Learn to P.R.A.Y!

Prayer is important! It’s so important that in First Thessalonians, the apostle Paul tells believers to pray without ceasing. In other words, we are to always have an attitude of seeking God.

While the importance of prayer cannot be overstated, it’s also true that prayer can sometimes feel intimidating, especially if it’s a new practice. Sometimes we feel like we don’t know what to say, and so we try to sound overly spiritual or say the things that we think God wants to hear. But that’s not authentic. In prayer, God doesn’t want us putting up religious pretenses; He wants us to be ourselves and to share our real lives with Him. How do we do that? Where do we start? In this article, I will lay out a four-step process that you can use to begin to develop the regular habit of prayer. The acronym is P.R.A.Y. Get it? Let’s PRAY! :-D 

P: Praise (Psalm 100:4)

The first letter in our acronym is P, and this letter stands for praise.

Psalm 100:4 tells us to “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!”

This passage encourages believers to enter God‘s presence with an attitude of worship and praise. I think it is wise for us to begin our times of prayer with praise to God. God is so awesome and so worthy of all the praise we can give Him! In prayer, we can praise God primarily in two different ways: first, we praise God for who He is. We take time to worship God because He is our good, wise, and sovereign heavenly Father. This is our opportunity to simply love on God, not for what He does for us, but simply for who He is. However, we do not want to forget God’s good work. This leads to our second way of praising God: we thank Him for all that He’s done. God is good, and He has done good in our lives, and this is our opportunity to say thank you to God for His blessings. We praise God for the big things that He has done, like sending His Son, forgiving our sins, adopting us into His family, and giving our lives meaning and purpose. Honestly, we can never thank God enough for these things. And if this was all God ever did for us, it would be more than we deserve and more than enough, but God has done more! We also take time to thank God and praise Him for the small blessings that show up in our lives on a regular basis.

R: Repent (1 John 1:9)

The second letter in our acronym is R, and the R stands for repent.

1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The reality for all of us is that we commit sins. We are selfish, hurtful, and make bad choices. While it is true that one day, for the believer, sin will be no more, until that day comes we still wrestle with daily sin in our lives. For that reason, it is so important that when we come to God in prayer, we come with an attitude of repentance. Repentance simply means to own up to our sins and choose, with God‘s help, to go in a different direction. It’s clearing the air with God and asking for His help to go a better way. The good news that the apostle John reminds us of in the verse above is that when we confess our sins, God really is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us of our sins. That means that not only will God set us right, but He is willing to help us as we move forward. That is great news. When you come to God in prayer, come with an attitude of repentance, and as you do, you will experience His grace and find His help to live in a way that honors Him.

A: Ask (Philippians 4:6)

The third letter in our acronym is A, and it stands for ask.

Philippians 4:6 tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

The apostle Paul reminds us in Philippians that we don’t have to live a life consumed by worry. We can bring God our needs and our worries, knowing that He hears, that He cares, and that He is at work for good in our lives. So when you pray, bring your requests to God. Tell Him what you’re facing. Tell Him what you’re worried about. Tell Him what you need and ask for His help and His provision. God loves you and He cares about all the details of your life, the big things and the little things, and He wants you to bring your requests to Him.

Y: Yield (Romans 12:1)

The final letter in our acronym is Y, and it stands for yield.

In Romans 12:1, the apostle Paul pleads with believers, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

As we close our time of prayer, I think it’s important to follow the apostle Paul’s instructions in Romans and yield ourselves to God. This is another way of saying to surrender or to submit to God. Basically, it’s a way of saying to God that I want what You want for my life. In the same way that on the road a yield sign means that you stop and let the other driver go, in this instance, it means that I am going to stop trying to control my life and instead I am going to go ahead and let God be the leader. In prayer, it means that we, on a daily basis, say, “God, today I want Your will to be done in my life over and above my own.” When we consistently take this attitude with God, we will be amazed at all of the ways that God will use our lives for good. As He does, we will discover through our experience more and more that His plans and His ways are the best ways.

Yes, prayer can be intimidating, especially when you’re just getting started. But it doesn’t have to be! Using this acronym as a guide can help you get started in developing a regular prayer habit. Eventually, you won’t even need a format to follow; prayer will feel as natural as talking with a good friend.

That said, I hope the most important lesson that you take away from this article is this: DON’T WAIT! Don’t put off spending time with your heavenly Father for another minute. In fact, why don’t you stop reading this article right now and go to your heavenly Father in prayer! He loves you and is waiting for you!

I’m cheering for you!

Pastor Chris