Prayer “Formula”

Ken and I have this ongoing “disagreement.”

We rarely have the television on (unless it’s sports, or we’re catching up on Ted Lasso), but when we do, he prefers there is no sound. I can’t begin to explain why, but the noise of the heater clicking on, the hum of the refrigerator, and the occasional growl of my stomach are excruciatingly deafening. (I know, it makes no sense.)

My desire for noise may be because I miss the commotion of when the kids were growing up, arguing over who knows what, rattling on at ninety miles an hour about what happened at school. The house was alive!

Thinking through this conundrum of conflict over silence on the patio early this morning, I sensed the Lord saying to me, “Yes, I miss the noise too! The sound of you talking nonstop at the end of your day telling me everything that happened.”

Being totally honest, I love my mornings of silence out in the backyard, watching the sun rise over the mountains and feeling like Jesus is right there on the chair next to me. I find myself throughout my day talking with Him. But rarely, by the time I close my eyes, am I still talking with Him. And yet, the Apostle Paul says “Pray continually.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Friends, I’m often asked what formula or setting should be created when we pray. Many of you learned formulas at some point in your life, such as ACTS or SOAP. While there is not a specific “formula” or time of day that we see modeled by Jesus, we can learn from His prayer life. Let’s take a look:

1. Jesus Prayed alone - “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” – Luke 5:16. As much as Jesus understood the value of praying with and for others, He also understood the need to pray alone. Psalm 46:10 reads, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Sometimes it’s important for us to “be still” before God, but the only way to do this, especially in our hectic culture, is to do so alone with God.
2. Jesus Prayed in Nature - Psalm 19:1 reads, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” What better place to connect with our Creator than among the wonders of nature? Luke 6:12 says, “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray.” He could have gone to a home, a synagogue or the temple but He chose to be in the vastness of creation.
3. Jesus Prayed for His Disciples - “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.” - John 17:9  
4. Jesus Prayed for Us - “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.” – John 17: 20
5. Jesus Prayed “As You Will” - In Matthew 26:39, when Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, “Yet not as I will, but as You will,” He was saying God is in control and knows what is good for us.

But the best example for prayer comes straight from Jesus. Matthew 6:5-15:

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today, our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”  

Friends, let’s model Jesus’ attitude and posture of prayer because His is the kingdom and the glory forever! Amen!

Pastor Pam

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