Last Sunday I preached from 2 Kings 19:14-19 Hezekiah’s prayer. During my sermon I wanted to present a prayer structure that has helped me in prayer. Unfortunately time did not allow – so here it is! Prayer structure using the acronym “ACTS”, when you pray start with:
Adoration – take a moment adore God, to worship him and to fulfil the commandment to love him with all of our heart, mind and soul. Spend time in adoration,praise God for who He is – our Creator, our Sustainer and our Redeemer, our Friend.
Confession – This allows us to clear away the things in the relationship between you and God which are displeasing to Him.All of us have sinned. 1 John 1:8-9 says “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.”
Thanksgiving – 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. Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Supplication – 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.