Can you imagine the trill and privilege it would be if you had a private lunch date with the President of the United States of America? I am sure you would dress your best, be a little nervous, and think long and hard about what to talk to him about. Your lunch date would be a once in a lifetime event that you would probably remember for the rest of your life.
Prayer, however, should be cherished even more than our private lunch with the President of the USA because when we enter into prayer we have a private meeting with the sovereign Ruler and Creator of the universe. And the exciting thing about talking to God is that we can meet with Him anytime we like and for as long as we like. But one thing that meeting with God and the President of the USA have in common is that we should take time to prepare for our conversation. Let’s take a look at some of the things we can do to prepare for this precious time of conversing with God.
(Psalm 66:18) tells us: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.” We need to confess known sin to God if we want to have God’s undivided attention. If you know of some sin you are still harboring in your heart why not tell God about it and repent of it. Not only is this a good way to tell God you are sorry for what you did wrong, but it will cleanse your soul. (1 John 1:9) says it so well: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Another way you can catch God’s attention is to thank Him for all He has done for you and for who He is. Having a thankful heart before the Lord lets God know you appreciate Him.
And why not spend some time in praise and adoration – after all look what the Lord has done for you. You were headed to hell and thanks to His death on the cross He changed your future reservations to heaven. Not only that but Jesus promises you a wonderful life on your journey on planet Earth right now. Why not spend some time in prayer on bragging on your heavenly Father. Praise and adoration allows us to worship God for who He is and should be a highlight of our communion with Him. Let’s always take some time to tell God how much we love Him.
And of course, we need to make sure we ask God to grant us some big ticket items like wisdom and guidance. And God also really enjoys when we share the burdens of our heart and soul with Him. He is especially pleased when we ask for the needs of others to be met by Him. And what also pleases Him is when we ask for our own needs to be met; especially when they line up with His will.
It’s no secret that God enjoys when we talk to Him and share our emotions and dreams with Him. We need to pray because this is the way we can enjoy being in His presence and fellowshipping with Him. And just as we enjoy talking and exchanging our feelings with our children, God enjoys this aspect of our prayers to Him.
Prayer can be silent or audible, formal or informal, and public or private. And the best way to deepen our relationship with the Lord is to pray and trust God that He will always have our best interests at heart. We read in (1 Thessalonians 5:17): “pray without ceasing.” All that this means is that we should be in constant communion and communication with the Lord. And what can be better than that for (Psalm 16:11) says: “…In Your presence is fullness of joy…”
Praying to God encompasses everything we have shared in this devotion and should be something we exercise far more than most of us do each day. Prayer glorifies God and helps us keep totally dependent on Him for all of our needs. I guarantee you that the more time you spend in prayer the closer you will get to Jesus and the more peace and joy you will experience in life – so don’t miss the blessing!
A-Adoration
C-Confession
T-Thanksgiving
S-Suplication
This simple acronym, ACTS, can give someone new to prayer a track to run on.
Having just read an article on the subject, I am convinced we should also follow the lead of Psalms by incorporating imprecatory Psalms into our prayer time. The Scriptures inform us that we are soldiers, engaged in spiritual battle.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
While we are not in a physical fight, we still need the Lord to lead the charge of judgment and justice as we participate in His battle to make His enemies His footstool. That means there are times that we ask the Lord for His judgment to rain down on those who would attack His body, the church. We are not called to be victims but more than conquerors. When Jesus saw the house of God being misused, He exhibited holy anger by turning over tables and beating the violators of the commandments with straps. Since we have the mind of Christ, we should go to Him in prayer, asking that the tables be turned on His enemies and their backs feel the sting of His whip. We pray for their tactics to be thwarted and their hearts to bow down to the King of the universe.
This is very encouraging and helpful! AND true!