Prayer

GROWING AS A PRAY-ER

A.C.T.S. Prayer

A simple and easy way to pray, the ACTS prayer is an acronym that many people have found useful.
Adoration of God by praising him for who he is.
Confession of sins.
Thanksgiving for what he’s done and given you.
Supplication (asking) him for what’s on your heart.

Make a Prayer List

For visual people, having a list keeps your mind active. The things and people you can pray for are endless, but to give you a start; armour of God (Eph. 6), fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), unsaved people in your life, friends and family, work, attitude, missionaries, government, pastors, guidance, wisdom.

Learning from Others

Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes in “Life Together” that we learn to pray by listening to others. Pastoral prayers on Sunday, songs we sing, the Psalms and other portions of scripture, a good book on prayer, friends and people in the church give us plenty of learning by osmosis.

Meditation

A lost art in many Western circles, there is much to learn about prayer as we dwell upon the richness of God. What is he teaching you about himself as you sit and listen, in silence? What is he trying to show you about his character through different circumstances you find yourself in? Take deep breaths, slow down, soak it in.

Children

Watch the way that children interact with their parents, both in the good and in the bad. Whether whining and complaining or sharing and excited, whether tired or inquisitive, there is MUCH to learn about prayer as we watch kids talk to their mom and dad.

Praying the Scriptures

After you finish reading your portion of scripture for the day, stop, reflect upon it. What is God teaching you and/or bringing to light? Pray about such things. Is it anger – pray about it. Is it sin – pray for forgiveness. Is it about work – pray for those around you. The Bible acts as a mirror into our souls, to guide, teach and direct.

Next Steps

If something like this handout makes you hungry for more, several times a year  we plan on hosting a  weekend with teaching and break-out sessions with topics like this and many others that you can look forward to.

Resources

Here are 7 podcasts that make up a series of messages presented by Pastor Chris Hewko and Pastor Dave Schmidt on the subject of prayer: