Prayer is communication between a Father and His children. In one sense, that is all there is to it. When prayer seems difficult, and we feel unworthy of asking the Almighty Creator God to answer our seemingly mundane requests, we would do well to remember that Fathers want to talk with their children; and most parents will tell you that the communication is much more important than the topic.

With God, however, prayer is not limited by words, but it is a touching of our spirit, with the Holy Spirit of God, that leads us into relationship with the Father. This means that we don't need to put into words, but can simply open our heartfelt thoughts and emotions to our Father God. But how can this be, you might ask? Why would God allow himself to be pestered by millions of prayer requests from us?

The answer is that prayer is a gift. God has given each and every one of us the opportunity to address him directly. Moreover, not only is prayer a gift in itself, but God answers prayers with further gifts. Jesus teaches "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him". John writes in his epistle, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." As a child of God you are invited to come boldly before His throne.

We would do well to remember that the gift of prayer is given out of God's generosity, and not because we have earned it. Sinners as well as saints can pray. Because the gift of prayer is a gift from the Almighty Creator, we come into prayer with reverence, and will often start with praise and thanksgiving, focusing on who God is. But because he is also our Father, we need not fear Him, but can know that God loves us with a greater depth and intensity than any human being is capable of.

Why should we pray? Prayer brings the power of God to bear on the situations that we are concerned about. Prayer is one of the ways that God is able to work in our lives and in the lives of others, and it opens new possibilities. So we can freely bring all of our concerns, our thoughts and desires, our hurts and our needs to Him, knowing that He is our loving Father, who wants to hear from us.


Pointers for Prayer : If you've not prayed regularly before, then you might like to start with some of the "prayers to pray" we have included on the site. However, do feel that you can also pray using your own words. You might also feel that a pattern for prayer would be helpful, and we have included one on this site. This includes four elements common to most prayer pattern.
 

One structure for prayer is given by the acronym "ACTS", representing adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication or intercession. This is one order, where we start off focusing on who God is, and praising him for that. Others find a CATS pattern helpful, beginning by clearing out of the way the things that sadden God in our lives, before we can go onto praise him. Let's look briefly at each in turn :
Adoration is to adore God, to worship him and to fulfil the commandment to love him with all of our heart, mind and soul. As we spend time in adoration, we praise God for who He is - our Creator, our Sustainer and our Redeemer.

Confession allows us to clear away the things in the relationship between you and God which are displeasing to Him. All of us have sinned. St John writes in his epistle "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (I Jn 1:8,9)

Thanksgiving. From childhood we are brought up to say "Thank You" when someone does something for us, or gives us a gift. Each moment God is blessing us, every minute we can recall the wonderful things that God has done for us, and the gifts that we have been given. And so, we need to be constantly thanking God for his blessings. In writing to Timothy, Paul makes it clear that we also need to be giving thanks for everyday, worldly things " I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." 1 Tim 2:1.

Supplication or Intercession. Finally we come to ask God for our needs and the needs of others. There are many demands on our prayer time - many topics and issues that we could pray for, so we need to choose, and to be specific.

Pray for others. In the epistles of St Paul, we read of him praying for those he has led to faith, and asking them also to pray for him. So, you too can pray for other Christians, and encourage them to pray for you. Pray for your family members, and for neighbours and friends. It's also good to pray for those who don't know Jesus to come to faith - many Christians have come to believe in Christ through the prayers of others.

Pray for world issues : for peace in difficult situations, for leaders and those in influential positions, for global issues such as care of God's environment, justice for the poor, relief of suffering in less developed countries, and other issues that come to you.

Pray for your own needs too. It's easy to neglect this, but Jesus encourages us to do so in the Lord's Prayer - the model for prayer that He gave us.

Pointers for Prayer : The ACTS pattern - Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication - has been a helpful structure for many Christians. You can either use this pattern in an unstructured prayer time, or you could use a daily pattern for prayer that combines a structure with the freedom to pray by yourself..
 

 

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