The 8 Watches of Prayer

The Bible speaks of “watches,” which are specific times of the day or night. There are basically 8 watches covering a 24-hour period (in 3-hour blocks).

Isaiah 62:6-7 KJV says, “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”

• James 5:16 also shares that we should be praying strategically. 

• Matthew 26:40-41 is where Jesus told the disciples to watch and pray.

• 2 Corinthians 2:11 warns us that we need to be watchful so we can be aware of the enemy’s traps.

• Matthew 24:43 talks about the goodman making a different decision if he would’ve known that the thief would come in THAT watch, he would’ve had an advantage. 

So praying on your watch is a divine assignment, yes. God has appointed us to be His watchmen on the walls and pray for the fulfillment of His promises. 

But aside from being a divine assignment, using the 8 watches helps you to surrender completely. How?  

Every believer has a prayer watch, even if you don’t realize it. Think about that random time of day or night when you feel led to pray. God might be waking you up at a certain time. That’s your assignment. 

What we usually don’t realize is that the watch you’re assigned normally corresponds with two things: 

• The warfare you’re called to

• The warfare that you must defeat in yourself

Every prayer watch has a purpose. Therefore, understanding each watch will help you know the most strategic times to pray for God’s will to be done in your life and in the lives of others.