Practical Prayer
eSession 7

Whether you prefer personal conversational style prayer favored by many today or the more formal prayers preferred by many of older faith traditions - what really matters is that you open the dialogue with God today!

Jesus taught that when we pray God answers us: "When you pray, believe you will receive answers and you will have them" (Mark 11:34, Mathew 7:7). So now you may be asking: are they any formats which help us to cover all the bases when we pray? Several theologians have suggested a format known as ACTS:

A - Acknowledge God as your loving creator who has every power in the universe to teach and assist you. Acknowledge God as the source of all blessings.

C - Confess your short comings. If you need to ask for forgiveness or just ask for help this is the time to do it.

T - Thank God that he is listening when we ask (1John 5:14). Be sure to thank God for not only all your blessings, but for answering your prayer as well.

S - Supplicate. This means to ask God that all your needs be meet. Now, the question is, will they all be met? St. John seemed to think so, when in chapter 5 verse 14 he states God will at least listen if not answer our prayers when what we ask is in line with God's will.

So the next question, of course, is what is God's will? This is usually interpreted to mean what's truly good for you or any others which may be affected, even in the distant future, by your prayer. Your true needs may be radically different then "wants or desires." For instance, maybe you need good reliable care, a better job, or better house. You'd like to have a new BMW, a million dollars, and a mansion on the beach. You might like to have a more exciting partner, but what you really need is someone stable in your life. Therefore it becomes important to try to distinguish between your real needs and what may be fantasyland style desires, which will probably go unanswered.

The Role of Faith or Belief

Both St. Paul, St. James and Jesus himself instructed us to pray with extreme gratitude that our prayers have already been answered (Mark 11:24, James 1:6, Philippians 4-6). As we said earlier in this series, this means envisioning in our "minds eye" how we will react when our prayer is answered. We need to envision our face, our reactions, in fact we need to actually feel the reactions we will have when our prayer is answered. This shows God that we indeed have faith that our prayer will be answered. It also mobilizes all our other resources, including focused attention, our immune system, our subconscious mind and every other miraculous system that God has built into us to work harmoniously together in achieving the intentions that are in line with Gods will. Here's how bestselling authors Chester Tolson PhD and Harold Koenig M.D., describe this essential key to getting your prayers answered:

"...This same positive affirmation was an essential element in his (Jesus) healing. He would ask the people requesting healing if they believed he could heal them (Matt. 9:28). After the healing was completed, he would remind them that their faith had made them whole (Matt. 9:22). The very tradition and practice of prayer teaches us that faith is the primary requisite on our part.
What is faith?
A good and clear answer is:
Belief + Trust=Faith..."

• "The book of Hebrews has what many might say is the classic definition of Faith: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1).
  
• Substance means the real or essential part.
  
• Hope means the feeling that what is needed will happen.
  
• Evidence is something that tends to prove.
  In this classic definition, the Book of Hebrews seems to be literally saying that faith is the proof and assurance that the essential part of what we need will happen..."
  

-from "The Healing Power of Prayer" by, Chester Tolson, PH.D,
and Harold Koenig, M.D.

Last but not least, some closing thoughts and praying advice from "The Healing Power of Prayer"

"…Prayer is more than a spoken catharsis of our fears and needs at times of crisis or a vain repetition of words. Prayer is thoughtful expression and thoughtful listening. Our minds should be fully engaged when we are praying. We call this experience contemplation. This term comes from the word con meaning "with" or "together" and the word templum meaning "a place of dedication to God…"

"…The very best way to understand prayer is to pray. The very best way to learn how to pray is to practice it. The technique of prayer and the uses of aids in praying are secondary to the praying experience itself. Many faithful and sincere people have prayed for years without using any technique or sensory device. Whatever strategy is used, we must always remember the purpose: to keep our attention on God as we visit with him…"

Recomended Books on Prayer:

• Prayer is Good Medicine, by Larry Dorsey
• The Healing Power of Prayer, by Dr. Harold Koenig, MD
• The Complete works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer
  
• E.M. Bounds on Prayer, by E.M. Bounds
  
• Weapon Prayer, by E.M. Bounds
  
• Power Through Prayer, by E.M. Bounds
  
• How to Pray/Answers to Prayer, by E.M. Bounds
  
• Essentials of Prayer, by E.M. Bounds
  
• The Possibilities of Prayer, by E.M. Bounds