How to Change Things Up When You Pray

Has your prayer time with God become a little dull or repetitive? Maybe it seems as if all you do is go to God with request after request. Today we will look at a few new ideas on – How to change things up when you pray.

As we discovered in the last post, “How to Pray the Right Way,” – we make prayer harder than it has to be. Click here if you missed it. Hopefully, you uncovered any obstacles in the way of a rewarding prayer life.

Sometimes approaching God in a new way can help reignite your relationship with HIM. After all, doesn't it get a little monotonous when our conversations with a spouse or friend are the same over and over again? #prayer Share on X

 

Why Follow a Method or Acronym?

We don’t have to use a specific formula or an acronym to pray the right way. However, many times it can help. It can serve to start a conversation when you find yourself at a loss for words. Plus, it can remind us to listen for God’s voice.

When in the midst of the unexpected, a method of prayer can be extremely beneficial. It breaks down prayer in a simple way, which will cover more than just requests.

My Prayer Acronym for 2019 is – T.R.U.S.T.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways, acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 

Why I Chose Trust as My Guide

Prayer Is Vital to Our Relationship with God, and it must start with TRUST!

It is hard to admit, but at times, TRUST is an obstacle in my prayer life. When the water is deep, and I have nowhere to turn, BUT GOD, trusting in Him is easier for me.

However, when it appears as though God is not going to come through or it is something I can manage independently, I tend to loosen my grip on Him.

Last year was one of those years, and I want this year to be different.

By using this simple prayer method, it will remind us daily we have already chosen to trust God with our lives.#prayer #prayer acronym Share on X

Take hold of God and know he has your best interest in mind. Don’t base your trust on the unfairness of the circumstances or a fleeting feeling.

We choose TRUST.

Plus, trust is the foundation of all good relationships. Our relationship with God must start with it too.

How to Use T.R.U.S.T. to Pray

T – Thanksgiving – Name three things you are grateful for right now.

Having a heart of thanksgiving is a choice.

By intentionally expressing our appreciation, we will cultivate an attitude of gratitude. We will begin to focus on what we have instead of what we need.

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High.” Psalm 92:1 

R – Repent for the Things You Have Done Wrong.

God is full of Grace – thank goodness because, unfortunately, we all sin. Express your regret and remorse for the wrongdoing and seek forgiveness. If you are struggling to see where you have done wrong, be brave, and ask God to bring it to the forefront of your mind. Remember, for true repentance to take place, one must feel remorse. Have faith – God will renew you.

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

U – Uplift Your Requests to God

As you raise your requests for others, be sure to include yourself. Trust God will answer your prayers.

“I love the Lord because he hears my voice
and my prayer for mercy.

Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!”
Psalm 116: 1-2

S – Sit Still with God 

Listen for His voice.  Maybe up to this point, you have been doing all of the talking. Now it is time to sit still and hear what God wants to say to you.

“Be still, and know that I am God; 
 I will be exalted among the nations, 
I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

T – Take Hold of God

Strive to be more Christlike, to know Jesus, and become who God wants you to be. Ask Him to show you what you need to pursue and what you should be fleeing.

Let him be the Master of your life. Pray about how you can align your will to His.

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Philippians 3:12

Jesus Teaches About Prayer

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to our Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” Matthew 6:6-7 

Jesus did teach us how to pray. But what we must keep at the forefront of our mind is He is after our hearts – not whether we do it the “right way.” He wants our motives to be pure. Looking at Matthew 6:6, we can pull a few critical points from it.

 

Six Principles

1. “When you pray,”—God is expecting us to pray.

2. Go into your room, close the door”—Be sure you pray with the right motives and not to be noticed. Have a place for private prayer where you connect with God.

3. “Pray to our Father who is unseen”—He wants us to pray to Him, our Father, who we can’t see.

4. “Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” – God will answer our prayers!

5. “Do not keep babbling”—We don’t have to have many words. God likes persistent prayer, but it must be with a sincere heart.

6. “Your Father knows what you need”—Do not be consumed with making sure you get every request spoken. He knows what you want and need.

The Lord’s Prayer as a Model

Jesus then went on to give a model of prayer. The Lord’s prayer is found in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-4.

God is holy, loving, and personal. We need to honor, praise, and respect Him.  It is an excellent place to start before rattling off our longs list of things we want. 

 

“Your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.”

We need to seek God’s will for our lives. He can empower us to accomplish His will, but we must be willing. He is in control. 

 

“Give us today our daily bread.”

God is the one who provides what we need daily. We must trust and expect he will deliver.

 

 “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Forgiveness is important. We, too, must forgive others so God will forgive us. Ask God to forgive you for your wrongdoings.  We are all sinners.

 

 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

We all will struggle with temptation, but He can deliver us. Ask him to show you how.

 

How to Change Things up When You Pray: A Few Other Ideas

• Journal your prayers to God.
• Keep your prayers in a notebook or journal.
• Put a BIG “A” next to answered prayers.
• Take time to remember all that God has done.
• Say only the  name of “Jesus.”
• Pray Scripture (Psalm 23)
• Take a prayer walk.
• Use Music to pray.
• Keep a separate “Thanksgiving Journal.”
• Journal a prayer from God to You.

We would love to hear how you draw close to the Lord.

Remember – prayer is merely is a two-way conversation. However, we often complicate it by making it harder than it needs to be or focus on our list of what we want. You do not have to use a method to pray. Pour your heart out to HIM, and do not be concerned about doing it right. Our Lord loves us and desires us to connect with Him. 

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8 

If your prayer life has gone dry, maybe it is time to change things up when you pray. Click here for the entire powerful prayer packet and begin using the “T.RU.S.T.” acronym today.  

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