Anything new in your prayer life?

Have you ever felt like your lack of faith is impeding your prayer life?  You ask God to work in your circumstances or your character, but you experience doubt that you are even asking for the right thing?  I recently read this paragraph in Everyone Gets to Play by John Wimber.  It's in a section on corporate intercessory prayer, but I tried it in my own personal prayer life.

It makes my prayers longer.  It won't work for those urgent "I'm about to lose my cool.  Lord, I need your gentleness for this kid right now!" type of prayers.  To make it easier for me to understand, I broke the paragraph down into a list.  

1. Praise God for who He is.

2. Thank Him for what He has done in the past.  

3. Recall or pray any applicable Bible Verses.

4. Consider how God moved in the earthly life of Christ.

5. Tell God about the circumstances and ask Him for the need at hand.

I'm a big believer in simply asking God to show me how to pray and going with what the Holy Spirit lays on my heart.  I found this to be a great addition to that method of supplication because it got historical in a good way.  Considering who God is and how He has acted in the past gives me more confidence to pray in the present.  It also helps align my thoughts and prayers with His will.  Let's do an example.:

1.  Praise God for who He is.

God, you're a good Father.  I praise you because you are the wisest and most faithful parent.

2.  Thank Him for what He has done in the past.

We asked you for kids and you gave them to us.  Thank you for this children.  We love them.  And we enjoy them, most of the time!

3.  Recall or pray any applicable Bible Verses.

Proverbs 22:6 "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it."

4.  Consider how God moved in the earthly life of Christ.

Jesus, you embraced children with open arms.  You encourage even the youngest people to know you.

5.  Tell God about the circumstances and ask Him for the need at hand. 

God, our kids need to develop some independence and work ethic.  Please cultivate this attitude within them.  Please show us how to parent them in such a way to take pride in doing a job well.  

Try it and see if it helps you.  Don't feel like you have to pray every step for every prayer.  Take what is helpful for your relationship with God and leave the rest.