Teach Us To Pray

In our Tuesday morning women's study at my church, we gather in small groups to watch a video teaching session and discuss five days of lessons provided in the study by Priscilla Shirer on The Armor of God. It focuses on each of the six pieces of spiritual armor listed in Ephesians 6:10-17 and then adds a seventh piece: prayer (vs. 18-19), which holds all the armor together.

I'd highly recommend the study and would like to share an excerpt, one prayer strategy, based on the acronym P.R.A.Y.

P - Praise

Gratitude to God for who He is and what He's already done should thread throughout every prayer, because ultimately His name and His fame are the only reasons any of this matters.

R - Repentance

Expect prayer to expose where you're still resisting Him - not only resisting His commands, but resisting the manifold blessings and benefits He gives to those who follow. Line your (prayer) strategies with repentance: the courage to trust, and turn, and walk His way.

A - Asking

Make your requests known. Be personal and specific. Write down details of your own issues and difficulties as they relate to the broader issue (of standing against the enemy), as well as how you perhaps see the enemy's hand at work in them or where you suspect he might be aiming next.

Y - Yes

"All of God's promises," the Bible says, "have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding 'Yes!'" (2 Cor. 1:20, NLT). You may not understand everything that is happening in your life right now, but any possible explanation pales in comparison to what you do know because of your faith in God's goodness and assurances. So allow your prayer to be accentuated with His own words from Scripture, His promises to you that correspond to your need. There is nothing more powerful than praying God's own Word. Because even at the mention of His name, the enemy buckles in certain defeat.

- Shirer, Priscilla; The Armor of God, p. 192. Lifeway Press, Nashville.

As you craft your prayers, be authentic, personal and intentional. May it become a habit for your life to praise, repent, ask and receive His "Yes!"