Prayer: Starting the Conversation
The heart of prayer is to foster communion with God. Prayer stirs in us an awareness of his presence, a dependence upon him, and transforms us more into his likeness.
Where are you now? How is your prayer life? Let’s dig deeper…
Prioritize:
WHAT: Talking to God
WHEN: At a dedicated time AND any time
WHERE: At a dedicated place AND any place
HOW: Use one of the tools below and just start talking
WHY: To grow in awareness of his presence, to foster dependence upon him, and to be transformed to be like him.
“I don’t think there are many ways to fail at praying besides not praying. Not communicating is the problem. Yes, some of our prayers are clumsy or meandering or even immature and selfish, but I get the impression from Scripture that God would rather be in communication with an immature selfish person than be ignored by a theologically fastidious one…”
“I’ve had radio listeners ask me about how to stay awake during their prayers at night. They lie in bed and pray, and next thing they know, they’re asleep. They feel guilty about that. I told them I don’t think they should feel guilty about that. I’m a dad and when my little son or daughter drifted off to sleep talking to me I wasn’t hurt or angry at all. I was honored.”
~ Brant Hansen from Blessed are the Misfits
Some Helpful Prayer Tools
A.C.T.S.
Adoration: Praise God for who he is.
Confession: Admit and confess your sin to God.
Thanksgiving: Thank God for everything in your life.
Supplication: Requests and needs for yourself, family, friends, community, and world.
P.R.A.Y.
Pause: Be still and remind yourself of his presence.
Rejoice: Praise God for who he is and what he has done. Can add thanksgiving here.
Ask: Requests and needs for yourself, family, friends, community, and world.
Yield: Surrender to his word and will. Yield to areas we need to confess and turn over to him.
Five Targets of Prayer
God’s Honor: Acknowledging his worth, glory, and majesty. ”Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”
God’s Kingdom: Acknowledging his priority in the world and in your life. ”Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
God’s Provision: Acknowledging his trustworthiness. ”Give us this day our daily bread,”
God’s Forgiveness: Acknowledging your repentance. ”…and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
God’s Power: Acknowledging your dependence. And deliver us from the evil one so that we may not be led into temptation.”