Written by Assistant Pastor Jon Herring, Kennet Valley Free Church

A prayer week is a great time to focus as a church community on seeking God’s will for us. It also provides a great opportunity to remind ourselves of the power and wonder of prayer and to encourage each other in the practice of prayer.

I have been so encouraged already by all those who have engaged in the week of prayer already but I thought at this mid point it would be good to reflect on why it is we pray and what prayer is.

What is Prayer?

At it’s simplest it is talking to God but Tim Keller further explains how prayer is connected to God’s revelation:

‘What is prayer, then, in the fullest sense? Prayer is continuing a conversation that God has started through his Word and his grace, which eventually becomes a full encounter with him. . . . The power of our prayers, then, lies not primarily in our effort and striving, or in any technique, but rather in our knowledge of God.’

Prayer is a continued conversation that starts with him speaking to us and revealing himself to us in his word. That is why prayer fuelled by his word is most effective. Its obvious really isn’t it, it is a two way conversation. If you are struggling to pray- open his word, the psalms are a great place to start because they are so rich with the character of God and the nature of our relationship with him.

What should I Pray?

Wouldn’t it be helpful to have a model or structure to help us pray through? Well… funnily enough Jesus has given us one hasn’t he. If you don’t know what to pray, pray in line with the Lord’s prayer.

The prayer begins:

“Our Father who art in Heaven

Hallowed be your name”

Start by Praising God for who he is! On Saturday we begun our prayer breakfast thinking through what we know of God and it was wonderful fuel to our prayers. Hallowed be his name! And then continue through the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ and use it to fuel your prayers and to apply it to your personal situation.

Many of you may also have seen the A.C.T.S model of prayer: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication.

Adoration: Praising God for who he is characterised by love and adoration towards God

Confession: Acknowledging our sins and where we have fallen short of his perfect way. Be both general and specific, asking God to forgive your sinful patterns of behaviour as well as individual sins. Think about the past 24-hour period and identify and name particular instances of sin that you need to confess. Maybe you need to ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of the sin in your life.

Thanksgiving: Especially for the daily blessings he has given us. Maybe choose at least three things to express your thanksgiving. Consider including: thanks for a life-changing blessing (e.g., eternal salvation), thanks for daily provision (e.g., for the blessing of food and clothing), and thanks for a specific reason you feel grateful today (e.g., for a particular blessing you’ve recently experienced)

Supplication (and Intercession): Two posh words that just mean coming to God and asking him for something, usually for ourselves. Intercession is when we pray for something on behalf of others. In some cases we are praying for both others and ourselves. Don’t be afraid to ask God for things for yourself, it is not selfish, God wants you to ask him, it shows you understand your dependence on him. And what a wonderful gift it is to be able to ask things for other people as well. Lets remember to do both of these.

Here are some other helpful questions to ask your self about your patterns of prayer:

What do I want God to deliver me from (i.e., suffering, a trial, temptation)?

How often do I praise God in my prayers? Do I frequently praise his attributes?

How often do I use Scripture in my prayers?

Do I have a list of people to pray for? Whom should I add to the list?

Do I ever feel that God is distant and not hearing my prayers?

How often do I pray for my enemies?

How should I be praying for my neighbours, family, and friends?

How often do I confess specific sins?

And finally, here are some quotes form my favourite book on prayer: Power Through Prayer by E M Bounds.

I have found them very helpful to inspire me to pray but that’s because I often need a kick up the backside!

“God does not need great talents or great learning or great preachers, but people great in holiness, great in faith, great in love, great in fidelity, great for God- people always speaking holy words, living holy lives. These can hold a generation for God… real ministry is made in the closet of prayer; God’s men and women are made in secret.”

“Ministry today may be popular, pleasant attractive, intellectual, intriguing, and successful with little or no prayer. But the ministry which accomplishes God’s purposes must be born of prayer from beginning to end. We may excuse our spiritual poverty in many ways, but the reason will be found in the lack of urgent prayer for God’s presence in the power of the Spirit… we are only spiritually victorious through prayer.

Christians who gain lasting results for God are those who have prevailed in their pleadings with God before venturing to plead with others. Those who are mightiest in their closets with God are mightiest in their efforts with men and women. ”

“God’s true saints have been distinguished by one outstanding feature: they were all people of prayer… God to them was the centre attraction and prayer was the path that led to God.

These men and women did not pray occasionally, a little at regular or at odd times; they prayed so that their prayers entered into and shaped their characters. They prayed so as to affect their own lives and the lives of others; they prayed so as to direct the history of the church and to influence the current of the times.”

“The men and women who have done the most for God in this world have been early (and often) on their knees.”