The theme of the sermon was while pastors teach many things, I wondered how much instruction they gave with regard to "how to pray."
This morning's devotional guide shared a process for praying:
- Begin by glorifying God. Praying such words will set a pattern for a life which glorifies God.
- Offer thanksgiving for all God has provided. Be general as well as specific.
- Confess. Acknowledge those ways in which you have fallen short of the glory God intends for you. Ask for healing to be delivered.
- Petitions for self, for loved ones, for neighbor, for the Church and for the world.
- Bring the prayer to an end by once more acknowledging God's readiness to hear, God readiness to respond. Glorify God once more.
Setting up an order for our prayers prevents us from treating the time with God as if it were a session of sitting on Santa Claus' lap. We are encouraged to remember that when we pray, we align ourselves with that great stream of faithful who have prayed through the centuries and around the world.
My prep for that sermon this summer (and the responses I got when it was shared) revealed to me that learning to pray is a difficult thing to do; more sadly, teaching others how to pray is not a class offered enough in most of our congregations. My prayer is that these few lines help.
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