Thursday, August 13, 2026

Opening Scripture

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. 1 John 3:21-24

Opening Prayer

Most Merciful God, I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbors as myself. I am truly sorry, and I humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and forgive me, that I may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

1 John 5:14-15

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.

Reflection  

Today’s passage, if taken alone without the full context of Scripture, could produce serious misunderstanding about the nature of prayer and false expectations about the purpose of prayer. Hopefully, our Opening Scripture and Opening Prayer will help inform today’s text.

Let’s start by emphasizing again that prayer is an intimate encounter with our Heavenly Father. Almighty God is not a mystic wizard. We do not approach Him as a petulant child, sulking or ranting to get what we want. We do not utter incantations to produce a desired result. There is nothing formulaic or obligatory about prayer!

As we have already seen, God is not interested in pious, performance prayers or babbling, repetitive prayers. We do not badger God to get His attention or try to “earn” His favor. Our gracious Father wants to spend time with us and hear our humble requests, but prayer is not a one-way conversation, with us doing all the talking. He expects us to spend at least as much time listening as speaking!

Prayer is a privilege, not a duty. We come to God in faith, believing. We come to God in the name of the Lord Jesus, our High Priest and Mediator. We come to God in the power of the Holy Spirit, who intercedes for us. We come to God humbly, in gratitude and submission. We come to God to be with Him!

While we commune and converse with God throughout the day – essentially “praying without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) – there are times of devoted and scheduled prayer where we read, write, and reflect on God’s Word. At other times, we are captivated by the beauty of the moment, burdened by the weight of responsibility, or stopped in our tracks by the pain of suffering. Those are spontaneous prayer sessions with our Father.

Sometimes God speaks to us loudly and clearly. Often, though, God speaks to us in a “still small voice” – a gentle whisper. After Elijah’s powerful encounter on Mount Carmel, God ended the famine and brought rain on the land. Queen Jezebel, however, wanted revenge for her public humiliation and the death of the false prophets.

Jezebel sent a messenger to tell Elijah, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. He walked a day’s journey into the wilderness and sat down under a broom bush. Frightened, exhausted, and discouraged, Elijah prayed that he would die. In his misery, he lay down and fell asleep.

God sent an angel to wake, feed, and restore Elijah. Food, sleep, and divine presence are good medicine. Rested and refreshed, Elijah walked for forty days to Mount Horeb. He found a cave and went inside. We pick up the story in 1 Kings 19.

“And the word of the LORD came to him: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.’

“The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 

When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’”

I love this whole intimate encounter between Elijah and God. What a wonderful example of a raw, real, personal, painful, divine interaction between the Almighty and his struggling child! Everything else is subordinate to this moment.

In the conversation that follows, God graciously confirms their relationship, corrects Elijah’s false assumptions, and gives Elijah specific instructions.

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

While there should be nothing mechanical or ritualistic about our prayers, it can sometimes help to have a structure or prompt to guide us. Certainly, that was Jesus’ intent when He gave His disciples the “model prayer.”

An outline that has helped many people think through their prayers is the ACTS method. This acronym offers a basic template to guide your heartfelt expression to God.

Adoration. Adoration is worship. We begin by entering God’s presence in humility with awe and wonder. We celebrate God for who He is. We express our love and loyalty to God. We praise Him for His majesty and holiness. Like the heavenly host in Revelation, we cry out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power.” Adoration shifts the focus off of us and onto God.

Confession. Confession is agreement. We agree with God about our sin. We do not try to cover it up or make excuses. We own it and repent of it. Like King David in Psalm 51, we cry out, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.” Confession cleanses our hearts and minds.

Thanksgiving. We come to God with an attitude of gratitude. We celebrate God for what He has done. We are grateful for His mercy and forgiveness. We are grateful for His protection and provision. We are grateful for His unfailing love. We can embrace Paul’s teaching in Philippians 4:6-7, “…in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Supplication. Supplication is a plea or appeal. This is a time of petition or request, on behalf of yourself and others. What are the pressing needs around you? James tells us to confess our sins to each other and pray for each other so that we can be healed. Paul tells us to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” (Ephesians 6:18). As in the “model prayer,” we desire for God’s kingdom to come, and God’s will to be done.

Another way to guide and inform your prayers is with a prayer journal. Writing down your concerns helps you remain faithful in lifting them to the Lord and allows you to keep a record of God’s activity in that area.

How is the Spirit prompting you to pray?

This week’s collective prayer: Father, I am asking you to meet specific needs in my life this week in tangible and recognizable ways. I will give you the glory. Amen.

You can do more than pray after you’ve prayed, but you can’t do more than pray until you’ve prayed!