Continuing where I left off last week, I want to share another prayer model that has helped me make prayer a bigger part of my daily routine. It's all about balance.
Once a year, I and some friends from high school and college years get together for a trip out of town. It's a chance to get out of town, reconnect with the guys, do something fun, play cards and games, etc. Oh... and eat a bunch of less-than-healthy food.
I'm not sure how or why the annual menu developed the way it did, but most years you will find the following items dominating the food budget for the weekend: Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, Cheetos, frozen eclair pastry desserts, Oreos, oven pizzas, burgers or steaks, bratwurst, eggs, breakfast sausage, and pancake mix. Some years we'll get stuff for Philly sandwiches. Wives usually send along some homemade cookies. Shockingly scarce on the weekend menu: fruit and vegetables. And the result is, I usually come home feeling a little ill, excited to eat a good salad and detox from sugar and meat for a while. It didn't used to bother me in my twenties or early thirties. These days, though...
My point is this: in many areas of life, there's a healthy balance to be found between different options. A balanced diet... a balance of work and rest... a balance between reading for enjoyment and reading for enrichment... a balance of time with others and time alone...
I think this applies in how we pray, too. Our prayer time can be a dynamic, multifaceted, thriving conversation with God. Or it can feel dull, bland, unbalanced. One tool that has helped me think through a balanced approach to prayer is the ACTS prayer model.
The ACTS prayer model is easy to remember, because it uses the title of a well-known book of the Bible as an acronym for four components of a balanced prayer. They are as follows:
A: Adoration - Spend time in praise of God. I think this is the best way to start prayer, personally, because it frames the conversation: God is good. He blesses and cares for us in countless ways. He has created all that is around us. When I start prayer time adoring God in response to all of this, I am less likely to treat God like a genie who gives me what I want whenever I want it, or a malevolent being intent on putting me in my place or punishing me for my sins. It helps me remember who God really is.
C: Confession - Spend time confessing to God. Remember that confession isn't about feeling guilty before God: it's about acknowledging how much we need him! It's about getting stuff out in the open, clearing the air, so to speak. The strongest relationships are built on open and honest communication: we need to confess to God when we've messed up, so He can remind us that He loves us no matter what!
T: Thanksgiving - Spend time thanking God for the ways He is answering your prayers or simply surprising you with blessings. For the food on the table, the roof over your head, the friendships or relationships that sustain you, the breath in your lungs... whatever is bringing you joy or sustaining you, thank God for it. He's the giver of all good things.
S: Supplication - Finally, ask God for help. Whatever you need, you can ask Him to meet that need. Then ask God to help those around you. This, of course, works best when you are actively asking friends and family members, "How can I pray for you?" Create a list, and use this time of your prayer to go through that list.
One thing I've noticed is missing from the ACTS prayer: listening. I've found it so helpful in my prayer time to just pause and be silent. Sometimes the Holy Spirit brings to my mind other reasons to adore, confess, thanks, or supplicate. That's another balance: speaking to and listening to God in prayer.
My prayer is that God would show His presence to you as you pray.
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