P.R.A.Y.I.N.G. Together
Prayer is not a formula, but it takes practice; you’re not striving for perfection but connection with the Holy Spirit. You’re not always going to be holier than thou and focused on spiritual things, therefore, it is good to have some guidance.
It’s also good to have a prayer journal to write down your prayers to be intentional and remember your conversations with Jesus.
I want to practice praying with you using the acronym P.R.A.Y.I.N.G. I started by saying that prayer is not a formula because it is not. The point of an acronym is to give guidance so that we are not a plastic bag blowing in the wind with no direction. The intention is for a stronger connection with Jesus.
The acronym helps you to focus more on a spiritual agenda, coming into alignment with the Holy Spirit. Each letter of P.R.A.Y.I.N.G. is paired with a verse that gives an example or understanding of that section of your prayer.
Holy Spirit, I pray that you will lead and guide each individual following along, including me.
Praise the Lord!
The first letter is P, which stands for Praise. Praise is acknowledging God for who He is, like his character and power. Below is an example from David blessing the Lord.
Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.
1 Chronicles 29:10-13
He acknowledges that “all that is in the heavens and in the earth” belongs to the Lord, opposed to thinking that they are human territory, as we tend to do.
Repentance And Confession Are Good For The Soul
The next letter is R for repentance or confession. We are either always on one side of the coin, changing our mind and turning away from a sin, or confessing something we’ve been ruminating on, or struggling with.
Another example from David is in Psalm 51:1-3.
1Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
3For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
Psalms 51:1-3
I like that he says, “For I acknowledge my transgressions…” It teaches me that we are not just letting our sins blow in the wind because we know that God will be gracious to us, but acknowledging that we have done wrong.
Can you imagine someone in your life not acknowledging when they have wronged, but expecting your grace and mercy? I’ve been that person. Too prideful to acknowledge my wrong out loud.
Ask And You Shall Receive
The next letter is A for ask, a favorite for most of us. By nature, humans are needy. But I challenge you to ask for spiritual things, like the desire to know God, that He will continue to reveal Himself to you.
Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe
Ephesians 1:17
I am still praying this for myself and others, but for now, we see and know in part until we see Him face to face.
Yield
The next letter, Y, is for yield, being still before the Lord. At this point, practice being silent before Him. If He speaks, He speaks, but if He does not, that is fine too. It is more important that we embrace the presence of God in stillness, silence, listening, open and available. Sometimes we can be busy bodies, and God has to catch us, but not in this moment, we are reverencing Him as God.
Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
Psalms 46:10
I know that this moment can be a challenge for many, it is for me. But practice taking 5 minutes of being still. Not all problems are fixed by us being busy, and not all of life is in constant activity, but in the presence of the Lord.
Interceding For Others
After Y is I, which stands for Intercession. We are praying for others, which is a wide net ranging from international to local, family to friends, church family, everyone, but especially your enemies.
1Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:1
The key phrase here is that supplication is to be made for all men because God desires that all men be saved.
Not My Will But Your Will
N was the last letter I learned because I couldn’t figure out what it would be until the Holy Spirit taught me “Not my will but your will be done.” This section focuses on surrendering to God’s will for your life or a particular situation. It can also be focused on praying to know God’s will and desires.
He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
Matthew 26:39
This is not an easy prayer to pray, but necessary for alignment and growth. It is very important to be honest and share your fears with Jesus.
Oh, Give Thanks, Unto The Lord!
Last but not least is G for Giving Thanks. This is not the same as praise. Praise focuses on acknowledging God’s character and power, while thanksgiving is expressing gratitude on a personal level for ourselves, family, and friends.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
Psalm 107:8-9
We thank God for His provision. But we are also thankful that He loves us and has died on the cross for us.
Each section of the prayer doesn’t have to be done in a particular order. Maybe yielding will work best for you at the beginning or end of the prayer; that’s fine. The point is to yield, praise Him, give thanks, ask, intercede, repent, and confess.
Concluding
There is so much more to prayer than what we normally focus on; all we have to do is practice connecting with the Holy Spirit. We strive to do so much on our own when God, rich in grace and mercy, has offered this avenue of partnership and communion.
Was this prayer guide a challenge for you?
How do you feel about praying? Why?
