How Saints of Old Set Aside Time to Pray
There are many examples in the Old Testament and the New Testament of ones setting aside time to pray. In the Old Testament David says, “Seven times a day I praise You” (Psa. 119:164). He also says, “Evening and morning and at noontime / I complain and moan” (55:17). This complaining and moaning were actually a kind of sighing before God by which David breathed out his sorrows. He did this in the evening, in the morning, and at noontime because every day begins in the evening and continues to the morning in a Jewish calendar. This verse shows that David breathed in God three times a day.
Daniel prayed before God three times a day “because he had always done so previously” (Dan. 6:10). Daniel was a man filled with God and full of His presence. The secret to his being filled with God was in his setting aside three definite times a day to absorb God and to enjoy Him.
In the New Testament there are many examples. Cornelius said that he was keeping the ninth hour of prayer in his house (Acts 10:30). This shows that every day he prayed at the ninth hour, which is about three to four o’clock in the afternoon. He kept that time of prayer in the same way that some Christians today keep the morning watch. In the same chapter Peter was praying in the sixth hour, which is at noon: “Peter went up on the housetop to pray around the sixth hour” (v. 9). The Holy Spirit recorded these instances to show that a man who enjoys God keeps specific times for prayer. Peter probably prayed every day at noon, and Cornelius probably prayed every day at about three in the afternoon.
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament show that those who truly receive God and enjoy Him have set times for prayer. We cannot be unrestricted if we expect to enjoy, receive, and breathe in God. Even though there is a side to enjoying God that is very free, there is also a side that is very restricted. In particular, new believers, who have not fully learned to exercise their spirit and are still new in the matter of enjoying and breathing in God, need a specific time for prayer.
The Time to Pray Being Determined
by One’s Own Choice
The time of prayer should be determined according to a person’s schedule. There is nothing legal related to this time. Peter prayed at noon, and Cornelius prayed at the ninth hour. We know that Daniel prayed three times a day, but we do not know at what times. There is no legal time. Some would rather spend time in the morning before their work to breathe in God. Others are very busy during the day and have time only in the afternoon. For them to devote twenty or thirty minutes during that period of time to absorb God is a good choice. Some sisters work at home, and it is not easy for them to find time early in the morning. They may need to wait until their children and husband leave the house and they finish their morning chores, maybe around ten o’clock in the morning. Because it is too early for them to be occupied with lunch preparation, they spend some time to quietly breathe in God. There may be some who, like Cornelius, set aside time between three and four in the afternoon. A person should determine the time that he sets aside.
However, we should never use the time before we go to bed for prayer, because when we are exhausted, we may fall asleep while praying. Hence, this is the worst time. When George Müller was asked why he devoted his mornings to the Lord, he answered that in offering a sacrifice to God, one must offer the choicest portion of fat. In contacting God, we must offer the choicest part of our time. There is no set rule as to what is the choicest part of our time. With some it is the early morning. With others it is after the noon break. The decision is left to each individual.
Extra Grace That Comes with Set Times of Prayer
If we mean business and set aside a period of time to contact God every day, we will receive many unexpected blessings. God has reserved much grace for us, but we have been too busy. We have never set aside the time for God. Hence, God does not have a way to reach us. If we would set aside some time every day, not merely to pray or to breathe in God but to open ourselves before Him, we will open a door for God to do many things in us. No other time can be compared with our prayer time. The most precious things happen to us when we pray. If we would spend some time before God, not to speak to Him and not to ask Him to do things for us but to give Him the opportunity to speak to us and to do things in us, many wonderful and mysterious things will happen to us during that time. We will see visions, we will know ourselves, and God will unveil mysteries concerning His Word and grant us understanding (2:17). He will even grant us burdens and gifts that we did not possess. We will receive a special portion of grace as a special kind of enlightenment or as a rebuke, cleansing, or dealing. During this period of time God will speak and operate in us.
Therefore, this period of time is indispensable. If we take away this time, we will be deprived of opportunities to receive grace and of opportunities for God to work in us. We need to be impressed that since we know how to enjoy God, we must set aside a specific time to practice. If we fail, we will suffer a great loss in our life. Whether the saints are old or young, brothers or sisters, we will all suffer a great loss if we do not spend some time before the Lord. The wisest thing for us to do is to spend some time before the Lord. We can spend one, three, seven, or even more times a day to absorb God. However, it is better not to set aside too many times a day initially. If we set aside too many times a day, we may be able to maintain it for a few days, but eventually, it will become a legality to us, and we will fail. Some have practiced praising seven times a day. In my youth I also practiced this. But after a while I could not bear the burden any longer, because it became a law to me. It is best not to set too high a standard. However, we need to come before the Lord at least once every day. If we practice this, we will receive much profit.