Recently I came across the A.C.T.S acronym for prayer in one of my devotional readings. In an acronym, each letter represents a different word and sometimes they are arranged in such a way that they spell a word (like A.C.T.S.) to aid our memory.
In this case A. C.T.S. is a very effective acronym to describe what prayer should be like.
The A stands for Adoration. Whenever we pray, we must begin our prayers with worship and adoration.
“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)
The C stands for Confession. After we worship our Lord we must repent and confess our sins to God in order for our prayer to be heard and received.
“And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12)
The T stands for Thanksgiving. It is always good and wise to thank the Lord for all his blessings. Prayer is a way for us to express our eternal gratitude to our Savior.
“…giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20)
Finally, the S stands for Supplication. There are petitions in every prayer, but they must be reserved until the end. We must first Adore, Confess and give Thanks and then we can begin to intercede for others and ask for ourselves.
“Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:11-13)
There you have it! Whenever you are in doubt about how to pray correctly, remember the A.C.T.S acronym to help you remember and then pray, pray and pray. Oh, and don’t forget to pray for me!
A. G.
