Lord, teach us to pray.
James 5: 13 (Amplified Bible)
Hello Friend,
Sometimes I wonder just how long we suffer with a situation before we think to pray. We complain. We grumble. We tell our friends. And, as a last resort, we tell God. Why do you suppose we do that?
Our scripture in James goes on to say, “Is anyone glad at heart? He should sing praise [to God]. Is anyone among you sick? He should call in the church elders (the spiritual guides). And they should pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Lord’s name.” Do you know what that tells me? In all situations, we should pray. When you have a problem, when you have a need, when someone hurts your feelings, when you are sick, when you are discouraged, or when someone you love is suffering, pray. If you are not sure how to pray, here are some suggestions to enrich your prayer life. A formula prayer that I learned quite some time ago is: PRAY.
Petitions (praying for self and others) I like to use this formula because when I am troubled, I need to get my worries off my chest first. I cannot concentrate on adoration or praise when I am burdened down by a load of care.
Repentance After I have poured my heart out to God, then my focus is on confession.
Adoration During this time, I like to listen to or sing praise choruses.
Yes This is perhaps the most difficult part of praying for most of us. It is simply saying as Jesus did, “Not my will, but thy will be done.” Accepting God’s answer and not giving him any “Yes, buts.”
Lord, teach us to pray! Linda