I. Prayer to enter the Lord’s presence:
Be still for a moment. “Lord, I give the day that is now past to you. It is yours. I give the day that is to come to you; help me to see where you are working and to join you there. Speak to me during these moments. I commit them and myself to you.”
II. Prayer of Confession:
“Lord, you are faithful to forgive me and cleanse me of my sin when I confess it to you. I confess my sin(s) of ______________. Thank you for forgiveness.” (1 John 1:9)
III. Prayer of Thanksgiving:
Choose to be thankful, speak out loud of what God has done.
“Thank you, Father, for _________________. Fill my heart and my mouth with gratitude throughout this day.”
IV. Scripture Reflection
Read: Proverbs Chapter 15
Reflect:
Proverbs 15:8 & 29
8 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the Lord,
but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
29 The Lord is far from the wicked,
but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
I was encouraged as I read over verses 8 and 29. Here’s how The Passion Translation handles these verses: “…Every prayer of his godly lovers is pleasing to his heart.” (verse 8) and “…he’s moved to answer the prayers of his godly lovers.” (verse 29)
Did you catch that—the Lord hears and delights in our prayers!
Think about that for a moment. God, the one who is aware of all that happens, knows the hearts of all people, controls all things—He hears and delights in our prayers! Oh my! Wow, how rich is that reality!
Prayer simply means to commune with God. It’s to cry out to Him, to bring your requests and concerns before the Almighty. It’s vital to a healthy relationship with God. It’s something we should cultivate and maintain, and we should make it a priority in our lives. Prayer is supposed to be like breathing, easier to do than not to do.
When you read through the New Testament, you find Jesus praying no less than 25 different times. In Paul’s writings, he mentions prayer some 41 times. And best of all, Jesus even tells us how we should pray! (Luke 11:1-4)
Listen, if you want to connect with God, then start with prayer. He doesn’t want symbolic acts of worship. We’ll never be able to earn His favor. What He wants is simple: He wants you! He wants your heart.
Think about what it’s like to love someone. That love is based on a relationship, it’s not based on all the things you do. Love grows as you share your heart with that person. And how does that person get to know your heart? It’s through time talking and sharing what’s going on inside of you. That’s what God wants; He wants your heart. So, don’t complicate things, do away with any sense of earning His favor, and then do what Jesus said to do: love God and love others.
Respond:
Now, with all this in mind, simply tell God what’s on your mind. Tell Him how much you love Him. Maybe you need to say you’re sorry to Him. If you need direction concerning a decision, ask Him to give it to you. If you’re confused, hurting, or maybe even feeling like He’s not listening, tell Him. He’s big enough to handle anything you might have to say. The important thing is that you talk with Him. And as you speak with Him, know that He hears and delights in your prayer.
V. Prayer for others:
Pray specifically for the concerns of your life and the lives of others.
VI. Prayer of commitment:
“Lord God, I commit to love you with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength and with all my mind and to love my neighbor as myself. Empower me today to love you and others with everything that I am.” (Luke 10:27)
This Week’s Scripture Memory:
Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.