I think as leaders we would all agree that prayer is an important part of a leader’s spiritual life. While I have heard many sermons on the power of prayer and the importance of prayer, I have heard very few sermons on how to pray. Is it as simple as the child’s prayers, “Now I lay me down to sleep” or “God is great, God is good; let us thank Him for our food. By His hands we all are fed, give us Lord our daily bread. Amen”? Or does it have to be something more complex? How does one pray?
There are all sorts of suggestions on how to pray. One suggestion is “praying through the sanctuary” where you visualize each part of the ancient sanctuary and use that as cues for the various aspects of prayer.[1] You could also use the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-4) as a template for prayer. Ellen White describes prayer as “the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not that it is necessary in order to make known to God what we are, but in order to enable us to receive Him. Prayer does not bring God down to us, but brings us up to Him.”[2] If this is what prayer is, could there be a simple model of how to pray? This month, I would like to share with you a model for prayer that I have used that allows flexibility in my prayers yet also serves as a template to follow so my prayers don’t become just a laundry lists of needs and wants. It is summed up in four letters, each of which we will look at throughout this month.
A: Adoration
C: Confession
T: Thanksgiving
S: Supplication
This week I want to look at Adoration. Adoration is “the act of paying honor, as to a divine being; worship.”[3] In other words, adoration is worshipping God for who He is. This is different from Thankfulness; Adoration is worshipping God for who He is while Thankfulness is thanking him for what He has done. Adoration is recognition and worship of the character of God. Many times we glide over or omit this as a part of our prayers. But starting off our prayers by spending time just adoring God for who He is really sets the context for the rest of our time in prayer. If you need some help with this aspect of your prayer, read some of the Psalms to help you with the language of adoration. Some texts you might use are Psalm 5:7; Psalm 8:1; Psalm 46:1; and Psalm 101:1. Another method is using a familiar praise song and praying its lyrics. The point of this part of your prayer time is just to bask in the very presence of God and praise Him, adore Him for who He is.
When I start with Adoration, it helps me to focus the rest of my prayer time. Instead of being all about my needs, my wants, and my issues, prayer becomes about my heavenly Father. For some, Adoration may seem a bit artificial, a bit contrived. However, if you are longing for a deeper, more focused prayer life and connection with God, I challenge you to start your prayer time with Adoration, worshipping God for who He is. I know it will draw you closer to Him.
Conversation:
What attributes of God are you drawn to?
How has your prayer life changed by incorporating Adoration into your prayers?
[1] http://www.prayerpartners.com/HowTo/SanctuaryPrayer.htm
[2] Ellen Gould White, Steps to Christ (Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1892), 93.
[3] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/adoration?s=t
Recommended Book
For over two decades Too Busy Not to Pray has stood as a classic on prayer, helping Christians all over the world slow down to draw near to God. During those years, the world certainly hasn't slowed down. If anything, the pace, intensity and number of distractions have only increased. Brokenness and pain seem to have increased as well, with news of civil war, poverty, broken families and sex-trafficking touching us daily. The urgent need for prayer is clear, but busyness still keeps many of us from finding time to pray. Two truths haven't changed in all these years: God is the same powerful, just, holy God he's always been; and true prayer―prayer that changes us and allows us to participate in God's work in the world―can't happen on the fly. So Bill Hybels once again offers us his practical, time-tested ideas on slowing down to pray. Revised throughout and including a new introduction and new chapter on prayer and compassion for the world, this twentieth-anniversary edition of Too Busy Not to Pray calls both young and old to make prayer a priority, and broadens our vision for what our eternal, powerful God does when his people slow down to pray.