ACTS - A Way to Pray
Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
A Prayer using the above Scripture and ACTS
Adoration: God, I want to praise you that You alone are our Shepherd. I love celebrating Your power and Your might. But, it's also comforting to know that You have a Shepherd's heart, a heart will to come close enough to guide.
Confession: I must confess my unwillingness to fully follow at times. My flesh gets in the way of full obedience, You have not given me a spirit of fear. So, giving in to that fear and allowing it to paralyze me is sinful. I am sorry for all of the times that I've allowed the fear of evil to direct me and distract me from You.
Thanksgiving: Thank you for using both rod and staff to comfort me. Very often I need the discipline of a rod. You do it ever so lovingly, but You allow consequence to turn me back to You. Thank you for loving me as a Father.
Supplication: You reminded the Psalmist that You are preparing a table in the presence of His enemies. I understand that to mean that often the enemy of our soul is allowed to enter in. Sometimes, You'll allow the thing that we fear most to overwhelm us. We live in this world and there will be trouble. Cause me to remember that if You've allowed the trouble or difficulty to enter in, it is still in Your presence and under Your authority. Today, would you show me an example of Your goodness and mercy. I don't want to miss it.
Use these verses and ACTS to write your own personal prayer in your journal.
I love this Psalm, and I believe it is one of the first passages of scripture I memorized as a young person. Essentially, I believe the psalmist is reminding Believers that God is present, good, and loving no matter the circumstance. In the comments below, would you share with Soul Sisters a time in your life when God showered you with goodness and mercy in a tangible way?
Weekend Prayer: Father God, what a beautiful thing Your Word is. It is living and active. It is encouraging and convicting. This week, we've prayed Your Word, and I believe it's been transforming. Over the weekend, call to our minds at least one of the scriptures that we prayed. Let these words continue their good work throughout our weekend. We can't wait to communicate with you through new scripture on Monday. Amen.
