Mom Heart Moments #10

Lord, teach us to pray.

FOR MANY YEARS, Clay has used a popular acronym to guide our family in prayer. We call it the ACTS of Prayer.

A —Adore Him. Coming before Him puts us in the right frame of mind —acknowledging His greatness and power as we come into His presence with our requests. A good place to start is Psalm 145, especially verses 8-21. We take time to praise Him for some of the attributes mentioned there.

C —Confess our sin. We come to Him to humble ourselves, asking His forgiveness for our own sins as well as for those of the church of Christ and our nation. First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Daniel confessing the sins of his whole nation is our model (Daniel 9:1-19).

T —Thanksgiving. This is where we remember what He has done personally to lead us, provide for us, and answer our prayers. We humbly recognize His great care. Psalm 95:1-3 gives us the pattern.

S —Supplication. We ask God to hear our requests and to answer what is on our hearts, according to His will. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7, KJV).

Times of crisis help us to understand that we are not in control of our lives and force us to cry out to Him. He wants us to seek Him and to ask for His will to be done in all circumstances —but times like these make it even more important and help us put the concerns of life in proper perspective. May all of us who believe around the world humbly seek His power and grace for our nations, and for His strength and glory to be more clearly seen.

When we spend time in prayer, He fills us with His own love and peace.

Have you taken time to teach your children how to pray? Share this acronym with them and use it to pray together!