Meaningful Prayer

 

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Do not be like them for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6:7-8

In recent years, I have felt there was something lacking in my prayer life, because I did not stop and listen to God while I was praying.  I read the Bible, said my morning prayers, and then went on about my day. We are having Discipleship classes at church, and one chapter deals with having a Quiet Time with God.  Through these lessons God has convicted me of not listening to what He has to say.  I learned the ACTS acronym for prayer a long time ago. A is for Adoration, C for Confession, T for Thanksgiving, and S for Supplication.  When I went to Guatemala on a mission trip this summer, I taught a lesson on prayer at a Women’s Retreat. It included not only adoration, but recognizing the power of God, and petitioning Him for protection from danger and particularly protection from temptation.

I have been a Christian for a long time, but I know I have not shown enough awe of God’s power or prayed enough for protection from sin. I have prayed every day, but it seems, lately, I have realized my prayers have been more about the Ask, Seek, and Knock in Matt. 7:7. I went to God in prayer asking Him to bless everyone, and to give me what I thought I needed. I was asking, but not in the right way. My conversations with God have been mostly one-sided.  When we are young we learn to pray God bless everyone, and please give us what we want.  But now it is time for us to get closer to God in our prayer lives. It is our obligation not only to pray for friends and family, but for our pastors, missionaries, our country, and persecuted Christians around the world. We should also pray for God to give us discernment and opportunities to witness and serve.

Do we really sit still, listen, and know that He is God? (Ps. 46:10) First, it is essential to spend time in prayer, preferably in the morning, but God hears us anytime night or day.  We need to wait for that still small voice in the sound of a “low whisper” as Elijah did. Secondly, our adoration of God usually consists of saying how awesome you are God, but we also need to make it a time of worship and praise.  We should add our gratitude for what He has done for us, and His power over all circumstances in our lives, and the lives of those we love.

We all know we should confess our sins, but do we really objectively look at our lives to see where God wants to change and grow us.  I heard in a Bible study that we should give God permission to show us our sins. It is time as Billy Graham has said to express sorrow over what we have said, thought, or done that is not pleasing to God. Then we must believe He has forgiven us in order to remove any barriers in our communication with Him. Lastly, we need to apply what we are learning. God wants us to share our heart with Him, and He wants to share His heart with us. Journaling is one way to record what God has revealed to us.

Lord, may our prayers be uplifted in a manner acceptable to you.  Let our petitions be given in a humble manner. Lord, we give Your Holy Spirit permission to convict us, and we confess our sin and pray you will cleanse us of all our unrighteousness.  In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.