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Dear Students:
I got out of sequence last week because of the election, but now I am completing the prayer model this week.
In our A-C-T-S model of prayer, S is for Supplication (Adoration, Confession, and Thanksgiving precede), defined in one dictionary as, “humble and earnest prayer,” and I have added, where we are asking for needs to be fulfilled.
Two components, then, mark supplication, with the first being humility. How do we work the balance between humility and stepping forth and praying in public? There are two sides to lack of humility in prayer. I shamefully admit that I have seen public prayer that is anything but humble, and, on the other hand, have seen people too frightened to speak out in public what the Holy Spirit has put on their hearts. Fortunately, most prayer is genuinely humble, but sometimes human pride enters in the form of who can be louder, more eloquent, pray longer, or display Bible knowledge. Sometimes what begins as prayer ends as a mini-sermon. On the converse, it is also pride that keeps us from sharing aloud to benefit others, as we deem that we know what is better for us (keeping quiet) than God.
The second dimension is earnest—one would assume that prayer is from the heart, authentic, genuine and sincere. However, I suspect we all have times when we are supposed to be agreeing with someone in prayer and we are instead thinking of our next thing to do, or daydreaming, or thinking of what we will say next. We are anything but earnest at that point.
What is prayer NOT to be? That is hard to say. We pray from many motivations—caring and concern, desperation, wanting things to happen a certain way, or looking for a change in a situation. We pray for blessings for ourselves and others. We pray for guidance and wisdom. Parking spaces. There is no end to what we pray for. The Bible is full of prayers, most notably Psalms, which has been called the Prayer Book of the Church.
The Lord’s Prayer seems to be the perfect prayer. I have recently come into a re-appreciation of the power of those 70 (depending upon which version you use) words. For one thing, it crosses Christian denominational barriers. If people do not know any other memorized prayer, they know that one. Each line is perfect for meditation. For example, you can do an entire study on “Our Father” alone.
What is central, no matter the circumstances, is that we remember to pray at all times, and to give glory to God.
In prayer for you,
Dr. Rosemarie Scotti Hughes
