HOW SO is a prayer acronym that stands for Harvest, Open, Words, Spread and One. The first letter of each word spells HOW SO. In Luke 8:5-11, a farmer sowing seed is a symbol for spreading God's word. Well, the acrostic HOW SO tells us how to sow God's word. Here are the prayers:
H: Send workers into the harvest.
O: Open Doors for the word.
W: Give me words for witnessing as I watch in prayer.
S: Make your word spread rapidly.
O: Make us one.
I didn't make up these prayers. Each of these prayers come directly from scripture. They are disciple making prayers which Christ or the apostle Paul prayed or instructed us to pray. Since we are to imitate Paul as he imitated Christ, these prayers are not optional (1 Corinthians 11:1). I will explain each of these five prayers, from the scriptures. But first, lets talk a little about how to make disciples.
Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20). By the way, making disciples is not optional either. (Click here for more on this.)
But be encouraged! In Matthew 11:30 which is explained at the bottom of this page, Jesus said that making disciples is easy. It is. We repeat the words of the Father and pray. God never intended for us to use our own words to share the Gospel. He intends for us to use his words, words which he will give to us as we pray the acronym HOW SO. The Holy Spirit didn't even speak on his own initiative. He only spoke the words he was given (John 16:13). Jesus didn't speak on his own initiative either. He only said what the Father told him to say (John 12:49). He repeated the words of the Father and prayed. The apostles followed the same two steps. They repeated the words of the Father and prayed. The prayer acronym HOW SO reveals the prayers they prayed.
The prayers in the acrostic HOW SO show us how to sow the word of God!
These prayers reveal a prayer corridor. You could call it a corridor of authority. The prayers recognize that we are under authority, that God has the power to save souls and that we are His servants. These prayers tell us how to pray for the salvation of the lost.
Each of the five letters in the acrostic H.O.W. S.O. represents the main idea behind each of the five prayers.
H: Harvest.
O: Open
W: Words
S: Spread
O: One
Prayer Acrostic: HOW SO
H: Send workers into the harvest.
O: Open Doors for the word.
W: Give me words for witnessing as I watch in prayer.
S: Make your word spread rapidly.
O: Make us one.
These prayers reveal a prayer corridor to conversion. They are also a prayer corridor towards maturity in Christ. They may be prayed for both purposes. I will now explain the prayer corridor represented by the acrostic H.O.W. S.O. and the scriptures they come from.
H: Prayer to Send Workers Into the Harvest
Before Jesus sent the disciples to preach the kingdom, He told them to ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers into the harvest (Matthew 9:38). Then He sent them (Matthew 10:1-11:1). They didn't send themselves. God is the sender. We ask under authority and go under authority. He chooses who to send, when to send them and what message to send through them. When I see a spiritual need in someone, I ask God to send a worker into that person's life to meet that need. I make the request as one under authority to the one who has the authority.
This prayer comes from Matthew 9:38.
"Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest" (Matthew 9:38).
O: Prayer to Open a Door for the Word
After God has sent a worker into the harvest, the next step is for God to open a door for the word. God creates opportunities in conversations for sharing the word as we ask God to open a door for the word. God is the one who opens the door.
This prayer comes from Colossians 4:2-4.
"praying together for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word" (Colossians 4:3).
W: Prayer Requesting Words for Witnessing as We Watch in Prayer
After God sends a worker into the harvest and opens a door for the word, the next step is to share His word. It is His word that we are sharing, not our own words. We don't even choose our own words for sharing His word. We ask God to give us the words like Paul did.
The prayer asking for the words to speak as we witness comes from Ephesians 6:16-19.
"praying at all times... that utterance (words) may be given to me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the Good News" (Ephesians 6:18-19).
After God sends a worker into the harvest, opens a door for the word and we have asked Him to put words into our mouths for witnessing, we prayerfully watch for the open door in the conversation and then prayerfully speak those words as He gives them. In addition to watching for the opportunity to speak God's words, we watch, looking to see which prayers we should pray.
"Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving, 3 praying together for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ" (Colossians 4:2-3).
Sharing the Gospel involves intense two way spiritual communication between you and the Holy Spirit. If you walk by the Spirit, it will be like riding a bicycle. If you live by rules, it will be a work of flesh... like falling off of a bicycle.
S: Prayer that God's Word Will Spread
After God has sent a worker into the harvest, opened a door for the word and given words to the worker to share, the worker shares scripture while watching in prayer. Then the worker asks God to spread His word rapidly. This prayer is a request that the words of God which were shared would spread from person to person... and do so rapidly. God does this through His Spirit and in response to prayer. When we share God's living word with another person and pray that His word would spread rapidly, we are beginning a chain reaction that can reach around the world.
This prayer comes from 2 Thessalonians 3:1.
"pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly" (1 Thessalonians 3:1).
O: Prayer to Make Us One
This fifth and final prayer in the acrostic HOW SO, provides a sign to those who hear God's word through the first four prayers. In this prayer, we ask God to make us one, so the world will see and know that God sent Christ. Yes, by the workings of God's Spirit and grace, unbelievers can recognize a supernatural miracle in God's children. Unity is a supernatural miracle to one who lives in the domain of darkness.
This prayer comes from John 17:20-21.
Jesus prayed to the Father for disciples and for all believers to come after them, "Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me" (John 17:20-21).
More Information
If you want a deeper understanding of these five prayers, click here. For a deeper study of watching in prayer, click here. To learn how to walk by the Spirit, click here .
How to Pray the Acronym HOW SO
I will often pray HOW SO or parts of it as one continuous prayer. For example:
"Father, send workers into the harvest. Open a door for your word and give them words to share the gospel. Make your word spread rapidly. Make us one."
So, evangelism includes God in His sovereignty, by His power, mercy and love, drawing the lost to himself through His word and through His servants. By His grace, He allows us to participate in His divine actions to redeem mankind to himself.
As you pray the acrostic HOW SO, I believe that you will see God supernaturally answering those prayers in you. You will find yourself presenting scripture to believers and unbelievers... to the zealous and lukewarm.
Only God Does Marvelous Deeds!
"Praise be to Yahweh God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds." (Psalm 72:18).
Praise be to God, forever and ever! Amen!
After God sends a worker into the harvest, opens a door for the word and we have asked Him to put words into our mouths for witnessing, we prayerfully watch for the open door in the conversation and then prayerfully speak those words as He gives them. We ask God to grant unity to believers. God spreads His word as He proves the gospel to unbelievers when they see that we are One. In addition to watching "in prayer" for the opportunity to speak God's words, we watch, looking to see which prayers we should pray.
As I said before, sharing the Gospel involves intense two way spiritual communication between you and the Holy Spirit. If you walk by the Spirit, it will be like riding a bicycle. If you live by rules, it will be a work of flesh... like falling off of a bicycle.
Scriptures in the Acrostic HOW SO
H: Send workers into the harvest.
- "Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest" (Matthew 9:38).
O: Open Doors for the word.
- "Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving, 3 praying together for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds, 4 that I may reveal it as I ought to speak" (Colossians 4:2-4).
W: Give us words for witnessing as we watch in prayer.
- "praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints: 19 on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the Good News" (Ephesians 6:18-19). Note: The Good News is the Gospel.
- "Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving, 3 praying together for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds, 4 that I may reveal it as I ought to speak" (Colossians 4:2-4).
S: Make your word spread rapidly.
- "Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified" (2 Thessalonians 3:1).
O: Make us one.
- Jesus prayed for the disciples, "20 Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me" (John 17:20-21).
The Easy Yoke of Christ
This subchapter contains prayers for making disciples. Jesus said that making disciples is easy. It is. We repeat the words of the Father and pray.
- Jesus said Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).
What is His yoke? A yoke is an implement of work. It is used to harness two animals together to pull a burden. It is His yoke that we take. So, what work of Christ do we take? His yoke is to make disciples. It is written: "the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Jesus also said, "I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly" (John 10:10). All Christians are called to make disciples and receive supernatural rest. Its easy.
Click here to read an in depth study of the "easy" yoke of Christ. If you doubt that all Christians are supposed to make disciples, click here. By the way, the answer is yes.
We should pray the acronym HOW SO to make disciples in obedience to the command to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). In these scriptures we see that God chooses whom to send, when to send them, which doors to open and what words we speak. God is sovereign! He does these things in response to our prayers. He does them within the chain of authority that He has established
Making disciples is easy if we follow the two step example of the apostles: We repeat the words of our Father and pray.