Wednesday · May 13
Praise, Confess, Forgive, Ask, And Thank
We can use Jesus’ prayer in Matthew 6:5–15 as an example or copy for our own prayers. We can copy this prayer when we come to God in private. We can copy this prayer when we come together as a church. Remember, prayer is talking to God as a Friend. Too often our prayers are filled with what we want and need. Jesus taught us to pray for so much more!
Read Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9:4–19 . What are the different parts of Daniel’s prayer?
Think about how you can include the different parts of Daniel’s prayer in your own prayers:
Praise: Praise is our saying how much we love God for who and what He is. Read Psalm 100 . This beautiful poem is a praise song to God. Think about God’s many names and His wonderful love. Praise Him for being your Savior, Helper, Healer, Good Shepherd, and Rock.
Confess and Forgive: When we talk with God and live in Him, what happens? We will want to let go of whatever separates us from Him. The closer we are to God in our hearts, the more we see that we need Him. When we see our need, we will want Him to remove our sins. We will ask Him to fill us with His love. We will ask Him to change our hearts for the better. If we expect God to forgive us, we must be ready to forgive other people. “So you should tell each other about any wrong things that you have done. Then you will be able to [can] pray for each other, so that God makes you well again. When a good person prays to God, God does powerful things” ( James 5:16 , EASY).
Ask: Do you have problems with your family? Friends? Health? Money? Work? Study? If yes, what are they? Where do you need God’s advice to help you? Who needs your support? How can you best give it? Pray about these people. Ask God to lead you.
Thank God: Read Philippians 4:6 . Think about the blessings in your life. What are they, big and small? God always blesses us. How often do we remember to thank Him for these blessings? Not as much as we should, right?
What things do you need to praise God for? What sins do you need to confess to Him? What things do you need to ask God for? What do you need to thank Him for? Why not do these things right now?