 Previous |
How did you first learn to pray?
Message
#1 (of 20) from the PrayerPower radio series
When I first became serious about prayer, I learned to follow the acronym A-C-T-S: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication, or asking. The acronym helps us remember that prayer is more than asking, and asking should come last in our prayers, not first. I needed that help because adoration--worship and praise--wasn’t part of my early prayer life, except in church. My prayers were prayed on the run or in bed as I fell asleep at night. When I began praying in earnest, I didn’t know the Lord. But as I spent quiet time with Him each morning, I began to experience knowing Him personally. As that happens, we find ourselves wanting more and more to express our love for the Lord. We begin to understand why we’re taught to begin our prayer time with adoration, praise and worship, with contemplating Who He is, and who we are before Him. We begin to see why Jesus’ first teaching on prayer was about worship, and why the model prayer He gave us begins with worship--"Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name." [Matthew 6:9, KJV]We are taught and begin to focus on expressing our love through worship and praise in our personal prayer lives--adoring our Lord, in response to knowing Him and loving Him in a personal way. Pray with me now -- Lord, forgive us when we rush into our prayers without reflecting on the one with Whom we pray. Help us to be ever mindful of Who You are, in Jesus’ name, amen.
ã 1999 PrayerPower Ministries, P.O. Box
1368, Dallas, TX 75380-1368, 1-800-949-PRAY. |
