PRAYER

Prayer is an essential part in the life of the Body of Christ, the local church, and each of us individually. Even if we have overcome the obstacle of finding a time and a place to pray, we may find ourselves asking the question, “How do I pray?” Many of us feel like we don’t know how to pray in the right way. We feel inadequate and ignorant. But just as no child can draw a bad picture, no child of God can pray a bad prayer (Richard Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home). God loves us as children and is always glad when we come to God in prayer.

There are different forms of prayer that the believer can practice. Learning about these practices of prayer can deepen our experience of God. The point is not to impress God with our prayer life. Nor is it to become an expert on prayer. The point in practicing prayer is to love God and to learn of God.

We have the wisdom and experience of Christians across the centuries to help us learn how to pray. Here are a few ways to pray:

Conversation with God is talking to God, listening for God. This form of prayer is perhaps the most widespread. We talk to God as a friend.
Intercessory Prayer is praying for the needs of others. We lift up specific concerns or joys to God. We practice this discipline individually and in community.
Contemplative Prayer is silent communion with God, resting in God, adoring God.
Meditation is silent listening. Often it helps to focus on a particular passage of Scripture, a picture or a word.

The A.C.T.S. method of prayer is modeled after the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4). It consists of four parts:

Adoration: Tell God why you love him. The Bible is full of reasons to love him:
- God is faithful! His mercies are new every morning!(Lamentations 3:22-23)
- God promises victory over death to those who believe in His Son Jesus Christ ! (I Corinthians 15:57)
- God has promised that all things work together for good to those who love and serve Him faithfully (Romans 8:28).
Contrition: Tell God how you have sinned. There are two types of sins to be confessed: things we have done and things we have left undone.
Thanksgiving: Tell God THANK YOU for everything He has given and continues to give you!
- Thank you for my wonderful family!
- Thank you for the opportunity to serve You!
- Thank you for my health!
- Thank God for the praises on the prayer list at church.
Supplication: Tell God what you need for you and your family. Ask for blessings for our leaders, our armed forces, our public servants. If you have questions, ask God for answers! Pray for those on the prayer list at church. Pray for the sick and the infirm.

One main point to remember is to pray with hopeful expectation. God will always answer our prayers - though sometimes the answer is "No" or "Not right now". We must remember that God has a plan for our lives which vastly exceeds our own expectations or plans.

This is just a beginning resource on how to pray. Some other sources that might be helpful are:

A Beginner’s Guide to Prayer, Richard J. Beckmen
Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home, by Richard Foster
Beginning Prayer by John Killinger
The Upper Room's Methods of Prayer: Try several of these prayer methods to find those which help you best speak and listen to God.
"Many Ways to Pray: Prayer Shouldn’t Be Another To-Do List Obligation" by Don Shockley (an article from UMC.org)

Be sure and visit www.upperroom.org and www.cokesbury.com for other resources.

A portion of this article was reprinted with kind permission of Christ United Methodist Church in Franklin, Tennessee.