In my last prayer devotional I began exploring a series of prayer patterns that could prove to be very helpful to anyone who is interested in deepening their relationship with God and improving their prayer lives.
I think this sort of practical tool is important for several reasons.
- It is easy to get distracted in your prayer life, even when you are very motivated to pray. A prayer-pattern can help keep you focused and on track.
- Many people tend to think of prayer as asking God for things. When we use a pattern, or formula, for prayer, it helps keep us focused on all the areas of prayer. This is one way to keep our prayers balanced.
- Using a form can also help to jump-start our prayers when we struggle with what or how to pray. These simple suggestions can get you going and keep you going.
Consider the PRAY prayer pattern.
P- Praise God. It is always a good idea to begin your prayer time by praising God. Tell him how much you love him and how important he is to you. I often sing praises to God. Even when I do not, the lyrics to hymns and praise songs are great resources for praising God.
R- Repent. Never forget to repent of your sins. Confess your wrongdoing and promise God that you will never do it again. The Lord has promised in his word that when we repent, he will forgive.
A- Ask. Always praise God and repent of your sins before your get to your list of needs and wants. When we have established our relationship with him, then we begin to enumerate our prayer needs.
Y- Yield. The hardest part is the last part. Yielding means simply that your will is submitted to God's will. Your wish is for what God wants. Pray this pattern for one week to see what will happen. I believe that your prayer times will be changed as you worship and pray in a consistent way.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Amen.
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