Why and How to pray

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Why and How to pray

By
BILL HYBELS

Adoration: Entering Holy Space
Psalm 8 ; 19; 23; 46; 100; 148; Luke 1:46-55 , 68-79 ; Ephesians 1:3-14 ).
Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
(Psalm 95 )
Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come …
You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.
Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise! . .
To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!
(Revelation 4:8 , 11 ; 5:12-13 )
I worship you and praise you because you are …

Confession: Naming Our Faults
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 ).
I confess that I …
I need your forgiveness for the sin of …
Please give me your strength
to forsake that sin
to make restitution by . .
to accept your forgiveness and the new life you give me
I am in Christ!
I am a new creation!
The old has gone,
the new has come!
(see 2 Corinthians 5:17 )

Thanksgiving: Expressing Gratitude
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 ).
I praise you and I thank
you for answered prayers …
for spiritual blessings …
for relational blessings …
for material blessings …
for …
Praise be to the LORD,
for he has heard my cry for mercy.
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to him in song.
(Psalm 28:6-7 )

Supplication: Asking for Help
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6 ).
Here are my requests
for other people—family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, people in my church, people in the news …
for myself—my work, my character, my health, my joys and sorrows …
for …
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7 ).
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.