Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35
Every Sunday, she sat in the same front-row pew. As the sermon progressed, so did her eyelids as they slid down to close shut. The fact that she slept through every sermon did not go unnoticed by the pastor. Annoyed, he mentioned it to one of his elders. And that’s when his attitude toward her changed. The elder explained that every Saturday night, this faithful woman stayed up all night, praying for the pastor, his sermon, his family, his church. Humbled, the pastor changed his perspective from annoyance to awe.
Like this woman of prayer was misunderstood by her pastor, the practice of prayer can be misunderstood, too. Prayer isn’t complicated with lofty words and lengthy sentences wafting up to the heavens. It isn’t so much a duty as it is a privilege. Perhaps we feel guilty when we don’t pray regularly. Maybe we feel ashamed to be able to pray only for a few minutes. Perhaps our prayers are stuck in a rut and have become dull, routine, and rote.
The Bible records many instances where Jesus finds a solitary place to pray. Some of these times are when Jesus refocuses on His mission and purpose, like in the key verse above in Mark 1:35. Sometimes, He slips away to a quiet place to pray for discernment, like in Luke 6:12-13*, when He chooses the twelve disciples. In Matthew 14:13-14*, we see Jesus getting alone with His heavenly Father to pray and grieve the loss of His cousin, John the Baptist. Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus frequently talking with God the Father in prayer.
Prayer is simply a conversation with God. That conversation can take place anytime, anywhere. It can be long or short. Prayer can be first thing in the morning or the last thing at night. First Thessalonians 5:16-18* reminds us to pray continually, which means prayer can start out in the morning, and like a good conversation with family or friends, it can continue throughout the day.
When I need to breathe new life into my prayers, there is one practice I find to be helpful. This method takes my focus off of me and places it where it belongs: on God. I call it “Alphabet Prayers”. I don’t recall where or when I discovered this practice, but I have found it to be helpful in creating a new vibrancy in my conversation with God.
How do Alphabet Prayers work? There are several basic components to prayer that are often expressed as the acrostic ACTS: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication (Petitions). The Alphabet approach focuses on the Adoration component. It is essentially praying through the alphabet praising God for His attributes that begin with each letter of the alphabet. Before I go any further, just know that the whole alphabet doesn’t have to be prayed through each time! Just do what you can.
For example, I praise God for being the Lord God “Almighty”. I thank Him for the “Beauty” of His creation. I praise Him for being the “Creator” of the heavens and earth, my “Deliverer”, and my “Eternal” Father. I recognize His “Faithfulness”, His “Goodness”. And so on.
By the time I reach “Z”, my mind and heart are more in tune with His Spirit. There is nothing rote about my conversation with God and I have shifted my focus off of me.
Alphabet Prayers can revolutionize your prayer life, too. If you have trouble thinking of various names and attributes of God with each letter of the alphabet, click HERE for a free, downloadable PDF to help you get started. Take the Alphabet Prayers into your life and let it change the way you think about and practice prayer. Whether you withdraw to a solitary place, or pray in the midst of life’s busyness, or even stay up all night to pray, wherever you are, you can keep the conversation going!
Heavenly Father, prayer is such a privilege I have with You, the God of the Universe. It’s made possible by the sacrifice of Your Son on the Cross. May I not take the power of prayer for granted. Show me how to inject vibrancy into my conversation with You. Make me a teachable prayer warrior for Your sake. Amen.
*Luke 6:12-13 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles.
*Matthew 14:13-14 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
*1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
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Text and photograph copyright © 2020 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of mountains surrounding Seefeld, Austria, at twilight.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Every Sunday, she sat in the same front-row pew. As the sermon progressed, so did her eyelids as they slid down to close shut. The fact that she slept through every sermon did not go unnoticed by the pastor. Annoyed, he mentioned it to one of his elders. And that’s when his attitude toward her changed. The elder explained that every Saturday night, this faithful woman stayed up all night, praying for the pastor, his sermon, his family, his church. Humbled, the pastor changed his perspective from annoyance to awe.
Like this woman of prayer was misunderstood by her pastor, the practice of prayer can be misunderstood, too. Prayer isn’t complicated with lofty words and lengthy sentences wafting up to the heavens. It isn’t so much a duty as it is a privilege. Perhaps we feel guilty when we don’t pray regularly. Maybe we feel ashamed to be able to pray only for a few minutes. Perhaps our prayers are stuck in a rut and have become dull, routine, and rote.
The Bible records many instances where Jesus finds a solitary place to pray. Some of these times are when Jesus refocuses on His mission and purpose, like in the key verse above in Mark 1:35. Sometimes, He slips away to a quiet place to pray for discernment, like in Luke 6:12-13*, when He chooses the twelve disciples. In Matthew 14:13-14*, we see Jesus getting alone with His heavenly Father to pray and grieve the loss of His cousin, John the Baptist. Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus frequently talking with God the Father in prayer.
Prayer is simply a conversation with God. That conversation can take place anytime, anywhere. It can be long or short. Prayer can be first thing in the morning or the last thing at night. First Thessalonians 5:16-18* reminds us to pray continually, which means prayer can start out in the morning, and like a good conversation with family or friends, it can continue throughout the day.
When I need to breathe new life into my prayers, there is one practice I find to be helpful. This method takes my focus off of me and places it where it belongs: on God. I call it “Alphabet Prayers”. I don’t recall where or when I discovered this practice, but I have found it to be helpful in creating a new vibrancy in my conversation with God.
How do Alphabet Prayers work? There are several basic components to prayer that are often expressed as the acrostic ACTS: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication (Petitions). The Alphabet approach focuses on the Adoration component. It is essentially praying through the alphabet praising God for His attributes that begin with each letter of the alphabet. Before I go any further, just know that the whole alphabet doesn’t have to be prayed through each time! Just do what you can.
For example, I praise God for being the Lord God “Almighty”. I thank Him for the “Beauty” of His creation. I praise Him for being the “Creator” of the heavens and earth, my “Deliverer”, and my “Eternal” Father. I recognize His “Faithfulness”, His “Goodness”. And so on.
By the time I reach “Z”, my mind and heart are more in tune with His Spirit. There is nothing rote about my conversation with God and I have shifted my focus off of me.
Alphabet Prayers can revolutionize your prayer life, too. If you have trouble thinking of various names and attributes of God with each letter of the alphabet, click HERE for a free, downloadable PDF to help you get started. Take the Alphabet Prayers into your life and let it change the way you think about and practice prayer. Whether you withdraw to a solitary place, or pray in the midst of life’s busyness, or even stay up all night to pray, wherever you are, you can keep the conversation going!
Heavenly Father, prayer is such a privilege I have with You, the God of the Universe. It’s made possible by the sacrifice of Your Son on the Cross. May I not take the power of prayer for granted. Show me how to inject vibrancy into my conversation with You. Make me a teachable prayer warrior for Your sake. Amen.
*Luke 6:12-13 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles.
*Matthew 14:13-14 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
*1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Want to subscribe to future posts? Click here.
Text and photograph copyright © 2020 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of mountains surrounding Seefeld, Austria, at twilight.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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