Prayer seems to
increase in direct proportion to our problems.
Prayer is all about our relationship
with God. It’s up front and personal, that’s why we pray “in the name of Jesus.”
Prayer is not: magic, memorization, just asking, mechanical or
fixed.
Prayer is multifaceted and is always
changing with our lives.
In the Bible, we find all sorts of
prayers:
 Emotional outpourings: Hannah in I Samuel 1: 15
Crying out: Psalm 88: 1-2
Getting divine attention: Psalm 130: 2
Complaining: Jeremiah 20: 7
Asking: Philippians 4: 6-7
Passionate: Hebrews 5: 7
Silent: Romans 8: 26
The best ways to pray is to simply
begin!
When is a good time for a child to call home? Anytime! And it is the same with us and God. He
is always eager to hear from us. Have you seen the United Methodist television commercial
showing the empty swing and tree house? The voice says that he misses us and would love to
hear from us. We realize it is God and he is awaiting our call…
>Prayer is really not about
changing or influencing God. Prayer is all about changing us and conforming our lives to
the will of God.
>God promises to answer all our
prayers. And sometimes those answers are: Yes, No or Wait.
Remember, our Heavenly Father knows what is best for us.
>When you pray: Matthew 5: 5-9
Go to your prayer place. This
needs to become a place that when you enter it, your body knows its time to talk with God.
Tune out the world. Get
centered in Christ: “Come, Lord Jesus.”
Keep a prayer journal of thoughts and people and needs you are praying for. Record answered prayers and insights from God.
Begin all prayers with
adoration, the praise of God. Remember the ACTS formula? This stands for Adoration,
Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplications. This frames our prayers in a Biblical model.
>Praise God for the beauty of
nature, for rain and sunshine, for the simple things that make our lives blessed. This
puts you in a positive attitude to talk with your creator.
Continue
by confessing your sins. This cleanses your heart, your temple as you come into God’s
presence. You want to remove all the barriers and stand pure and holy before God.
Then
express your thanksgivings to God, all the things you are grateful for. This is especially
important during times of trouble. It reminds you of God’s grace even when you are
feeling despair and hopeless.
Finally,
you are now ready to ask God to take care of your needs. Many times in giving our praise,
confessing our sins and thanking God for our blessings, our needs and problems begin to
dissipate. We are told to pour out our hearts before God and that he is interested in all
our concerns. So, literally turn over all your requests to God. Imagine placing them on
his altar and leave them there.
Pray
each day individually and corporately if possible. Pray with your family, co-workers,
study group or with friends by phone or e-mail. Join a prayer chain and experience the
power of uniting hearts in prayer.
Keep the
church prayer list and pray daily for the needs of this congregation. There is a strange
and wonderful blessing found in praying for strangers. Many of our people have given
testimony of this since 9/11.
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