Pastor's Corner

Pastor Cindy
Pastor Cindy
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HOW ARE WE TO PRAY?

There are many ways to pray – silently, or aloud; alone, with one other person, or in a group.

There are many different postures for prayer: head bowed, hands folded, eyes closed; eyes open to see God’s goodness all around (or to see where we are walking or driving!); hands raised, head uplifted to receive God’s blessing. All are ok!

Sometimes our wordless “groaning” is a kind of prayer: “We do not know how to pray as we ought, but [the] Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.”
Romans 8:26

We can pray simply by saying, “God, I am here” - and then listen. This is harder than it might sound! (We humans are not comfortable with silence.) But if we listen, God will speak to us, if only in the peace we receive in our hearts. All those little things that come into our minds when we’re trying to listen for God?  We can say, “Here God, you worry about this for a while!”

After we say: “Hello, God. I am here,” then we might name the things we’re glad about, the things we are sorry about, the things that cause us to worry, the things we hope for.

We don’t need to tell God what to do – although it is very tempting – because God already knows what each situation and person most requires!

Two problems with prayer
(I admit, with my own prayer):

  • We (I) do a lot more asking God for things than we (I) do thanking God.
  • We (I) forget to ask for forgiveness when we pray.
One way to avoid these problems is to pray
the “ACTS” way:

  • A = Adoration: “God, you are (wonderful - holy - amazing - HERE!)” Just listening for God is a way to express our adoration. 
  • C = Confession or Contrition: “God, I did these things I’m sorry for. . . I forgot today that I was supposed to. . . Please forgive me.  Help me to do better.” 
  • T = Thanksgiving: “Thank you for. . .”
  • S = Supplication: THE ASKING PART!(Finally.) Ask God for what you need, name the people who need God’s care – including yourself. Don’t forget to pray for your enemies!(“Supplication” is like “supply” – we’re asking God to supply our needs.)
The ACTS model of prayer is a good pattern to pray when you need to pray aloud. Remember when you’re asked to pray aloud: the simpler the better. It is also just fine to say memorized prayers, like a table blessing at a meal, a bedtime prayer with children, or the Lord’s Prayer.