Most of us major on supplication, represented by the last letter of the ACTS prayer acrostic (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication).While supplication or petition is effective because God is kind, it's the caboose that can’t get very far unless it is coupled with the rest of the train.
Celebrating and describing God’s glory (adoration) ushers us into the Almighty’s presence, the engine room. There we find our high priest Jesus Christ, a savvy engineer, able to forgive the sins we confess. This propels us into new intimacy and thanksgiving comes easily from our freshly cleaned heart. Plus, in hard times, instead of whining or gritting our teeth, focusing on God and giving thanks speeds us away out of a dark night into the sunrise.
When adoration, confession and thanksgiving happen, we bring our requests with confidence. No mere wishful thinking. We’ve been in the presence of our powerful Lord. We've been forgiven. Guilt can no longer keep us away. Any false guilt or false notion – like bothering a “busy” God or evaluating our need as “unworthy” - gets escorted off the train like an apprehended terrorist.
Confidence settles into the seat next to us and introduces us to a new passenger: God’s peace.
“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” (1 John 5: 14-15).
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
“Rejoice in the Lord always.… Do not be anxious about anything, but 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” (Philippians 4:4-7).
Identify any terrorists aboard your prayer train. Confidently ask your Engineer to bind and remove them.
Spend some time rejoicing in God’s promises. Let your anxieties be escorted away, replaced by a new travel mate, God’s peace.
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