Types of Prayer
Guides to Prayer
To help guide your prayer us the acronym A.C.T.S. or expound on a prayer that you already know.
A.C.T.S. (Spend time on each of the categories of A.C.T.S. as you pray.)
Adoration – worship or honor God as God. Giving God “credit” for being God.
Confession – Being real with God and admitting to sin. Asking and accepting forgiveness.
Thanksgiving – Seeing God at work in your life and the life of others and offer thanks.
Supplication – asking humbly and earnestly for your concerns and for the concerns of others.
EXPOUNDING (Taking a known prayer, usually a familiar one, and adding to it. For example, The Lord’s Prayer)
HELPFUL WAYS TO GROW IN PRAYER
Prayer is communication with God. People communicate in different ways. Continue to explore different ways to praying and find those that will enrich and deepen your communication with God.
- Alarm / Trigger – use an alarm clock, timer, or other trigger (bell at school, red lights, airplane, etc.), to be a short time of prayer.
- Journal – Use one page a day to write down your prayers. Helps keep prayers focused, opportunity to see God more clearly, is an encouragement for the future, and helps to sort out life.
- Prayer List – List the people, places, situations you want to keep in prayer and use the list to guide your prayer.
- Track Prayer Request – Brief Description of Request – Answer(s) to the Request
- Prayer Time – Make a specific time (and place) to pray.
- Meditate – Read a piece of Scripture and focus on God’s word. Empty out yourself and fill yourself with God.
- Partner – Find someone to pray with or someone to hold you accountable to praying.
- Team – Ask several people to be praying for you as you commit to growing in prayer. Consider finding a time for your team to meet together and pray.
- Creative – Put action to prayer. Pray while you dance or paint.
Remember:
- Prayer is a lifelong journey of growth.
- Be spontaneous and pray continually.
- Pray for one topic at a time.