I
am convinced, as many of you are aware, that Christian people want to
pray. They believe that they should pray more than they do, but they
feel ill-prepared and untrained for the task of prayer. Part of this
is because of some false perceptions of prayer. For example, we often
labor under the assumption that praying is about telling God what we
want. We read or recite a list to him, and we think that our
responsibility for prayer is complete. However, as we grow in faith,
we come to learn that prayer is not about a 'wish list,' but a
relationship. Being with God is more important than telling him what
we need.
As
we continue on this year-long journey of spiritual growth then, we
should agree that the two most important steps to improving our
prayer lives are simply, 1) learning to pray, and 2) just beginning
to pray. What follows are some samples of ways that you can pray.
These models of prayer include times for asking God to meet our
needs, but there are other aspects of prayer as well. These patterns
will help you get started.
The
idea behind using patterns for your prayers is not to enforce a
strict formula, but rather to suggest some topics that will enhance
and strengthen your prayers. Use the following patterns to guide you
to deeper levels of prayer, rather than to oppress you with rules and
obligations.
- ACTS- This is an acronym. The letters of ACTS give you a handy reminder of some areas for prayer. Use this to remind you to have a well-rounded prayer time. A- adoration: Praise and worship God for who he is. C- confession: Confess your sins and repent of your wrongdoing. T- thanksgiving: Thank God for all the blessings that he has provided for you. S- supplication: Ask God to meet your needs.
- PRAY- This is another acronym. P- praise: Offer to God words of praise and adoration. R- repent: Repent of the things that you have done, as well as the things that you should have done, but have not. A- ask: This is where you ask God for the things that you need, and for the needs of others. Y- yield: When we yield to God we echo the words of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, “not my will but yours.”
- PATH- Yet one more acronym. P- praise: Give to God your allegiance and glory. A- ask: Again we ask God for the things that we need. T- thanksgiving: Thanking God for answers to prayer is essential. Don't forget to also thank him for the blessings he provides that you haven't specifically asked for. H- help: There are areas in which you need God's help that don't fit into any of the other categories. We need help making decisions, finding direction and forgiving others, among other things.
There
are some suggestions. Now its time to start praying. Try praying in
these patterns for the next month. You will find that you grow much
closer to God.
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