The power of prayer is unmistakable! It is one of God’s gifts to us, so why would any Christian half-heartedly pray? Because they are unsure of how to pray or are unaware that Jesus provided us with a guide to prayer, “The Lord’s Prayer,” in the book of Matthew. In His prayer, Jesus showed reverence to the Heavenly Father first, thus giving us the purpose of adoration from the ACTS Prayer Acronym.
Is the ACTS Prayer Model Biblical?
As mentioned previously, Christ Jesus laid out a simple way to pray with “The Lord’s Prayer” in Matthew 6:9-13 CSB. This does not mean there are not different ways to pray or different prayer models because there absolutely are. However, the ACTS acronym is a helpful structure for prayer, especially for new believers. It’s the exact model the disciples of Jesus learned when they asked Him to teach them how to pray.
A.C.T.S. Acronym: Adoration Breakdown
Let’s start with the word adoration to break down the ACTS prayer method. In subsequent posts, we’ll go through C—confession(confession of sin), T—thanksgiving, and the final part of the ACTS prayer model, S—supplication. A separate post will be devoted to each of these elements of prayer because the most important thing we can do for our prayer life is to come before Jesus Christ, bearing our soul for comfort and to have a clean heart.
We’ll explore the word adoration like we do a verse in the verse mapping guide; we’ll call this “word mapping.” One definition of adoration is deep love and respect, as well as worship and veneration.
When mapping a verse, if there’s a word I don’t know or don’t know its meaning, I underline it so I know I need to define it. I also underline words that I want to dig into deeper. There are two words in the definition of adoration that I want to explore further-veneration and worship. I don’t know the definition of veneration directly outside context clues, so I’ll underline it. I know what worship means, so this is a word I’d like to dig deeper into because I want to discover what it means “to worship.”
Veneration is defined as great respect and reverence. Worship can be defined as (n.) the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity (definition in the glossary at the bottom of the post) and (v.) showing reverence and adoration for (a deity) and honor with religious rites. If you notice, worship can be defined as a noun or a verb. According to the definitions of a noun, worship is classified as a thing. Worship in the verb form can be a physical action, mental action, or a state of being.
Shouldn’t we worship God in action, thoughts, and just living?
The purpose of “word mapping” or “verse mapping” is a great way to discover the intended meaning of words and verses, not just what we think the meaning is. Mapping adoration has shown us why we are told to worship God with, through, and in everything. The ACTS acronym helps us to seek the will of God and ask for the good gifts and the daily bread we need from our Father. The best way to approach the throne of grace in our prayer life is to let the Holy Spirit lead.
Why Is This Part Of The Prayer Important?
Now we have a thorough definition of adoration- to deeply love and respect the One and Only God through worship consisting of action, thought, or being. This makes perfect sense when we think of why God created us. He created us to “be” with Him and thus to “worship” Him. Adam and Eve lost our ability to “be” and “worship” in God’s presence, but He loved us so much that He promised His children another way and provided. That provision came in the form of a baby, Who later allowed Himself to be hung on a cross to die, and then rose to prove He conquered all, even death.
This is the reason we adore Him, the reason we worship Him.
So, beginning prayer with anything other than adoration of our loving Father is really not returning affection to Him who gave everything for us. Addressing Him properly, with reverence and awe, is the first step to intentional prayer.
I’m not saying that you have to sit with pen and paper, your computer, or your phone so you can write every prayer. According to the Bible passage of 1 Thessalonians 5:17 ESV, we are to “pray without ceasing,” meaning we should always be in prayer. Praying whenever a need, something, or someone crosses our mind are the prayers on behalf of others.
These are the prayers that you won’t typically need to write out. You have everything you need for these to be purposeful prayers without extra intention added. You know the problem, the need, and the purpose. I take a couple of minutes to pray for prayer requests regarding the personal needs of others. I don’t know about you, but I give more attention and intention to my prayers for others than I do the prayers for myself.
Journey: A Guide To Prayer and Planning
This is why we need help to be intentional and focused when we’re praying through overwhelm or another emotional state that keeps us from focusing on Christ. These prayers need our deliberate intention and absolutely need to start with adoration. This is also why I use the ACTS Prayer Guide. I need a reminder to be intentional in prayer as Jesus instructed me in Matthew 6:9-13, especially when I’m overwhelmed or feeling distant from the Father. It’s also why I use Journey to guide me during my prayer time.
Giving God adoration shows Him you’re grateful for the opportunity to come to Him and worship, particularly when you’re overwhelmed and can’t think straight. This is when I need to write my prayers most. If I am so overwhelmed that I don’t know where to start, I grab my prayer pages and work through the flow chart, topics, and prompts pages. Then, I go to the ACTS prayer guide and the personal prayers page to create and write an intentional prayer to focus my attention on worshiping my God, not wallowing in my circumstances.
Adoration from the A.C.T.S prayer method……. It is an excellent way to begin your prayers, but remembering why we show God adoration needs to be at the forefront of our minds when we pray. The reasons we should be adoring and worshipping THE Triune God, are many, but they should not be limited to any simplistic human thought or reasoning. His Word clearly states that we should come to Him in reverence and adoration, placing the focus on Christ and not us.
Glossary
Adoration- to deeply love and respect the One and Only God through worship consisting of action, thought, or being.
Deity- the Creator and Supreme Being.
Veneration- great respect and reverence.
Worship- (n.) the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity.
(v.) showing reverence and adoration for (a deity) and honor with religious rites.
I have shown that the ACTS prayer model is Biblical. When you start your next prayer through overwhelm, will you begin by adoring the Father?
