Let Us Pray

I remember the first time I heard of using A.C.T.S. as a formula for prayer. I was in my 20's and grateful to have heard of this simple acrostic to use in my prayer life, because it was such a great tool to help keep my mind more focused in prayer. This model is based upon the components of the prayer Jesus taught the disciples in Matthew 6:9-13. In case you haven't heard of it, I would like to share it with you.

A - Adoration
Spend time praising God for who He is and take the time to let Him know how you feel about Him. He deserves our praise and our words of adoration please Him.

C - Confession
Ask God for forgiveness of sin in your life. God already knows when we sin. But, He wants US to know and to realize that we have sinned.

T - Thanksgiving
Take the time to tell God thank you for all He has done for you and for the blessings He has given you.

S - Supplication
Tell God what your needs are for yourself, for your family, and for others.

A few years ago, I found another prayer model for children on the Internet. It used simple words that children would understand. I changed a few of the words and called it the "High 5 Prayer".

Thumb:
WOW! - Tell God what you think about Him. Tell Him how great and awesome you believe He is.

1st Finger:
THANKS - Tell God thank you for everything He has given you and for everything He has done for you.

2nd Finger:
OOPS! - Tell God about how you may have messed up. Tell Him when you do something wrong and say "I'm sorry" to God.

3rd Finger:
I Need - Tell God what you need. God wants to know how He can help you every day. Does He need to help a friend or family member feel better? Does He need to help you get along with a brother or sister?

4th Finger:
I Want - What do you want God to do for you? Do you want Him to help you be a better student? Do you want Him to help you be a better friend? God can help you.

The children seemed to really understand what they were learning. I gave them a hand with the words printed on each finger.

What else should we know about prayer?
1. The Bible teaches us to pray in Jesus' name.
“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” John 14:13-14

2. Jesus is our mediator. Children may not understand what "mediator" means, but when I taught them, I explained that when we pray to God, Jesus is in-between and he "hands" or "gives" the prayer to God.
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" 1 Timothy 2: 5

3. End in Amen. Amen means "so be it". Many examples of prayer ending with Amen are in the Bible.

I'm grateful for the avenue of prayer God gave us as a way of communicating with Him. Visit Heavenly Homemakers to see what others are grateful for on this GRATITUESDAY.