Prayer is often seen by some as hard, intimidating or even just another form of meditation. Nothing could be further from the truth. My father provided what, to this day, is the most comprehensive and succinct definition of prayer I have heard:
“Prayer is talking with God, through Jesus Christ, with the help of Holy Spirit.” ~ Bishop T. A. Clark, Jr.
There is nothing hard or intimidating about that and it certainly goes beyond meditation. Prayer is a conversation with God that is facilitated by Jesus and we have the assurance of assistance and answers from Holy Spirit. As a matter of fact, that there are times Holy Spirit will even pray on our behalf.
Romans 8:26Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. 27He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. 28That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. The Message (MSG)
In light of that, I have some good news and some even better news.
First the good news: God desires to have a conversation with us. He not only wants to hear from us, there are some things He would like to tell us. That is good news!
Now the even better news: Prayer is not complicated! It cannot get any better than that!
With that in mind, here are four steps to praying specific prayers (as found in Acts 4:24 – 30):
- Begin By Telling God How Awesome He Is (Acts 4:24)
The saints in Acts 4 began their prayer by telling God that He had power to make everyone and everything. That certainly qualifies Him to be called Awesome!
We do not tell God how awesome He is to inform Him of His power. We state how awesome He is to remind ourselves that we can depend on God. We are praying to The Creator and not just another part of creation.
- Tell God What Is Written In The Bible (Acts 4:25 – 26)
The saints in Acts 4 quoted what King David said about God. This is called putting God in remembrance of His Word.
We do not tell God what He said and/or has done in His Word to help Him remember what He can do. We pray the Word of God back to Him to help build our faith. Our faith is established and strengthened by confessing God’s Word (Romans 10:17). Regardless of what we may face, prayers that include a confession of God’s past victories always help place our current situation into perspective.
- Honestly Tell God What We Desire To Share With Him (Acts 4:29a)
The saints in Acts 4 were vulnerable and transparent. They told God the specific threat they were facing.
This is not to say that the only time we speak with God is when we have a problem. This step is included to inform some, and remind others, that we can be vulnerable and transparent when talking with God. He actually prefers it that way. We can tell Him about our temptations, anxiety, frustrating co-worker(s), family matters, etc. There is no secret formula or flowery words that make our prayers more meaningful; just share your heart. God, The One Jesus called “Our Father”, is listening for the call of His children.
If you do not yet know Him as “Father”, be vulnerable and begin the relationship by praying what His Word says in Romans 3: 22 The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. 23 Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. 24Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ. The Message (MSG)
Also pray Romans 10:9Say the welcoming word to God—“Jesus is my Master”—embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. 10With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!” The Message (MSG)
If you just stated that to God in sincerity, you have become His child! Welcome to the family my new sister! Welcome to the family my new brother! I encourage you to attend a Bible teaching church to continue this new and wonderful journey.
- Tell God What You Are Believing He Will Help You Accomplish (Acts 4:29b – 30)
The saints in Acts 4 wanted boldness to disciple others and that God would manifest Himself in a specific way.
Prayer is not a gift wish list that we present to God. Through prayer, we have a wonderful opportunity to be part of the solution to help build and encourage others. People around the world are in need of God. God, through prayer, can help us maximize our time, talent and treasure to benefit others for His kingdom.
Your Turn:
What would you add to this list?
What have your witnessed God do when you have prayed specific prayers?
P. S. While you are here, I invite you to check out an excerpt from my first book. It makes a wonderful gift!
