1. Praise (Tell God specifically how awesome He is, usually thematic. Yesterday's focus was His grace)
2. Silent Confession
3. Thanksgiving (Give thanks for specific ways God has answered prayer)
4. Petition (Ask God for help or guidance for yourself or someone else)
Yes, we do prayer out loud. And yes, when we first started, it felt awkward. I have prayed for many years, but not out loud and not with a true understanding of the purpose of prayer.
Since accepting Jesus as my Savior as a child and getting baptized at age ten or so, I have regularly prayed to God. My prayers as a child were, I'm sure, pretty typical of a child's prayer. I requested things I wanted, or begged for a situation to change; selfish prayers that focused on my needs. As I grew older, my prayers matured as well. Rather than focusing on only my needs, I began praying for others once in awhile, mainly for health issues.
As a result of joining a Joy of Living Bible study a few years ago, my prayer life transformed into something even more real. The Revelation study revealed that prayers actually reside in the throne room of God. That the prayers of God's people are actually mixed with the smoke of incense so that they are sweet smelling in the heavens.
The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of God's holy people, ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out. Revelation 8:4
I had always wondered where my prayers really go. And who really hears them? Sometimes my prayers had felt meaningless because I couldn't sense that God was listening since I couldn't hear a response. But I learned that my prayers are actually sent into God's presence. Knowing this put a whole new incredible emphasis on the quality of my prayers. I have learned, finally, after over twenty years of being a Christian, how to pray. And it is definitely not about flowery words or long speeches, it is about simplicity and a yearning to do God's will. Sure, I can ask God for something, but my true desire is for God's will to rule in my life. Even if on the surface I want something to go a certain way, what is best for my life is God's infinite wisdom. This has taken a long time to accept!
I would like to encourage you, if you are not already doing so, to consider a structured prayer time, like the one above. My prayers, prior to this structure, usually started with quickly thanking God, then turning immediately to petitions. And boy, were there lots of petitions! Now, I spend more time on confession, a step I used to regularly skip. I give thanks, but it is more specific, and I note when God specifically answers prayer, which he does, in incredible ways. My petitions are now fewer in number but deeper, somehow.
Now here's the hard part for me. Once I have given my prayers to God, I am not to worry over them anymore. The prayers are God's, not mine. This is so hard to do. I truly want God to take care of them, but a part of me continues to fret, and over talk the issues with friends and families, which reveals that I haven't really given anything over to God. So it becomes an issue of trusting Him.
As the apostle Paul says:
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. Philippians 4:6
What an awesome God we serve. That He seeks to hear our prayers, yearns to reach out to our thoughts, as we empty them out in the dark of night. What great love.
I hope you are encouraged to say a little prayer today. God is listening! And as the Bible says, believers in Christ' prayers will be in the presence of God, the creator of the universe, once the words have left your lips.
Since accepting Jesus as my Savior as a child and getting baptized at age ten or so, I have regularly prayed to God. My prayers as a child were, I'm sure, pretty typical of a child's prayer. I requested things I wanted, or begged for a situation to change; selfish prayers that focused on my needs. As I grew older, my prayers matured as well. Rather than focusing on only my needs, I began praying for others once in awhile, mainly for health issues.
As a result of joining a Joy of Living Bible study a few years ago, my prayer life transformed into something even more real. The Revelation study revealed that prayers actually reside in the throne room of God. That the prayers of God's people are actually mixed with the smoke of incense so that they are sweet smelling in the heavens.
The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of God's holy people, ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out. Revelation 8:4
I had always wondered where my prayers really go. And who really hears them? Sometimes my prayers had felt meaningless because I couldn't sense that God was listening since I couldn't hear a response. But I learned that my prayers are actually sent into God's presence. Knowing this put a whole new incredible emphasis on the quality of my prayers. I have learned, finally, after over twenty years of being a Christian, how to pray. And it is definitely not about flowery words or long speeches, it is about simplicity and a yearning to do God's will. Sure, I can ask God for something, but my true desire is for God's will to rule in my life. Even if on the surface I want something to go a certain way, what is best for my life is God's infinite wisdom. This has taken a long time to accept!
I would like to encourage you, if you are not already doing so, to consider a structured prayer time, like the one above. My prayers, prior to this structure, usually started with quickly thanking God, then turning immediately to petitions. And boy, were there lots of petitions! Now, I spend more time on confession, a step I used to regularly skip. I give thanks, but it is more specific, and I note when God specifically answers prayer, which he does, in incredible ways. My petitions are now fewer in number but deeper, somehow.
Now here's the hard part for me. Once I have given my prayers to God, I am not to worry over them anymore. The prayers are God's, not mine. This is so hard to do. I truly want God to take care of them, but a part of me continues to fret, and over talk the issues with friends and families, which reveals that I haven't really given anything over to God. So it becomes an issue of trusting Him.
As the apostle Paul says:
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. Philippians 4:6
What an awesome God we serve. That He seeks to hear our prayers, yearns to reach out to our thoughts, as we empty them out in the dark of night. What great love.
I hope you are encouraged to say a little prayer today. God is listening! And as the Bible says, believers in Christ' prayers will be in the presence of God, the creator of the universe, once the words have left your lips.
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