<> Ask the Pastor The Rev. Walter Snyder The blessings of our risen Savior be with you on this Fourth Sunday of Easter. We'll get straight to the questions, which are again about prayer. Q1: I'd love to pray more. How do I get started? Q2: Is there a way to get more out of my prayer life? A: The simplest answers are: 1) Start talking, and 2) keep talking. Of course, there's much more involved. Jesus gave his Church the basics, as we learn from Matthew 6:7-13, "And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil." This prayer, known as the Lord's Prayer or the Our Father, is prayed by countless Christians around the world. It is also a great model, where we can use its petitions to remind ourselves to lift up our own requests in various areas. This brief prayer praises God, asks for spiritual blessing, and asks for earthly blessing. Without getting into the details of each petition, stop for a moment and notice the balance that the Our Father has: In English translation, only eight words are used to sum up all we need in our earthly lives. Homes, finances, food, relationships, health, and all the rest are incorporated in, "Give us this day our daily bread." Yet what proportion do we often show in our prayers? Not that it is wrong to spend considerable time praying for food, shelter, good government, health, and such - but if we do, maybe we should spend even more of our prayer time dealing with praise and thanksgiving, forgiveness of sins, spiritual guidance and discernment, and the like. I often recommend the A.C.T.S. method of praying. These letters remind us to spend prayer time in Adoration (praising God because he is God and for all he has done), Confession (admitting our guilt before him, asking forgiveness, trusting in that forgiveness), Thanksgiving, and Supplication (asking him to meet our needs, both spiritual and earthly). We can do this in corporate, or group, prayer in church or elsewhere when we gather with believers. We can also do it on our own, whenever and wherever we find ourselves. Our time of Bible study is also an excellent prayer time. As we read the Word, we can stop and talk to God about what the Scriptures are saying, asking Him to apply it to our lives, wrestling with him over harder to understand passages, thanking him as the words become clearer, and so forth. Sometimes I'll read several verses, even chapters, then sum things up with one prayer. At other times, it seems that each verse is a new challenge, thus a new opportunity to pray. This is, in part, what Martin Luther recommended when his barber asked him for advice on praying. Luther also put together recommendations for brief devotionals at the beginning and ending of the day. When getting up or going to bed, he recommends that the Christian "make the sign of the holy cross and say: 'In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.' Then, kneeling or standing, repeat the [Apostles'] Creed and the Lord's Prayer. If you choose, you may also say this little prayer...." The prayers he then suggests are written for morning or evening. (If you write and ask for them, I'll include these prayers at a later time.) At the close of the evening prayer he says, "Then go to sleep at once and in good cheer." The morning prayer has a special note: "Then go joyfully to your work, singing a hymn, like that of the Ten Commandments, or whatever your devotion may suggest." In this, Luther echoes St. Augustine, who claimed, "A hymn is a prayer twice prayed." That's my final suggestion for this week: When you can't think of the words as you sit, stand, or kneel to talk to God, find a hymn that says what you want to say, and recite or sing it to your Lord. God be with you this week, teaching you evermore to talk with him in prayer as you listen to him in his Word. Until next Sunday, you may "Ask the Pastor" at P.O. Box 1080, Jasper, Texas; E-mail xrysostom@aol.com, or stop me on the street for a chat. Walter Snyder is the pastor of St. Paul and Faith Lutheran Churches, Jasper and Woodville, Texas, and coauthor of the book "What Do Lutherans Believe? A Study Guide in Christian Teachings for Adults." Copyright (c) 1996 by Walter P. Snyder Permission is granted by author to reproduce or retransmit this by any means, provided that its content is not altered, that this notice of copyright and permission is included, and that no financial gain is realized.