Today we read this in Acts 3:1-8:
1 NOW PETER and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour (three o'clock in the afternoon), 2 [When] a certain man crippled from his birth was being carried along, who was laid each day at that gate of the temple [which is] called Beautiful, so that he might beg for charitable gifts from those who entered the temple. 3 So when he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them to give him a gift. 4 And Peter directed his gaze intently at him, and so did John, and said, Look at us! 5 And [the man] paid attention to them, expecting that he was going to get something from them. 6 But Peter said, Silver and gold (money) I do not have; but what I do have, that I give to you: in [the use of] the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk! 7 Then he took hold of the man's right hand with a firm grip and raised him up. And at once his feet and ankle bones became strong and steady, 8 And leaping forth he stood and began to walk, and he went into the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
We've read this account many times over the years, but do YOU know the significance of the "hour of prayer"? Here is the prayer that they would be praying and how they would do it!
THE AMIDAH “THE STANDING PRAYER”
Composed around 450BC by the
120 Men of the Great Assembly including Ezra and Nehemiah at the time of the
rebuilding of the Temple. It was to be said while standing. Three times a day
at the hours of prayer.9am,12, 3pm
God of History
Blessed are You, Oh Lord our
God and God of our fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of
Jacob, the great, mighty and revered God, the Most High God who bestows loving
kindnesses, the creator of all things, who remembers the good deeds of the
patriarchs and in love will bring a redeemer to their children’s children for
His name’s sake. Oh King, helper, Savior and Shield. Blessed are You, Oh Lord,
the shield of Abraham.
God of Nature
You, O Lord, are mighty
forever, You revive the dead, and You have the power to save. You sustain the
living with loving kindness, You revive the dead with great mercy, and You
support the falling, heal the sick, set free the bound and keep faith with
those who sleep in the dust. Who is like You, Oh doer of mighty acts? Who resembles
You, a King who puts to death and restores to life, and causes salvation to
flourish? And You are certain to revive the dead. Blessed are You, Oh Lord, who
revives the dead.
Sanctification of God
We will
sanctify Your name in this world just as it is sanctified in the highest
heavens, as it is written by Your prophet: And they call out to one another and
say: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His
glory. Blessed be the Presence of the LORD from His place. In Your Holy
Words it is written, saying, The LORD reigns forever, your God, Oh Zion,
throughout all genera-tions. Hallelujah. Throughout all generations we will
declare Your greatness, and to all eter-nity we will proclaim Your holiness.
Your praise, Our God, shall never depart from our mouth, for You are a great
and Holy God and King. Blessed are You, Oh LORD, the Holy God. You are holy,
and Your name is holy and holy beings praise You daily. (Selah) Blessed are
You, Oh Lord, the Holy God.
Prayer for Understanding
You favor men with knowledge,
and teach mortals understanding. Oh favor us with knowledge, the understanding
and the insight that come from You. Blessed are You, Oh Lord, the gracious
giver of knowledge.
For Repentance
Bring us back, Our Father, to
Your instruc-tion; draw us near, Our King, to Your service; and cause us to
return to You in perfect repen-tance. Blessed are You, Oh Lord, who de-lights
in repentance.
For Forgiveness
Forgive us, Our Father, for we
have sinned; pardon us, Our King, for we have trans-gressed; for You pardon and
forgive. Blessed are You, Oh Lord, who is merciful and always ready to forgive.
For Deliverance from
Affliction
Look upon our affliction and
plead our cause, and redeem us speedily for Your Name’s sake, for You are a
mighty redeemer. Blessed are You, Oh Lord, the Redeemer of Israel.
For Healing
Heal us, Oh
Lord, and we will be healed; save us and we will be saved. For You are our
praise. Oh grant a perfect healing to all our ailments, for You, Almighty
King, are a faithful and merciful healer. Blessed are You, O Lord, the healer
of the sick of His people Israel.
For
Deliverance from Want
Bless this
year for us, Oh Lord our God, to-gether with all the varieties of its produce,
for our welfare. Bestow dew and rain for a blessing upon the face of the earth.
Oh sat-isfy us with Your goodness, and bless our year like the best of years.
Blessed are You, Oh Lord, who blesses the years.
For
Gathering of Exiles
Sound the
great shofar for our freedom, raise the ensign to gather our exiles, and gather
us from the four corners of the earth. Blessed are You, Oh Lord, who gathers
the dispersed of his people Israel.
For the
Righteous Reign of God
Restore our
judges as in former times, and our counselors as at the beginning; and re-move
from us sorrow and sighing. Reign over us, You alone, Oh Lord, with loving
kindness and compassion, and clear us in judgment. Blessed are You, Oh Lord,
the King who loves righteousness and justice.
For the
Righteous and Proselytes
May Your
compassion be stirred, Oh Lord our God, towards the righteous, the pious, the
elders of Your people the house of Is-rael, the remnant of their scholars,
towards proselytes, and towards us also. Grant a good reward to all who truly
trust in Your Name. Set our lot with them forever so that we may never be put
to shame, for we have put our trust in You. Blessed are You, Oh Lord, the
support and stay of the righteous.
For the
Rebuilding of Jerusalem
Return in
mercy to Jerusalem Your city, and
dwell in it as
You have promised. Rebuild it soon in our day as an eternal structure, and
quickly set up in it the throne of David. Blessed are You, Oh Lord, who
rebuilds Jeru-salem.
For the
Messianic King
Speedily cause
the offspring of Your servant David to flourish, and let Him be exalted by Your
saving power, for we wait all day long for Your salvation. Blessed are You, Oh
Lord, who causes salvation to flourish.
For the
Answering of Prayer
Hear our
voice, Oh Lord our God; spare us and have pity on us. Accept our prayer in
mercy and with favor, for You are a God who hears prayers and supplications.
Our King, do not turn us away from Your presence empty-handed, for You hear the
prayers of Your peo-ple Israel with compassion. Blessed are You, Oh Lord, who
hears prayer.
For
Restoration of Temple Service
Be pleased, Oh
Lord our God, with Your peo-ple Israel and with their prayers. Restore the
service to the inner sanctuary of Your Temple, and receive in love and with
favor both the fire-offerings of Israel and their prayers. May the worship of
Your people Israel always be acceptable to You. And let our eyes behold Your
return in mercy to Zion. Blessed are You, Oh Lord, who restores His Divine
pres-ence to Zion.
Thanksgiving
for God’s Unfailing Mercies
We give
thanks to You that You are the Lord our God and the God of our fathers forever
and ever. Through every generation You have been the rock of our lives, the
shield of our salvation. We will give You thanks and declare Your praise for
our lives that are committed into Your hands, for our souls that are en-trusted
to You, for Your miracles with us, and for Your wonders and Your benefits that are with us at all times,
evening, morning and noon. Oh beneficent One, Your mercies never fail; Oh
merciful One, Your loving kind-nesses never cease. We have always put our hope
in You. For all these acts may Your name be blessed and exalted continually,
Our King, forever and ever. Let every living thing give thanks to You and
praise Your name in truth, Oh God, our salvation and our help. (Selah) Blessed
are You, Oh Lord, whose Name is the Beneficent One, and to whom it is fitting
to give thanks.
For Peace
Grant peace, welfare, blessing,
grace, loving kindness and mercy to us and to all Israel Your people. Bless us,
Our Father, one and all, with the light of Your countenance; for by the light
of Your countenance You have given us, Oh Lord our God, a Torah of life, loving
kindness and salvation, blessing, mercy, life and peace. May it please You to
bless Your people Israel at all times and in every hour with your peace.
Do YOU think they were praying the prayer for healing when this man was healed? Do YOU think he longed to pray The Standing Prayer with all of the others? I do! Jesus passed by this man every time he entered the Temple, but it wasn't until this very moment that this man had faith to receive healing! Try praying this prayer yourself just as they would have done, three times a day and see what the Holy Spirit tells YOU about it and other things! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "The Desert Song", which is all about prayer!
Shalom in Him!
