Biblical Models of Prayer

I don’t know about you, but I can often make things more difficult than they need to be especially in regards to my spiritual life and prayer.  I am a self professed doctrine nerd, so digging into doctrine and studying scripture is something I like to do and comes easier or more natural to me than prayer.  I want to over complicate prayer when scripture gives us several examples and models that we can use to pray.

Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9-13

Jesus urges us to begin prayer with praise for God.  He then shows us to ask for daily needs, the forgiveness of sins, and the strength to avoid temptation.

We also see a Jesus request for God’s will to be done and be accomplished. We must acknowledge that He alone is in control and have an attitude that above anything, we want the Lord's will.

Nehemiah 1

This passage gives us a model for prayer that takes the focus off of ourselves and our needs and first puts the focus on God.

• Adoration- Spend time adoring the LORD.  Who is He?  Which of His attributes is present, real, and apparent in your life today? Who does Scripture say He is?
• Thanksgiving- Thank Him for not only who He is but for what He has done.
• Confession- Lay out your sin before Him.
• Petition- You have praised him for who He is, thanked Him for what He has done, and confessed your sin, now bring your requests before Him.

Praying Scripture

Throughout the New Testament we see numerous examples of praying Scripture back to the Father.  One example is in Acts 4, where we see the early church praying the words of Psalm 2.

Other Suggestions:

• Journaling: For years I have written out my prayers in a journal.  I am more consistent with it sometimes than others, but I love having the journals to go back to and remember how God grew me through a situation.
• Praying out loud: Do you have a conversation with your best friend in your head? I know that we can’t always pray out loud, but for me it helps keep me focused and it makes it more personal.
• Get alone with God: We can approach God anytime, anywhere, but we need to make sure that we are spending focused time in prayer where we are alone with God.
• Schedule a meeting: Put an unbreakable appointment on your calendar to spend time in prayer.
• Get on your knees: It is a position of humility and surrender and can reflect the position of our heart.