Prayer stations are a unique way to end any meeting. When God’s Spirit points out sin, strongholds, or habits, people need time to assimilate new ideas before resuming life.
Time spent in prayer and forgiveness gives us time to integrate new ways of thinking into our lives. We need to spend time at each station.
Setting up prayer stations can be complicated or easy.
Hope in God
Hope in God is simply performing an action to give God control and trust Him to provide for us. Using a rock placed in sand or placing a stick in a bowl are easy, fireproof actions we can take for ourselves. Lighting candles, if they are previously set up, can be peaceful and supportive of prayer.
Forgiveness
Taking communion or the Lord’s supper gives us the opportunity to ask for forgiveness of sin. We know God forgives us because we confess our sins and turn away from them.
Release Burdens
A large cross or a printout of a cross in a photograph can illustrate Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins. We can place our burdens at the foot of the cross and leave them there. Writing down our habits, addictions, burdens, or strongholds on a piece of paper and placing them in a bowl gives our human heart a physical image of releasing our burdens to God.
Praying for Others
Some use chicken wire placed on a wall or tiny wooden cubicles to enable us to roll up and place our prayers written on paper. We have added our prayers to the wall where we know someone will pray for them. Our prayers can also be placed in a bowl next to a stack of paper and pens.
Prayer Team
We can add one more station, a prayer team. One or two people who are known to pray confidently and boldly in Jesus Christ can be chosen for this station. A larger team is needed for larger groups, but smaller groups may pray for each other.
Music
In our digital age, having praise music softly playing in the background enables us to release our fear of being heard! Whether your music is a live band, piano, or organ, or you play recorded music, make sure it is soft enough to think and conducive to your group. Try not to play simple hymns for young people or soft rock for older ones. But if everyone is comfortable with silence, it can be explored!
A simple prayer station method for a prayer hour
This is the simplest method mentioned in the Planted Flowers Bible Study Workbook:
- Place a stick in a bowl or basket to symbolize hope.
- Break up a cracker in a bowl and provide juice to dip for communion.
- Use a picture or image of a cross above a bowl or basket. Have stacks of cut printer paper and pens for each to write a burden to leave at the cross. Write the burden down, fold it over the paper, and drop it in the bowl.
- Provide stacks of cut printer paper and pens next to a bowl or basket where each can write prayers.
Using a quiet home, church, or community room for 1.5 to 2 hours of uninterrupted time is perfect. Two hours allow for setting up and taking down stations.
Music provides a nice touch using soft praise music. But this is optional.
Schedule:
Setup: Most can be done ahead of time. Actual setting up may only take ten minutes. Try to leave space between each station for privacy.
Arrival: Hopefully everyone arrives close to the same time. Allow only a few minutes for visiting.
- Explain the stations again briefly.
- No one will read the written prayers or burdens. Stress this to allow for complete honesty.
- In the end, make time to listen to God in silence.
- Only use ten minutes for the arrival time.
Begin Prayer Quickly
Prayer time: Dismiss everyone to pray. Some will use the stations right away, a few will move to sit and pray, and some will kneel. Allow individuals to pray and use this time as they are led by God.
What if someone is sobbing? Approach quietly. Place a hand on their shoulder and pray silently for them. Do not intrude on what God is doing. If they turn to seek solace, hug them back. Stay silent.
Allow 30 to 45 minutes, depending on your designated time allowance. Some people like a “ten minutes left” to remind them to listen to God too.
Debrief: Gather everyone together and ask for one sentence from each: “What did you hear God say?” If someone is hesitant to share, do not push.
Pray together: Gather the written prayers and pray over them without reading. Gather the burdens together and pray over them without reading. Then throw them away.
Take Down: Be respectful of time. The meeting should last 1.5 hours or 2 hours, but no longer. Dismiss the meeting and immediately move to take down the stations. It is perfectly okay to ask for help.
Invite anyone who needs a moment to help with the takedown, and then listen and pray with them.
Try out your prayer stations and comment on substack how they go!
