We Must Learn To Pray. We Have To.
This past Sunday, along with this week of Step Groups (from Discipleship Essentials), is all about prayer. If you missed the sermon, you can check it out right here, but the main point was this (in the words of Tim Keller):
We must learn to pray.
We have to.
At the end of the sermon, I suggested that if you struggle with ‘rudderless’ prayer – or just want some structure or help for your prayer, you could try following a guide or something along those lines. So here’s some practical ideas to help along those lines.
In our discipleship workbook, for instance, it provides a popular prayer method called “ACTS”. It teaches you to structure your prayer around four primary elements: Adoration (praising God), Confession (admitting sin and failures to God), Thanks (expressing gratitude to God), and Supplication (asking God for what is needed). It’s a good method, and in my experience, is helpful. I’ve used it intentionally when I’ve felt ‘stuck’ in prayer, and I’ve noticed it’s become more and more integrated into my regular prayer life.
Another similar method uses the acronym “PRAY” (from a book called “Rooted”. In this method, it’s Praise (just like ‘adoration’ above), Repent (like ‘confession’ above, but adds a layer of turning from the sin to a new way of life – and praying about it), Ask (similar to ‘supplication’ above), and ends with Yield. To “yield” means to quiet yourself, and reflect, sit still, and listen to what God might be saying to you. “Yielding” works best what it is accompanied by reflection on scripture (so that we’re hearing God’s Word, and not our own!). It’s another good one to try!
A final idea I’ll give you is really Jesus’ idea:
“Pray, then, in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be revered as holy.
May your kingdom come.
May your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.”
When Jesus said “pray, then, in this way” – he didn’t just mean ‘repeat these words’. He also meant, ‘pray along these lines…pray like this’. So it’s always a good idea to trace your way through the Lord’s Prayer, and put the words and petitions into your own words with your own petitions.
Why should God’s name be made holy today?
What part of God’s kingdom needs to come on your part of earth?
Where do we most need God’s will to be done?
What daily bread are you hungry for?
What debt do you need forgiveness for?
What trial do you need God to power you through?
Think – and then pray – along those lines.
Oh, and the Psalms.
Open up the book of Psalms and pray a Psalm as well. For prayers that were written thousands of years ago – and are quite old – they’ll never get old!
Again, we must learn to pray. We have to.
Let’s learn – and put it into practice – today.