There are four basic elements of prayer, Adoration (Praise), Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. Each broken down can be a prayer in it’s own right but placed together gives us a well-rounded conversation with God. A good way to remember is the acronym, ACTS.

These elements do not all have to be in prayer to be effective. This gives us a guide to go by.

Example: Matthew 6:9-13 NIV ““This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today 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 the evil one.'”

This is referred to as the Lord’s Prayer. Of course, this is the example He gave His disciples and us to use as a guide. It contains Adoration, Supplication and Confession. It’s not less of a prayer because it only contains 3 elements.

ACTS is also a guide to show us the things that are important to God and a reminder that these elements draw us closer to Him.

1 Timothy 2:1 NIV “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

We will be talking about 4 elements of prayer:

• Adoration
• Confession
• Thanksgiving
• Supplication

Adoration

Definition: An attitude of worship characterized by love and reverence towards God. Dictionary of Bible Themes

Example of Adoration: Acts 4:24 NIV “When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.”

This is a prayer of praise to God from believers when Peter and John were released from the custody of the rulers and elders of Jerusalem. The Sadducees had arrested them for their testimony of Jesus and His resurrection of which the Sadducees did not believe in. They did not detain them because there were so many people praising God for the effect of their testimony.

When we begin our prayer, acknowledging who God is and praising Him is important for especially two reasons. One, someone as holy and great as God, should be shown honor in approaching Him. The second reason is that it sets our minds in submission to Him and His will.

This should not make us hesitant to approach Him, because as great as He is, He wants us to come to Him because He loves us.

Confession

Definition: An admission of sin on the part of individuals or groups of people. Genuine repentance and confession heralds divine forgiveness. Dictionary of Bible Themes

Example: “Ezra 10:1 NIV “While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites—men, women and children—gathered around him. They too wept bitterly. Then Shekaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, said to Ezra, “’We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel. Now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law.'”

Ezra is crying out to God in confession for the people. They have intermarried with other nations after God told them not to. They are overcome with grief over their sin and confess it. An important thing to notice is they are changing their ways by sending the wives and children away. It’s true repentance when you turn away from sin. It’s not lip service.

1 John 1:9 NIV “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

God already knows about our sin. The purpose of confession is to keep the relationship open between God and us. When we are living in sin, it breaks fellowship with Him.

Thanksgiving

Definition: The offering of thanks, especially for gifts received. Scripture emphasizes the importance of giving thanks to God for all his gifts and works, both as an expression of our dependence upon him and gratitude to him. Dictionary of Bible Themes

Example: Nehemiah 12:27 NIV “At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres.”

The Israelites had returned from their exile in Babylon. The wall around Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonians and the Israelites had just restored it. Their hearts were full of thanksgiving to the Lord for helping them overcome a huge obstacle.

I’m sure you know how it feels when someone thanks you for something you have done. God appreciates it very much when we have a thankful heart for what He has done. How much more our gratitude should be to Him because He has done great things for us.

Supplication

Definition: Although it is a noun, supplication comes from the Latin verb supplicare, which means “to plead humbly.” Vocabulary.com

Example: 1 Samuel 4:1-11 NIV “Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “’Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?'”

Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house.  In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “‘Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.’”

Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Hannah had been unable to conceive while Peninnah had several children. She took advantage of the situation to torment Hannah because she knew Elkanah loved her more. Here Hannah is pleading with God (making supplication) to give her a son.

Supplication is the time in prayer for us to ask God’s help. It can be personal or for someone else.

Conclusion

These elements are important because they glorify our God. Adoration uplifts Him to His rightful place of honor. Confession of sin shows Him we want to walk in His Way, honoring His will, Thanksgiving shows our gratitude for what He does for us, and Intercession tells Him we know He can do everything.

You do not have to have all of these in your prayer. There are times when we are just crying out to God to help but how much better is it to open with adoration of the God you are approaching?

Try adding these to your prayer this week. Remember, prayer is about talking to God from your heart. Once you apply these to your prayer, they will begin to become a natural part of your prayer.