By Jim Ramsey

What an honor and privilege it is to be a child of God, and to enjoy all the undeserved blessings attached to my position in Christ!  My position is secure in Him, but sometimes my condition as His child is not what it should be due to the infirmities of this old nature that has certainly not been eradicated.   Thank God for the resource of prayer that allows me, if I choose, to be in constant contact with the only One Who can make me what I ought to be for His glory.  

I recently stumbled across an acronym for prayer written in one of my old Bibles (Scofield, of course!) that I am making an effort to practice in my daily prayer time as I seek the Lord for “What Only God Can Do” in my life.  I try to pray according to the FACTS of prayer- elements, if you will, involved in approaching my Heavenly Father:

Faith, of course is the first element, for I have to “believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”  He CAN DO what He says He WILL DO, and that is certainly the foundation of my prayer!  What is my “confidence level” in His ability?

Adoration!  I try to exalt Him by praising Him for Who He is, reflecting on His attributes that cause me to humble myself before His majesty.  He IS omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, immutable, eternal, transcendent, immanent, HOLY- “other than” me, and if I really let this thought grip me, it leads to the next “element” –

Confession!  Agreeing with God about the attitudes, actions, thoughts, words, etc. that He brings to my mind that are displeasing to Him and mar our fellowship.  When I sense His forgiveness and restoration, I can move to the “element” of

Thanksgiving!  There is no end to the blessings God sends my way, and I need to thank Him with sincerity of heart and humility of mind.  Then, of course, there is

Supplication!  Once I have come to a place of close fellowship with the Lord, I can then pray for others and their needs.  It is amazing how the Lord brings to mind those I need to pray for, even those who are not on my “daily prayer list” that I consistently bring before Him.

Faith, Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication: Though each of us has differing “habits of prayer,” I trust that these FACTS of prayer are present as we seek God’s face for what ONLY HE can do.