As Christians and the like, it is easy to use prayer as a spare tire, rather than a steering wheel. It is easy to pray when we're desperate. All too often we skip over God's greatness and rush into our problems and requests. It is a great gesture to say to someone, "I am praying for you", but it is even greater when we silently put prayer into action for that person. We also tend to forget to thank God for all He has given us and all He has done for us.
If all we focused on our prayers of our own suffering and requests, then prayer would lose half of its purpose. In my prayer growth, I have found a certain formulation that assisted me in my prayer until I was confident that I was praying the right way.
Now, I'm not saying that you must pray this way every time you pray, but when your prayer has substance, and meaning, it takes the place of the short, meaningless, unmeditated prayers in our lives.
In your prayer, you should focus on four things. The acronym ACTS helps me remember these four things.
First, be sure you can be in silence with the Lord, no distractions.
Adoration: when we pray we should address God for who he is and what he is doing in our lives. There are so many names for our great and glorious God. He deserves to be called by every single one of them, whether it be Abba, meaning Father, or Emmanuel, meaning God with us. He has earned every title, call Him by name.
Confession: before we ask for our own good, we must repent and ask forgiveness of our sins. Admit that you have sinned to the only One who knows every sin we have ever committed and will commit. He wants to hear us ask for forgiveness, it is the ultimate "sorry".
Thanksgiving: after confessing that Jesus is Lord and asking forgiveness of our sins, we can then, with good moral conscious, ask for our own well being. We may pray for strength, comfort, patience, or whatever we may need. Often in our prayers, we find ourselves asking for materialistic things such as an A on a test or the job position we applied for. We get upset when these prayers aren't answered and then we become angry with God for not being there for us, when in reality we are asking for the wrong attributes. A's aren't given, they're earned. Try asking God for the knowledge to recall the test material. Jobs aren't a right, they're a privilege when we have enough qualifications. Ask God to open the correct door for your life, and if that job position isn't your door, then praise Him in the hallway while you wait for another door to open.
And finally,
Supplication: to end our prayers we should always be thinking of those around us. Someone at work struggling with their home life, a loved one's health, or a friend. Whoever it may be, and whatever they may be dealing with, remember them and God will remember you.
Next time you pray, take five minutes out of your day to jot this prayer guide down, and try applying it. You may find your prayer life grow and mean more to you, God, and those around you, even in your silence.
