ACTS of Significant Prayer

A small group of us gathered at a friend's home for the couples meeting centered on a book about prayer. The attendance was sparse though the initial one had been larger. Maybe it was just a busy night for some or maybe it was the 40 day commitment to prayer that disinterested them. The monthly  prayer meeting had an even poorer attendance. Why?

I can't presume to know everyone's motives, but I do know a fair share of Christians don't possess a deep understanding of the power of prayer, not only to change circumstances, but to transform a life. Prayer is not a duty to be performed routinely, but a privilege. To meet with the God of the Universe in intimate times of communication can be thrilling! Not that we are looking for thrills, but when His presence falls, it is a wonderfully overpowering experience. 

He may bring conviction and tears at times, but it is a cleansing experience, not a dry banal recitation of rote prayers. The Bible warns us of vain,  repetitious prayers as the pagans engaged in or over exuberance trying to heighten their experience and get the attention of their gods. The best times of prayer for a Christian are when we go into it adoring and praising God for who He is, rather than with a laundry list of needs. God indeed wants to supply our needs, (not our wants, but needs) yet that is not the primary purpose of prayer. Foremost prayer is a time to commune with God, to talk and listen for Him to respond. He may speak to us through His Holy Spirit and a quickening of a scripture or promise, or regarding a situation in our lives, or by giving us wisdom and guidance through His word. Whatever way He speaks to you, we need to give him the time to respond.

The importance of prayer can be attested by the number of books on the subject and the number of times scripture mentions it, 512 to be exact! Verses on prayer abound. Prayers offered to heal our nation, such as in 2 Chronicles 7:14. "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face..." I think there are three key words here. "If" being the first. God knows how ify we are about prayer;  "my people" that's us, believers and "humble." Humility comes from recognizing we can't be successful in his life without Him. We need His help and we need to ask for it in prayer. The next verse holds another key, "and seek My face." Have you ever thought about that? 

Seeking God's face implies an intimacy with God, a desire to see Him, maybe not physically but in our spirit, in our mind, so close we can touch Him. We don't get there by jumping into prayer, but by easing into it, with praise and worship, followed by confession. Seeing how great God is and how little we are without Him leads to "effective, fervent prayer." Prayer that rises up from our inner person, prayers that express the "mind of Christ," prayers that are placed there by God himself and speak of His will, not ours. " You Kingdom come, your will be done" (Matt. 6:20).

The only way to pray these kinds of prayers is to be in tune with God, to know His Word and His promises, to be led by the Holy Spirit, and to know the heart of God. Of course, we cannot know this all the time, but we can rely on verses such as " If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally..." (James 1:5).  God will supply what we lack, even in the realm of wisdom. If we know His promises and stand on them believing, our prayer life will be ignited. We will see answers to prayer all around us. I find that the simple acronym ACTS, helps to frame my prayer time more effectively: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication.

I've covered the first two and would like to direct you to some wonderful  worship music that can draw you into a spirit of praise and worship. Confession and conviction usually comes naturally once I view the awesomeness of God in this vast universe and my small stature in comparison. Thanksgiving naturally flows when I look and see what God has done, the bounty I live in comparison to 3/4 of the rest of the planet, the free gift of salvation earned for us by Christ's sacrifice on the cross, the ensuing gift of forgiveness, the mercy flowing from heaven, the promise of eternity in heaven with Him, the wonder of what He is doing on the earth today and the richness of a relationship with Him.

Once all of these areas have been addressed, then we might be ready to petition Our Heavenly Father for our needs and for others. I keep a journal that has a list of daily needs according to the day of the week. I also incorporate "pop up" prayers for people's health, emergencies, and everyday trials and circumstances. How you ask God for your needs is as unique as you are. I also use the "Our Father" as a guideline for my daily bread--financial, spiritual, emotional, physical and career needs. However, supplications for myself become less as I see how much he has already answered so many of my deepest desires. "Delight yourself in the  Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4 ). 

Of course, it is always good to be praying for each other and their needs, as the Bible encourages us to do. But if that is our only form of prayer, I think it's somewhat anemic and produces less than desirable results. A faith that is vibrant is usually a result of fervent prayer that also includes persistence and belief in what God can do. If we are not in His Word and magnifying his Name, I believe our faith suffers and so does our prayer life. Prayer is not only about getting what we want, but about God doing what He wants in our lives. It's as much about surrendering as it is about petitioning. So for a better, more productive and powerful prayer time, why not try ACTS?