A.C.T.S.

Since nothing new or exciting has really happened this week (except for designing lots of beams and columns and prepping for our project trip) I thought I would share something the Lord has been teaching me recently. Each morning during the week, the entire office gathers for a short devotion and prayer. During prayer, we lift each other up, pray for the community/local staff, and other eMi offices and project trips all over the world. I have really enjoyed this time during the week. What blessing it is to be part of a community where this happens regularly during the work day. I know that few are able to experience this at work which is one reason why I am so grateful.

This has got me thinking a lot about prayer recently. Remembering back to a couple of summers ago when I was on summer project in New Zealand with Campus Crusade, one of my friends taught me a cool way to approach prayer. Using the acronym ACTS, I go through four different aspects of prayer.

Adoration – giving praise to God for who he is.

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
Psalm 29:1-4

Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.
Revelation 4:11

I think that this is appropriate being first. Sometimes I think adoring God can easily be lost in prayer in the midst of asking for things. Taking time to stop and think about his character and all the indescribable, infinite qualities he possess can be very rewarding. This is such a great way to bring God glory.

Confession – confessing sin to God, the one who forgives, reconciles, and justifies

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
1 John 1:9-10

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
Psalm 51:1-4

It is through sin that our relationship with God was first broken. God was faithful to bring us back into relationship through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross for which I am so thankful (see next section). So we must confess our sin, but we must also repent and turn from our sin. I think this is important to confess and acknowledge our sin. As we begin to see the gap between God’s perfection and our mistakes, we can only fall more and more in love with Jesus for who he is and what he has done to close that gap.

Thanksgiving – giving thanks to God for what he has done.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
2 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!
2 Corinthians 9:15

This has especially hit me recently as I experience the developing world. There are so many things that I can be thankful in this life. I am so thankful for a God who has saved me and calls me into relationship with him! After seeing some of the living and working conditions in Uganda, I can’t help but be so thankful for the wonderful life. I have so much compared to so many parts of the world.

Supplication – asking God to meet your needs.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:7-11

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
James 5:17-18

God is faithful to provide everything that we need. All we need to ask for it. If it seems like hasn’t given you everything you’ve wanted, it is probably because he has a better plan and knows what is best for you. Keep on praying and asking. He likes to hear from you.

Now this is not the only way to pray. Jesus gives us an example on how to pray in Matthew 6. These are only several aspects of prayer that I think are important. I would encourage you to think about how you might use prayer regularly. Remember that our God is one that calls us to a personal relationship with him. We separated ourselves through our own sin, but he reconciled us to himself through Christ on the cross. Like any relationship, communication is key. God communicates with us by revealing himself through his Word. We can communicate with him through prayer. What an amazing thought it is that we have a god who desires relationship with us. He is not impersonal; he is not distant. He wants to hear from us and I am so grateful for that. I hope that you are too.

Anyway, those are just a few (well, more than a few at this point…) thoughts I have had recently regarding my relationship with God. I hope it has been an encouragement to you.

I will be on my project trip in Midigo starting Monday so don’t expect to see anything new in the next two weeks or so. The place we are going is in the middle of nowhere Uganda and I will have no access to the internet. I will be sure to update you all when I get back.