Instructing a Way to Pray
By Dr. O. Talmadge Spence

My Personal Prayer Manner in My Ministry in Life (Dr OT Spence's Method of prayer)

1. KNEEL: Take your own habitual attitude of prayer (posture, kneel, sit, bow, stand, etc.)
a. Turn away from all duties, play, work, and activity.
b. Approach to prayer is the preliminary to prayer.
c. Jonah 2:4 "yet I will look again toward thy holy temple" (in the whale's belly).
d. Isa. 45:23 & Rom. 14:11 "…every knee shall bow…" ( a difference between bowing the knee and kneeling on the knees: bowing the knee figures a man walking along and turning to an altar and dropping one knee in the initial act and posture of prayer.)
e. Psalms 95:6 "Come…let us kneel before the Lord our maker." (approach to prayer.)
f. Dan. 6:10 "…he kneeled upon his knees." (after the first knee did bow, then both knees are now pictured postured together. (Still the approach in prayer, NOT prayer itself.)

2. CLOSET: Close all the doors of activities: several moments should pass silently.
a. Matt. 6:6 "…enter into the closet, …shut thy door, …in secret, …" APPROACH!
b. Hab. 2:20 "The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him." APPROACH!

3. APPROACH THE LORD GOD: Set the Lord before you. Psalms 141:2 "Let my prayer be set before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice."

4. THINK: Think about it first; what are the matters which matter today: Think about it FIRST—the agenda of your prayer. (Approach)
a. Mk. 14:72 Peter: "when he thought thereon, he wept."
b. Phil. 4:8 "Finally brethren, whatsoever things are pure…think on these."

5. SPEAK: (Thus, the prayer actually begins.) Whether coldly or dutifully; but reverently. "About the matters" (The Agenda of prayer begins: acknowledgments of God; events; intercessions; petitions; etc.) THIS IS THE BODY AND CONTENT OF PRAYER.

6. ACCEPT: That God has heard, has accepted, and responded to your prayer. Eph. 3:20 "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us…"

7. WITHDRAW: A reverent close and withdrawal from the interview-prayer; a moment of silence; arising or unclasping of hands; etc., or whatever was the habitual attitude of the prayer. Calmly leave; expectantly. Psalms 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." (appropriate verse)

Daniel 6:10 - Note similarity of his prayer.
1. He went unto his house;
2. his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem
3. he kneeled upon his knees
4. three times a day,
5. and prayed,
6. and gave thanks before his God,
7. as he did aforetime.