Please note the following is an excerpt from the book, "Jesus' Prayer from A to Z", of which I'm Editor.


- A - Asking for Blessing to Accomplish God's Will, by Ahlgrim, Alan


One night a father heard his young daughter speaking. The door was cracked just enough so that he could see that she was kneeling beside her bed in prayer. Interested to find out what subjects a child would bring before God, he paused outside her door and listened. After tuning-in to her speech, he was puzzled to hear her reciting the alphabet: "A, B, C, D, E, F, G …" (She just kept repeating it.)

He didn't want to interrupt her, but soon curiosity got the best of him and he said to her, "Honey, what are you doing?"

"I'm praying, Daddy," she replied.

"Well, why are you praying the alphabet?" He asked.

She explained, "I started my prayers, but I wasn't sure what to pray, so I decided to just say all the letters of the alphabet and let God put them all together!"


Have you ever felt that way? Unsure how it all fits together, and how you should really pray? I know that many have, and I've got the notes, letters, emails and comments to prove it.

We all want to know whether or not we're really praying "right." Can we ever "crack the code"? Is it possible to pray properly all the time and to word our prayers exactly right?

The good news is that anyone can, for prayer is not just a verbal expression, it's an expression of the heart. That means, even when words escape us, God still hears us. Is that encouraging or what?!

Sometimes we are so overwhelmed with grief or confusion, pain or fatigue, that we just can't seem to say what we want to say to God… sometimes, we don't even know what to say at all.

When those times come - and they come for us all - when we seem to get stuck and don't know exactly how to pray, God is still listening to us, because He hears our hearts. "O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts…" (Psalms 7:9)

Sometimes we all struggle in prayer. Struggle is common, but that doesn't keep us from connecting with God. Those struggle times may even be our best connection as we direct our thoughts to God.

Even when we don't know exactly what to pray, or how to pray, we can still be confident that God is listening and that God is bringing blessing, especially as we are sincerely seeking to honor Him and to submit to His will.

When we sincerely pray, simply asking for blessing as we seek to accomplish God's will, we are praying just like Jesus, who prayed to accomplish His Father's will above all else.

For an incredible picture of Jesus' own heart, look in John 17:1-5; 20-22 "...I pray for all who will believe in me... may they be one..." Think about this! The disciples must have heard this prayer audibly and witnessed the tenderness of their Lord. Imagine overhearing such a prayer!


Dear Lord, here I am asking for your help again. You alone know the challenges and opportunities that are coming my way. Help me to humbly and faithfully accomplish your will today - nothing more, nothing less, nothing else, in Jesus' Name, Amen.


Ahlgrim, Dr. Alan - Longmont, CO - Lead Minister, Rocky Mountain Christian Church, Niwot (near Boulder). Graduate of Milligan College (B.A.); Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div); Fuller Theological Seminary (D.Min - Church Growth). 2007 NACC President. He and wife Linda have three children and are obnoxiously proud grandparents of three.


The ACTS of Prayer:
Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication/Intercession

"Likewise, the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for... but the Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered ...he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God."
- Romans 8:26,27

Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed; The motion of a hidden fire that trembles in the breast.
- James Montgomery (1771-1864)


May we harness the power of praying in harmony with our Savior, even when we don't know exactly what to pray?

Pray Jesus' prayer for:
Athletes/ Agricultural & Animal Husbandry Workers/ The Arts & Entertainment/ The Addicted/ Advertising

Pray Jesus' prayer for:
Believers in Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbijan

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