A Marathon in Praying

How long are you willing to keep praying for something you earnestly desire? A month? A year? Two years? As long as it takes?

Jesus told the story of a man who went to his friend's house to obtain some bread because a visitor was coming. (Luke 11:5-8) The friend hears the request; and because the door is locked and it is bedtime, is unwilling to help. However, the neighbor keeps knocking and seeking some food; and because of his persistence finally receives what he needs.

The key word here is "persistence." It's having that willingness to keep on praying even when the time is not right. It is to keep on praying even when weariness has set in on us.

The story follows the disciples request to Jesus that he teach them how to pray. What followed was what we call today "The Lord's Prayer" and then Jesus gives this story about persistence.

Why persistence? Maybe it is in God's nature that in due time our prayers will be answered. Maybe, too, it is that God wants to know if we are really serious for what we are praying.

What desires have been in your heart? Would you be willing to see prayer not so much as a sprint, but what might actually be a marathon?

Supplication

The last part of the ACTS structure of prayer is supplication. After giving adoration, confession, and thanksgiving, one can finish one's praying with supplication.

We do need to remember that it is a privilege for us to approach God in prayer. We who are sinful beings are allowed to call up to a holy and righteous God.

We pray because we do have concerns for which we feel we need divine help. It might be in dealing with an illness or perhaps finding a job. We feel that our initiative alone will not carry the day. We feel that we need a stronger power at work in our lives in order to get results.

We might also come to God because we need guidance in life. We have reached a fork in the road and cannot properly discern which way to go. Here we are leaning on God's direction, which might come to us internally, through conversation with other people, or with a door that opens up for us.

We are approaching God only because we know that we have a gracious God. We have a God who will look favorably upon us despite our own shortcomings and sin. Supplication gives us the opportunity to place our faith in God above everything else.

Thanksgiving

We now consider the third part of prayer (ACTS) which is thanksgiving. After giving adoration, and making confession, one might wish to proceed to give thanks.

Having a sense of gratitude has always been an emphasis of Scripture. The apostle Paul wrote: "Give thanks in all circumstances." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Everything we have in life comes as a gift. We are dependent upon God for our survival from day to day - with the sunshine and the very air that we breathe. We might even say that our privilege to pray comes from the grace of God.

As we come before God in prayer, it is only proper that we do it with a feeling of gratitude within us. If we are going to "ask" for something from God, it is fitting that we do acknowledge thanks for all that we have received.

How much do you give thanks to God in your prayers? What proportion of thanksgiving is present compared to your asking?

Confession

Last week, I mentioned the first part of the ACTS structure of prayer, which is adoration. Today, I want to mention the second part, which is confession. Confession has a place in public worship, where confession is made in a corporate sense.

In addition, it can be used as a part of prayer- anytime and anywhere. If we have been adoring and praising God at the opening of our prayer, then we can in humility confess our sin. This confessing also helps to establish our relationship with God after giving praise. We then remove any pride we might have in ourselves.

In my own prayer life, this part of praying usually entails what has been done in the last 24 hours that has been sin. Of course, I realize it is only those things for which I am aware, though there are many other sins.

Confession helps us to experience the forgiveness that comes from God. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. " 1 John 1:9

How much confessing do you do in your own prayer life? Might it be worthwhile to implement it more in your prayers?

Prayer Structure

What's all included in your prayers? Is it just asking in order to get out of a tight situation? Or is there more to your praying?

Beginning with this posting, I want to cover four facets of prayer. They are known under the acronym of ACTS, which stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.

The first one is "adoration." When you begin prayer, do you spend some time simply adoring God? By beginning prayer in this way, you are acknowledging the greatness of God. You are making clear that one you are addressing is your Creator and the one who has given you all good things. You will realize that receiving an answer for your prayer comes from someone you admire.

I believe that when we fail to have any adoration for God in our praying, we see our activity of praying just as being transactional: we pray and God answers. We do the minimum necessary in order to get from God what we want.

When we do include adoration, we notice that the relationship to God is just as important as our asking. We show our reverence and respect for God.

The next time you are praying, if you don't already do it, spend some time giving praise to God for who God is. I guarantee you, you will feel better as you conclude your prayer.

Where Do You Pray?

The title of this posting might sound inconsequential; however, it can have us look at not only where we pray but also how often we pray.

When I pray in the morning, I have a set place in my living room following breakfast where I read Scripture and have that followed by prayer. I feel most comfortable there.

Having a designated place at home for prayer might help you to concentrate and focus your thoughts. You might consider that where you are is a "sacred place."

We also know that it doesn't matter where we pray. Our prayers will still be heard by God. But knowing that we are free to pray anywhere, the question is: How spontaneous are you with your praying? Do you feel that you have to wait until the end of the day to pray for a pressing concern that developed that day? Do you feel that you can give thanks on the spot when you have received a blessing?

Are you willing to pray in the car (not driving, of course) or just out for a walk?

The main thing is that in prayer you feel connected to God throughout the day.

Praying All Night

At our last Turnaround Team meeting the devotion centered on a passage about prayer in Luke's Gospel. The verse seemed powerful to me. The Evangelist Luke wrote: "At that time Jesus went up a hill to pray and spent the whole night there praying to God." (Luke 6:12)

This time of prayer was as he was about to pick his twelve disciples. Imagine what Jesus did knowing that he was to make a strategic decision - he prayed all night!

Ever have a tough decision to make? How much did you put yourself into it in terms of prayer? Was it more than one sentence?

I believe Jesus felt his decision was so important that he needed guidance as he wanted the message of the kingdom to continue through us as human beings.

How about you? The next time you have a tough decision to make, think about really putting yourself into the mode of prayer. You might be surprised with what you will discover - not just with the outcome but with what happens to you in the process.