A Simple Prescription for Effective Prayer

One of the essential, yet mysterious parts of a growing relationship with God is something called prayer. We find it in many forms: long, eloquent public orations by very religious-sounding individuals; very formalized liturgy repeated every Sunday in some congregations; very simple, humble expressions of men, women and children. All hoping to connect with the divine.

Prayer is something we all know we should do, but many of us would agree, “It’s so hard!” Where’s the best place to pray? The proper posture for praying? What are the right words to use? It seems so mysterious, especially seeking to commune with Someone we can’t see or touch.

 

Workshops, even entire conferences, are devoted to the subject of prayer. Countless books have been written on the topic. And yet many of us continue to ask, “What is the right way to pray?”

 

I’ll never claim to be an expert on prayer. It’s something I know I should do more, probably with greater fervency. But when I find myself stumbling around, trying to get past a prayerful roadblock, I often resort to a simple formula for prayer that I learned years ago:

A – adoration

C – confession

T – thanksgiving

S – supplication

 

There are many other approaches that can be used, but this one seems to put things into their proper perspective. By starting with adoration – or praise – we place our focus on God, rather than whatever we think we need or desire for Him to provide. 

 

Confession effectively cleans the slate as we take to the Lord our sins – acts of disobedience or rebellion that create “static” and interfere with or disrupt our communication with the God of all creation.

 

Thanksgiving is grateful recognition of who God is, as well as acknowledgement of what He has already done and what we trust He will do in response to our prayerful requests.

 

Then the “supplication” portion comes, even though we’re tempted to start our prayers with that. Years ago, a man I worked with observed that sometimes as we pray, we act as if God were a spiritual “short-order cook,” serving up whatever we select from the “menu.” Preceding our requests by adoration, confession and thanksgiving puts us into a more worshipful frame of mind. We can find ourselves more aligned with the Lord and His will. Sometimes this might even change what we ask for – or how we ask.

 

We can find this simple model or something like it many places in the Bible, but one special example is found in the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. This cupbearer for King Artaxerxes of Persia had learned about the ruined state of his hometown before exile, Jerusalem in Israel. The distressing news caused him to sit down and weep.

 

Feeling compelled to personally engage in the repair of the once-proud city’s walls and gates, Nehemiah knew he would need the king’s permission. However, before approaching Artaxerxes with the uncertainty of how he would respond, the royal servant first turned to God in prayer. Recorded in Nehemiah 1:5-11, he began by addressing “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands.”

 

Next Nehemiah prayed, “I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you….” He then recounted God’s promise to restore His people and “bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name….”

 

Only then did Nehemiah get to the matter at hand, his wish to lead the extensive rebuilding of the Lord’s holy city: “O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man [Artaxerxes].” 

 

When asked why he looked so sad, Nehemiah received the opportunity to express to the king what had happened to the city, but silently preceded his explanation with another brief prayer to God for His wise direction. Artaxerxes did authorize his cupbearer to undertake the ambitious project, even assisting with needed resources and protection.

 

This is just one biblical illustration, but it shows that prayer is simply honest, sincere communication with God. In one sentence, Philippians 4:6 offers a summation of this process: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Couple this with the concise admonition of 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “pray without ceasing,”and we have a prescription for prayer that enables us to cut through unnecessary religious red tape.

 

Prayer is a privilege the Lord extends to His children as our Abba Father. Jesus Christ, by His once-for-all atoning sacrifice, has made it possible for us to “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). This is something we can “ACTS” upon with abounding joy. 

A Practical Template for Undertaking Critical Projects

We spend much of our everyday lives going through the motions: Waking up, making breakfast, getting cleaned up, fixing the bed. Going to work, whether that means riding in the car (or a bus or a train) or just moving to the next room and the computer for another day at the home office. Driving to the grocery store and collecting what’s on the shopping list. Turning on the TV and seeing if there’s anything worth watching.

 

Sometimes, however, important tasks or projects arise, ones that can’t be carried out without some intentionality. It might be the need for a major, unexpected purchase; the necessity to “reset” plans that have been in place for a while, or the realization that an important project can’t be delayed any longer. Something must be done, but where do you start?

 

I enjoy reading the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, which tells about the trusted cupbearer for King Artaxerxes of Persia. A brother had told Nehemiah about the sorry state of once-proud Jerusalem, its wall broken down and gates burned. Even though he had spent most or all of his life in Persia as an Israelite exile, Nehemiah still viewed the ancient city as his homeland. 

 

Grieving over its devastation, he resolved something had to be done. How Nehemiah proceeded can serve as a template for any complex endeavors we need to undertake. Piggybacking on some points made recently by radio pastor Alistair Begg, here’s a synopsis of the process Nehemiah followed:

 

Prayerful preparation. It’s often said, “When all else fails…pray.” However, Nehemiah resorted to prayer beforehand, to ensure that he wouldn’t fail. “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4). The passage then recaps the cupbearer’s eloquent prayer, including corporate confession of the Israelites’ rebellious sins and a request for success when he approached the Persian king with his concerns.

 

Common sense. Even though he desperately wanted to leave ASAP for Jerusalem, Nehemiah knew such an impulsive move wouldn’t sit well with King “Art.” Instead, he elected to just go about his duties, providing wine for the king as usual, and waited for his highness to make the first move. “I had not been sad in his presence before, so the king asked me, ‘Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.’” 

 

Given an opening, Nehemiah explained, “…Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” To which Artaxerxes responded, “What is it you want?” (Nehemiah 2:1-3). Even then, before blurting out what he desired to do, Nehemiah returned momentarily to step 1 and prayed for God’s direction and blessing on his request.

 

Wise man. Too often we make our move and then think, “Oops, forgot to pray first. All right, um, God, please bless my decision?” And we wonder why sometimes our best-laid plans go awry.

 

Careful thought. Once Nehemiah had told the king about his intent to return to Jerusalem to see about doing an extreme makeover, and received the king’s go-ahead, the valued cupbearer already had a clear plan of action in mind, including where to obtain the necessary materials and resources. It wasn’t just a pipedream – Nehemiah had even considered the kinds of pipes he would need. (Okay, what he needed was a supply of timbers, not pipes, along with official documents to ensure his safe travel.)

 

Sensible action. Once he arrived at Jerusalem, Nehemiah discovered the city’s condition was not as bad as he had thought – it was worse. Initially, he revisited steps 1-3, prayerfully assessing the extent of the damage and then formulating a specific strategy before presenting his ideas to the city officials who had remained there. “Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem….’ I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, ‘Let us start rebuilding.’ So they began this good work” (Nehemiah 2:17-18).

 

The rest of the book tells of the opposition Nehemiah and the builders faced, and how they took courage and stayed on task, amazingly completing the reconstruction in 52 days. During the entire time, his and others’ prayers continued to seek God’s strength, wisdom and blessing on their labors.

Are you confronting a major challenge at work – or in your home? Are you facing a critical decision that could have a huge impact on your future? You might consider following Nehemiah’s process of prayerful preparation, common sense, careful thought and then, sensible action. It’s one that has been utilized countless times to great success.