A – Adoration: praising God for who He is

C – Confession: owning our sins

T – Thanksgiving: thanking God for all he has done

S – Supplication: prayers of request for ourselves and others

Pray through each letter of the alphabet, letting each letter prompt a prayer of thanksgiving for an attribute of God which begins with that letter. While thanking God for each attribute, you can also pray for any relevant needs you may have.

For example:

‘A’ – God You are Awesome, in the truest sense of the word. Your power, might, and knowledge are far beyond what I can comprehend. Help me to trust that my problems are not too big for You…

‘B’ – I thank you that you are Benevolent. That you are predisposed to look upon me kindly, as your child, from which I draw peace and comfort.

‘C’ – Help me to be as Compassionate toward others as you are toward me, specifically my co-worker Jane…So on and so forth…

P – Praise

A – Ask

R – Repent

T – Thank

S – Share

Thumb: pray for those closest to you

Pointing finger: pray for those who guide us: teachers, doctors, counselors, mentors

Middle finger (tallest one): pray for those who lead us: government, civic, and business leaders, police and firefighters

Ring finger (weakest one): pray for those who are weak: the poor, sick, disabled, infants, homeless, the powerless, the persecuted

Pinkie (the smallest, the least): Pray for myself

T – For what am I Thankful?

R – What do I Regret?

I – Intercession-for whom do I need to pray?

P – What is my Purpose or Plan?

One method of building an effective prayer life includes Bible reading and prayer as complementary parts of one’s devotional life. Sometimes referred to as “divine reading”, it may be compared to feasting on the word of God. The four steps are reading the Bible (taking a bite), meditating on it (chewing), praying (savoring the word), and contemplating its applications so it becomes a part of one’s life (digesting).

Reading: Read the passage slowly. Pay attention to the text. Read it several times. Underline sections that catch your attention.

Meditating: Try to grasp the meaning of the passage, be aware of God’s presence in your life.Praying:Respond to God, converse with him about the passage and his will. Open your heart to God. Share your heart, not a laundry list of needs or things you think you ought to pray about.

Contemplating: Focus on God, rest in his presence, and commit yourself to living out his will, especially as reflected in the reading.

This method allows the Christian to interact with God and with the Word of God, to know the Bible, self, others, and God through the eyes of a developing faith.

Lord, open my eyes to the gifts

You lay before me every day.

Help me to understand that despite

misfortune and tragedy I sometimes face,

blessings are everywhere, and

challenges are often gifts in disguise.

May I learn to trust

that in all circumstances, You are with me

in ways far beyond my imagining,

and that in You, there is hope.

May I learn to see

that all I am and all I have is a gift from You

and that my attitude can have

a ripple effect of positive influence

on those around me.

Help me to live my life as a reflection

of Your love and generosity with gratitude for today and hope

for tomorrow.

Amen.

Lord, as you carry out your work all over the world today,

don’t forget about me.

Although I sometimes fight against your transforming hand in my life,don’t give up on me.

Save me from the prison of standing still, of stagnating, of being the same person today that I was yesterday; make me new! For I believe you have all the power needed, not only to change the world. but to change me.

So change me, free me, forgive me, teach me,discipline me, stretch me, fill me and grow me so thatyou can more fully use me to bring your goodness to all who surround me.

I humbly ask, in Jesus. Amen.

Lord God, Creator of heaven and earth;

“The heavens declare your gloryand the earth is a witness to your greatness…They have no speech, they use no words, yet theirvoice goes out into all the world.”

You invite us to taste and see that you are goodand have plans to prosper us and not to harm us.Open our eyes to grasp how wide and long and highand deep is your love.

Remove all sin, doubt, and fear that blinds us from seeing your favor.

Through Jesus our Lord, Amen.

Lord, open my eyes to the giftsYou lay before me every day.

Help me to understand that despitemisfortune and tragedy I sometimes face,blessings are everywhere, andchallenges are often gifts in disguise.

May I learn to trustthat in all circumstances, You are with mein ways far beyond my imagining,and that in You, there is hope.

May I learn to seethat all I am and all I have is a gift from Youand that my attitude can havea ripple effect of positive influenceon those around me.

Help me to live my life as a reflectionof Your love and generositywith gratitude for today and hopefor tomorrow.Amen.

Gracious Father; You chose and loved me before the foundations of the world were laid.  You freely gave Your only Son, my Savior, Jesus, to rescue me from certain destruction.

Despite your faithfulness, I often feel uncertain even though marked and set apart as your child. I fall prey to my insecurities, the accusations of my conscience, and the lies of the evil one.

Renew my spirit, Lord.  Restore the joy of my salvation.  Help me to be mindful of all You have done, are doing, and will do for Your children. Fill my heart with confident faith to believe and trust all Your promises.

Lord, thank you for all the blessings you have provided in my life. I have so much, and I know it is all because of you. I ask you today to continue to provide me with these blessings and to provide opportunities I need to continue to do your work here.

You always stand beside me. You provide me with a future full of your love, blessings, and guidance. I know that, no matter how bad things get, you will always be by my side. I know I may not see you. I know I may not feel you, but I thank You for giving us Your Word that tells us you are here.

You know my dreams, Lord. I put my dreams in your hands. I surrender my hopes to you. In your holy name, Amen.

Our Father in heaven,Hallowed be your name,Your kingdom come,Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Matthew 6:9-13

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me bring love.

Where there is offense, let me bring pardon.

Where there is discord, let me bring union.

Where there is error, let me bring truth.

Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.

Where there is despair, let me bring hope.

Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.

Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.

O Master, let me not seek as much

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love,

for it is in giving that one receives,

it is in self-forgetting that one finds,

it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,

it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life.

God grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can; And wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;Taking, as He did, this sinful world As it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right If I surrender to His Will;

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life

And supremely happy with Him Forever and ever in the next.Amen.