Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1
As I was preparing to write this entry, I came across the website pursuegod.org. I encourage you to visit this site, and search the word “pray”. There are several articles there that are very helpful to anyone who is trying to improve or enhance their prayer life. Two of them, “How Do I use the Lord’s Prayer as a Pattern of Prayer?”, and “How Do I Use the P.R.A.Y. Method of Prayer?”, are similar to what I planned to discuss here. These are more detailed accounts, and I think you might find them useful.
In my last entry, “Pray Without Ceasing”, I told you that I start most of my prayers with “Thank you Lord for making me, saving me and guiding me.” I began this practice when I was studying the triune nature of God. I thank God the Father for making me, Jesus for saving me, and The Holy Spirit for guiding me each day. Without God, I wouldn’t exist. If I did exist but didn’t know Jesus, I would be condemned. I could not navigate my path of sanctification without the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
I try to begin each prayer with praise. Everything we have, we have because of God. Every breath we take is dependent on Him, and He made everyone we love. He deserves our constant praise.
Praising God also reminds me that I am not God. I need this reminder daily. Repentance should be a part of our prayer. Confessing our sins to God leaves no room for pride. Repentance will result if a Christian is self-reflective. The more we examine our thoughts and actions, the more we will feel the need to repent. Do not dwell on your sins. Confess them, repent, and go on with your life, trying not to commit those sins again.
Another part of my daily prayer is asking God for things. This is the most natural part of prayer. We have very little problem asking God for those things we think we need, and He wants us to ask. I think it is important to give praise and thanks, and repent, before we ask. I think this helps put us in the right mindset. Also, if we ask first, we might forget to praise and repent.
The final step of the P.R.A.Y Method I mentioned above is Yield. I am going to try and be more intentional on this step going forward when I pray. The article says that yielding is an act of trusting God. Sometimes our prayers are answered with “yes”, sometimes “wait”, and sometimes “no” if what we are asking is not God’s will. After praising God because he is our Creator, and confessing to Him, we should be able to trust Him to do what is best for us, but we do not trust naturally. Like the father of the boy who was possessed by an evil spirit in Mark 9:24:
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
I find that having a framework for my prayers, like the steps I’ve outlined here, keeps me on track when I pray. In my next entry I will discuss a few more ideas that I have learned that help me when I pray.