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CLUELESS ABOUT PRAYER?
'...At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.' Genesis 4:26
Church prayer meetings can be intimidating places. Some people sound like they're reciting Shakespeare, others like they're giving a theology lecture. When you compare your prayers, it can make you feel like you're not up to the mark, so you may as well keep schtum and pray silently. But the disciples didn't have the first clue about prayer either. There are loads of different ways to pray and God won't give you a hard time for your diction, but finding a framework for prayer could help you start.
Firstly, spend some time just being with your Father, knowing who He is and what He's done. That's the first of three As: Adore. It's a good place to start because it takes your eyes off yourself, and onto God. Otherwise, prayer can just be a jumbled mess of personal cares worries, without ever really looking properly to God.
Secondly: Ask. Jesus encouraged His disciples to knock on heaven's door. There's a place for asking for what we need, and even Jesus needed to get away from the noise and bustle of everyday life to do just that.
That leads to the third A: Accept. Jesus prayed for God's will to be done and rounded everything off by looking to His Father again. God loves you perfectly and knows exactly what you can and can't handle at any given time, so you can end your prayers trusting that everything is in its right place.
What now? Read the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. See how it contains this structure, and how it all reflects the constant goodness and providing care of God. Can you work these elements into your own prayers?
written by Bob Gass
'...At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.' Genesis 4:26
Church prayer meetings can be intimidating places. Some people sound like they're reciting Shakespeare, others like they're giving a theology lecture. When you compare your prayers, it can make you feel like you're not up to the mark, so you may as well keep schtum and pray silently. But the disciples didn't have the first clue about prayer either. There are loads of different ways to pray and God won't give you a hard time for your diction, but finding a framework for prayer could help you start.
Firstly, spend some time just being with your Father, knowing who He is and what He's done. That's the first of three As: Adore. It's a good place to start because it takes your eyes off yourself, and onto God. Otherwise, prayer can just be a jumbled mess of personal cares worries, without ever really looking properly to God.
Secondly: Ask. Jesus encouraged His disciples to knock on heaven's door. There's a place for asking for what we need, and even Jesus needed to get away from the noise and bustle of everyday life to do just that.
That leads to the third A: Accept. Jesus prayed for God's will to be done and rounded everything off by looking to His Father again. God loves you perfectly and knows exactly what you can and can't handle at any given time, so you can end your prayers trusting that everything is in its right place.
What now? Read the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. See how it contains this structure, and how it all reflects the constant goodness and providing care of God. Can you work these elements into your own prayers?
written by Bob Gass
