Prayer

What does a healthy prayer life look like for you? How often do you engage in conversation with your Heavenly Father? How often is it one-sided? Do you go looking for His still small voice? Do you know where to look for Him?

Too often there is a list of requests with an “Amen” at the end. Did you know there is a model prayer for us in Matthew 6:9-13? The verses are:

“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ‘Your kingdom come, Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. ‘Give us this day our daily bread. ‘And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment]. ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’ (Amplified Bible)

There is also instruction in Philippians 4:6. The verses are:

Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. (Amplified Bible)

A good acronym to use for prayer is ACTS:

Adoration: To start, tell God all the wonderful things you love about Him personally! (Isaiah 9:6 is a good place to look at names/attributes of God).
Confession: Next, tell God your sins by asking forgiveness to start a change in your heart. (James 5:16 encourages a step more to tell others so you may have healing and restoration. I also believe this builds a bridge of accountability.)
Thanksgiving: Then, put your heart in a place of gratitude by reminding God (and yourself) of all the things He has already done for you and your family. (I Thessalonians 5:18 reminds us to be thankful no matter our circumstance; remember it is temporary.) 
Supplication: Lastly, ask God specifically and for His will. (Psalm 86:6 asks God to hear attentively to the voice of supplication and Mark 14:36b reminds us that we should ultimately want His will above our own.)

This post is a precursor to a series I am sharing about Scripture(s) I am circling my family and myself in during this season of our journey. On my page Daughter of God, I will provide links to each subtitle in this series for anyone interested to refer back to quickly.