New Life: Prayer

Lesson Reading

Prayer

Prayer is simply talking and listening to God. It is not a performance. You do not need fancy words. You are a child speaking to a Father who loves you and is glad to hear from you.

Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. (Matthew 6:9)

Jesus taught His followers to pray, and the whole Bible invites us to bring everything to God: our praise, our sins, our thanks, and our needs. One simple way to remember the shape of a healthy prayer life is the word ACTS.

  • Adoration. Begin by praising God for who He is. Tell Him He is holy, good, and worthy. This puts your heart in the right place before you ask for anything.

  • Confession. Tell God honestly where you have sinned. You are already forgiven in Christ, so you confess not to earn forgiveness but to walk in the light with your Father.

  • Thanksgiving. Thank God for what He has done. Name specific mercies. Gratitude guards your heart against grumbling.

  • Supplication. Now bring your requests. Pray for yourself, for others, for the lost, for the church. Ask boldly. God is a generous Father.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)

You do not need to pray for an hour. Start small and stay steady. Set aside a regular time, even five minutes, in the same place each day. Talk to God the way you would talk to someone you trust. Then learn to listen, by reading His Word right alongside your praying.

Prayer is a gift, not a duty. You get to speak to the God who made the universe, and He calls you His child. Begin today.