider). The parent’s example of faith and trust 
will indeed be a model for the growing children, but at 
the same time they will understand that the glory and 
thanks always go to the Heavenly Father. Memorized prayers 
are a help for younger children, but as soon as possible 
each child should be aided in personalizing prayer; unless 
this is done, table prayer can easily become a mere form. 
In the eat-and-run pace of today’s family, prayer at 
mealtime can be a boon to family togetherness. Wise 
parents will insist that all family members be seated and 
that prayer be made before any eating begins.

Bedtime prayers play a significant role in a child’s 
spiritual development. They teach dependence upon God, 
thankfulness for His care and provision, and comfort and 
security in His benevolent protection.7

Congregational Prayer

There is considerable precedent, both in the Old and the 
New Testaments for congregational praying.8

The power of congregational praying cannot be exaggerated. 
If the praying of a single believer avails much, how much 
more does the praying of a congregation (cf. Acts 12:5 and 
James 5:16)? If a mere two in perfect agreement in the 
Spirit can obtain “anything . . . ask[ed] for” (Matt. 
18:19), what might the outcome be when the entire 
congregation prays in one accord, united in the Spirit? We 
have some good illustrative answers: When the congregation 
prayed upon the release of Peter and John, “the place 
where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all 
filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God 
boldly” (Acts 4:31). Another time, when the Church kept 
praying earnestly even without real expectation, “the Lord 
sent his angel and rescued” Peter from Herod (Acts 12:5–
16).

Congregational praying may take various forms. It may 
include preservice prayer, postservice prayer, and concert 
praying during the service. It may include regular church 
prayer meetings as well as special times of fasting and 
prayer.

Preservice prayer not only prepares the heart for 
receiving the Word of God, but also creates an atmosphere 
of the Spirit, enabling participants to minister with a 
special anointing (Eph. 6:18–19). A set time and place for 
preservice praying should be announced and advertised. 
This prayer time requires no structuring, but may simply 
be an opportunity for those who gather early to wait upon 
God, to worship, and to place their petitions before the 
Lord.

Postservice prayer has been a valued tradition in most 
Pentecostal and charismatic churches. It is deemed vital 
to the spiritual welfare and progress of the congregation. 
It may involve prayer for the sick, prayer with those 
seeking salvation or Holy Spirit baptism, prayer for 
special needs, and general prayer and worship. Many 
churches have prayer rooms adjacent to the sanctuary where 
the congregation can gather in a somewhat secluded 
atmosphere for seeking God. In other churches, postservice 
praying occurs around the altar.9 Some congregations 
assign persons who are adept at encouraging and assisting 
others to oversee such prayer times.

Congregational prayer during the actual service should 
seek to involve everyone present, even though there tends 
to be structure and time constraints. Many congregations 
engage in extended periods of corporate worship and 
prayer, during which manifestations of the utterance gifts 
of the Spirit are not uncommon. Prayer is usually led by 
the pastor, an associate, or a member of the congregation; 
audience participation by amens and other expressions of 
worship, indicating agreement with the one leading out in 
prayer, are expected and contribute to a sense of unity as 
the body approaches the Lord in worship and petition. On 
occasion, entire congregations unite in concert prayer. 
Although there are critics of the practice, it is not 
without biblical support and precedent (cf. Acts 4:24–30). 
The practice has been common in the Pentecostal movement 
from its inception.

For the health and growth of a local church, there is no 
more useful, powerful, and essential activity than a 
meeting set apart for the major purpose of prayer. Any 
church that does not concentrate its energy and attention 
on such gatherings hardly deserves recognition as a 
church; indeed, without regularly announced times of 
meeting for prayer, the organization is more aptly 
described as a social club. The work of the Kingdom is 
accomplished by saints who know and utilize the power of 
praying “in one accord.”

Most evangelical churches set aside one night a week for 
Bible study and prayer. It is common, also, for whole 
weeks to be given to a prayer emphasis at the beginning of 
the year, before special revival or evangelistic efforts, 
or during urgent and recognized needs in the congregation.

Home prayer meetings have played a very significant role, 
particularly in the early days of the Pentecostal 
movement. “It was in the first home prayer meeting I ever 
attended that I was filled with the Holy Spirit. It was 
also in such meetings that I personally learned by 
experience and observation about the movings and workings 
of the Holy Spirit.”10 The success of such home prayer 
meetings depends largely on leadership. Sometimes pastors 
have discouraged or disallowed this kind of meeting for 
fear of excesses or fanaticism; and the fears have been 
justified when members of a group have become divisive and 
victims of spiritual pride and heresy. But though the 
danger may exist, the dividends of a properly controlled 
home-style prayer meeting far outweigh the potential 
debits.

The wise pastor will attend such meetings himself, both in 
and outside the church building; or he will delegate a 
qualified person to be present, not to hold too tight a 
rein but to participate and give direction as may be 
necessary. The genius of such meetings is not tight 
control and restraint, but liberty in the Spirit within 
biblical limits. Within home-style prayer groups, 
especially Pentecostal or charismatic, there is a subtle 
tendency toward unsound and unbiblical exercise of 
spiritual gifts. Resorting to utterance gifts for guidance 
is an ever-present temptation and a historically 
documented danger.11 Averting the danger and avoiding the 
pitfall is best accomplished not by disallowing the prayer 
group, but by training, particularly those in leadership, 
in sound doctrine and practice.

A mature and developed prayer life can reach unparalleled 
levels of (1) communion with our Lord and (2) 
effectiveness in meeting spiritual needs, evident 
everywhere we turn. But fervent and effective praying does 
not occur simply because we voice a prayer request. It may 
begin with elementary pleas for help in a crisis or 
difficult circumstance, but it must mature through the 
regular practice of traditional forms of prayer. The 
practical suggestions of this chapter are not ends in 
themselves. They are identifiable outward forms of prayer 
that can be used to grow spiritually until one becomes 
intimate with God and an intercessor on behalf of a needy 
and spiritually dying world.

Questions for Study

1. What is most important if we wish to have our prayers 
answered?

2. How can we “pray continually”?

3. Why are fixed prayer habits necessary and important?

4. Do you find the prayer habit of author R. L. Brandt an 
example for yourself? Explain.

5. How much of our praying should be in tongues as the 
Spirit helps us pray?

6. How long should a person “wait on,” or “wait for,” the 
Lord, and why?

7. What guidelines should be given for home prayer 
meetings?

8. What should characterize family prayers?

9. How can congregational prayer be encouraged and made 
more effective?

10. How has this study helped you in your prayer life? 
Have you had answers to prayer since you have been 
studying this book?

Notes:

1. See Appendix 4, “Contemporary Testimonies of Answered 
Prayer.”

2. Heb.: Baruch ‘Attah, Addonia, Melek Ha-‘Olam.

3. Marvin Wilson, Our Father (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. 
Eerdmans Pub. Co. 1989), 157; see also Jakob Petuchowski 
and Michael Brocke, eds., The Lord’s Prayer and Jewish 
Liturgy (New York: The Seabury Press, 1978), 21–86.

4. A. W. Tozer, Of God and Men (Harrisburg, Penn.: 
Christian Publications, Inc., 1960), 106.

5. Personal experience of R. L. Brandt.

6. R. L. Brandt, Praying with Paul (Grand Rapids: Baker 
Book House, 1966).

7. Thomas Lofton, “The Role of the Holy Spirit in Family 
Worship,” in Conference on the Holy Spirit Digest, vol. 2, 
Gwen Jones, ed. (Springfield, Mo.: Gospel Publishing 
House, 1983), 186–191.

8. See 1 Chron. 29:20; 2 Chron. 29:28–31; Acts 1:14, 24; 
4:24–31; 12:5; 20:36.

9. Armon Newburn, “The Significance of the Altar Service,” 
in Conference on the Holy Spirit Digest, 168–174. 10. R. 
L. Brandt. 11. R. L. Brandt, Charismatics, Are We Missing 
Something? (Published by and available from the author, 
1520 Westwood Dr., Billings, Mont., 59102), 85–99.

©Gospel Publishing House, Springfield, Missouri 65802-
1894. All rights reserved. 

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