Prayer is an absolutely essential element in the life of the Christian. The Christian cannot live a successful Christian life without spending time with God in prayer on a regular basis. While the Bible tells us that Christians should pray without ceasing (thus, be constant in prayer), the Bible also tells us that the Christian must set aside time to pray.
Nevertheless, the Christian must not simply set aside time to pray; he must also grow in his understanding of how to pray and what to expect during his times of prayer. The best way to do such a thing is to examine the Scriptures and study the topic of prayer as it is presented within the Word.
However, before we get into the details, it must never be assumed that prayer should be mechanical, rather like a mathematical equation. There are good helps out there for the Christian – for example, the ACTS model of prayer (which teaches the Christian that adoration comes first, then confession of sin, followed by thanksgiving, and finally supplication).
The ACTS model of prayer can be very helpful, but it should never but turned into something that it was not intended to be or into mere formalism. The Christian must never assume that unless he follows the path of the ACTS model, God will not listen to his prayers (or something of that nature). The ACTS model is merely meant to assist the Christian during his time of prayer.
When someone looks into the Bible, he will see that prayers are offered up to God in many different ways and with many different structural forms. However, it is a great benefit for the Christian to take note of the many prayers and study the ways in which prayers are offered to God. God has given us His Word, and in it, the Christian can learn how to pray in a way that is pleasing in God’s sight.
Adoration
Adoration is an essential element of prayer. In Acts 4:23-31, Peter and John had recently been released from a large group of Jews who had sought to hold council against them. After being released, Peter and John met up with their friends and told them of the news which had recently taken place. Upon hearing the news, it is stated that the people present began to pray. It is recorded that their prayer started with adoration. Scripture says that they prayed, “… Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is…” (Acts 4:24) . Here, we see an element of adoration. However, we may have put the cart in front of the horse.
You may be wondering to yourself, “What is adoration?” Adoration carries the meaning of adoring God. (Even the word “adore” itself can be seen in the word adoration.) However the suffix “tion” consists of action. Thus, adoration is the action of adoring God. Adoration speaks of showing respect to God and recognizing His greatness and Who He is. When the people prayed and stated that the Lord is God, they were showing and expressing adoration toward God. They also went on to recognize God as Creator and by doing so, they continued to express adoration toward God.
God is honored when He is properly adored. Take note of the Lord’s Prayer as recorded in Matthew 6:9-13. Have you thought much about how the prayer starts? It starts with adoration. Jesus instructs us that we ought to pray with a recognition of our Father in heaven and a desire that God’s name be hallowed.
Scripture
As the prayer of the early saints continues, we can see another helpful element of prayer that must be noted. Scripture says they prayed, “Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ” (Acts 4:25-26) . This portion of Scripture was actually quoted from Psalm 2:1-2. Thus, we can see a fulfillment of Psalm 2 in the life of Jesus Christ.
However, we can also see the way in which praying Scripture can be an edifying approach to prayer. The Bible makes it clear that God answers prayers according to His will. The question must naturally arise, “How can we know the will of God?” While more could be said on the matter, the greatest place the Christian can know the will of God is through God’s Word. There is a secret will of God that belongs only to the Lord (Deut. 29:29), but God has given us His Word, and we are called to live by it. Therefore, if the Christian desires to have a vibrant prayer life, he must learn to pray according to Gods Word. This may include praying Scripture at times, much like the early saints did (as seen in Acts 4:25-26). Another example of praying Scripture can also be seen in Nehemiah 1:8-9.
Retelling
While God knows all things, it is not wrong to tell God what has happened in a particular event. For instance, if you are finding it hard to read His Word and there are reasons as to why this is so, it is not wrong to tell Him about it, although He already knows. In actuality, the Bible tells us that we should indeed spend time talking to God about it. God is the Father of the Christian, and He delights in the Christian’s speaking with Him. Simply because a father may already know some of the events of his son’s life, this does not mean that the father should not or would not delight in his son’s telling him about it.
The early saints knew that they could talk to their Father. Scripture says, “For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done” (Acts 4:27-28) . The people were not telling God something God didn’t already know. Nevertheless, they knew that they could talk about their affliction with the Lord, and God delighted in their prayers.
Request
Eventually, the people moved to making a request. It is a good idea to pray with a proper balance. Sometimes, there is a tendency in prayer to rush to making requests. However, the Christian will never be contented in whatever God so chooses to do unless the Christian grows in areas of adoration and thankfulness in prayer. The Christian must learn to be content in Who God is and what God has already given, or he can make all the requests in the world and they will never satisfy him.
Nevertheless, the people prayed, “And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus” (Acts 4:29-23) . God also desires that the Christian would turn to Him for help and blessing. When approaching God rightly, making requests of God is actually a humble act. The Christian must recognize his need for God and the fact that all good things come from above. This is the type of heart with which requests should be made.
God’s presence
When the saints finished their prayer, it is said that the place in which they were praying shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. While the Christian may not make a house shake during his time of prayer, it should be noted that the presence of God is also to be sought in prayer. The Christian must not get in the habit of praying because he ought to or because it is simply what the Bible tells him to do. The Christian should be seeking the presence of God in prayer. Moses recognized that he wouldn’t move apart from the presence of God. So should the Christian seek the manifest presence of God in His life, as well, and He must rejoice when God so graciously gives of Himself.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You for the gift and privilege of prayer. I thank You that You are a God Who delights in hearing the prayers of Your children. Help me to pray and to honor You in my prayers. In Jesus’ name, Amen.