Redeemed Requests: Powerful Supplication

In my 3 earlier posts* (*their titles shown at the end of this), I talked about the power behind the special prayer called “A.C.T.S” (Adore, Confess, Thank, Supplicate).  I discussed the first three parts of that prayer and briefly introduced the fourth part when we supplicate or ask of God.  We might ask for help or ask for things we need. I explained that we cannot always use this form of prayer, because it takes extra time.  We sometimes have to offer up a quick prayer.

When we have time to pray in this order (praising or adoring God first, supplicating or asking of God last), God does something amazing.  He comforts us and strengthens us to minimize our view of our troubles, and maximize our understanding of God’s goodness and power.

After we adore God, confess our sins, thank him and then ask for our needs, we approach God with a more pure heart, especially when we take our time and sincerely go through those steps.  So what is special about our supplication at this point in the prayer?  We come to God trusting him enough to ask for righteous things we may have previously doubted he could or would give us.  We have a boldness we may not have otherwise had. The apostles did this in Acts 4:23-31, and God gave them boldness the they asked for, even though their lives were threatened!  In the past we may have doubted God could ever save someone who currently hates God. But our boldness enables us to earnestly pray for this person.   We may ask for healing of things we thought God did not count important (or for things we had stopped asking to have healed).  In the span of two years, God emboldened me to pray for 2 healings that God performed, one after a 30 year problem (see more about that in my post “Miraculous Healing.”)  We might pray to be bolder in our witness with unbelievers in every day life.  We might ask God to give us a spiritual gift we used to think only the most holy people deserved to use.

The apostle John wrote, “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)

The key is that we begin to pray according to the heart of the Father when we empty ourselves of our own desires and agendas.  Some things are good but not best for us. God can help us to give up things he does not want us to have and to desire things that are for our best.  I don’t just write this, because we are “supposed to pray this way since they did so in the Bible times.”  I write about this, because I have lived it out, and it works.

One of the most profound benefits of this prayer is the peace and clarity of mind it gives me.  I have experienced painful spiritual warfare.  People I have not been doing well mentally and emotionally.  Some people have been verbally abusive to me.  Their anger spewed upon me, and because I have a tender soul, I began to believe their lies. Often these people blamed me for things that were actually their fault, such as someone who drank too much alcohol.  At times angry people have had a broken relationships with friends I know and love, and the angry people blamed me for that damage, since my friends still wanted to talk to me.  Sadly, some people hurt others, and then wonder why they do not have friends.  But when we are forced, at least some of the time, to interact with those people, their lies can wear on us, and we might believe them.  And if we have other people we love who are just not thriving emotionally, we might get pulled down into their negativity, even if it is just their fears, worries and scary view of life.  We can begin to worry the way they do. We can begin to look at all the problems in life and assume more bad things will happen to us.  We can begin to think our lives are terrible.

Yet when I pray in this manner, God helps me distance my mind from the fear, anger, worries and distorted thinking of these other people.  For example, Psalm 34: 4 says, “I sought the Lord and He delivered me from all my fears.”  God even helps me see things in these people’s lives that are not normally visible. This is called “seeing” (sensing) in the spirit.  I cannot read anyone’s mind. But sometimes God gives me glimpses of what the other person is actually suffering, not the angry words this person spews at me.  Then I can pray for that person according to her (or his) true needs.  Paul used this kind of discernment with a sorcerer who pretended to be an official’s friend: “But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, ‘You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?’” (Acts 13:8-10).  There are other places where spirit-filled people (like Peter in the NT, and Elisha in the OT) used this discernment too.

And God enables me to see how good my life is, how blessed I am. He enables me to see how well God has already cared for me. He lets me see how much easier my life is compared to people in parts of the world where they suffer horribly.  Suddenly I realize how small my burdens are, compared to those people.

But I cannot have this spiritual insight unless I empty my will and seek the Holy Father’s will.  The “A.C.T.S.” prayer is not the only way to access the father and empty myself of my will.  There have been times when I just needed God’s help and he gave it to me with short prayers.  But this formal prayer has been the best way I have found, for most of the time, and for when I have time to pray this longer prayer.  I have grown the most, spiritually, when I have followed this model of prayer. I even use it in devotions with my daughters, although they don’t go as deeply with it as I do.

I will keep short my discussion about the supplication part, because I want to bless you and encourage you to discover your own joy as you use this model of prayer.  I want you to find your own strengths as you grow in your prayer life.  And remember, short prayers are essential throughout the day as needs pop up. We often do not have time to pray this way all day long, only when we want to really grow.  And in my next post I will further develop this theme on prayer–prayer journaling and how this has brought me power in God’s spirit, and peace during trauma.

Thank you for joining us in this post. I have really enjoyed sharing about this style of prayer, and I do pray you will use it at least some of the time.

* These are the posts I wrote earlier about this kind of prayer:

“Why we Confess our sins…”

“Encouraging Hurt Believers through God’s Praise”

“Why we Praise God”