Elements of Prayer: ACTS

D. Scott Meadows

That we might pray faithfully according to the biblical patterns of prayer, we should include all the major elements of prayer. Many years ago someone shared with me a helpful acronym for this: ACTS—Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. This is a good summary if we remember that supplications (pleadings) should include both petitions (asking things for ourselves), and intercessions (asking things for others).

We see very many examples of all these elements in countless prayers of Scripture, forming models for our imitation. Whatever biblical prayers come to mind, you may find these elements in the lot of them—not every element in every prayer, but all the elements in a good collection. For example, adoration is in Acts 4.24, confession is in Ezra 9.6, thanksgiving in 1 Chronicles 29.13, and supplication in 1 Chronicles 4.10 (petition) and Numbers 14.19 (intercession). The Lord’s Prayer contains three of these elements: adoration (“Our Father which art in heaven”), confession (“forgive us our debts”), and supplication (“give us this day our daily bread,” Matt 6.8-13).

Consider how these four basic elements of biblical prayer have been appreciated by some of the church’s early teachers.

Origen (c. 185—c. 254): “It seems to me there are four topics that need to be sketched out and that I have found scattered in the Scriptures, indicating that each one should organize one’s prayer according to these topics. This is what they are: In the beginning and the preface of the prayer something having the force of praise [adoration] should be said of God through Christ, who is praised with Him, and by the Holy Spirit, who is hymned with Him. After this each person should place general thanksgivings, bringing forward for thanksgiving the benefits given many people and those he has himself received from God. After thanksgiving it seems to me that he ought to blame himself bitterly before God for his own sins [confession] and then ask, first, for healing that he may be delivered from the habit that brings him to sin and, second, for forgiveness of the sins that have been committed. And after confession, the fourth topic that seems to me must be added is the request [supplication] for great and heavenly things, both private [petition] and general, and concerning his household and his dearest [intercession]. And, finally, the prayer should be concluded with a doxology of God through Christ in the Holy Spirit [a special instance of adoration].”

John Climacus (c. 570–649): “Before all else, let us list sincere thanksgiving first on the scroll of our prayer. On the second line, we should put confession and heartfelt contrition of soul. Then let us present our petition to the King of all.”

John of Damascus (c. 675–c. 749): “The first kind of absolute worship is adoration, which we give to God alone. The second kind of absolute worship is the awe and yearning we have for God because of the glory which is His by nature. The third kind of absolute worship is thanksgiving for all the good things He has created for us. The fourth kind of absolute worship is inspired by our needs and hopes for His blessing. Since we realize that without His help we possess no goodness and are able to do nothing, we worship Him, beseeching [supplication] Him to listen to each one of our needs and desires, that we may be delivered from evil and attain to goodness. The fifth kind of absolute worship is repentance and confession. As sinners we worship and prostrate ourselves before God, begging Him to forgive our sins, as is fitting for servants to do.”

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274): “We may notice these four things in several of the church’s collects [short congregational, liturgical prayers]. Thus in the collect of Trinity Sunday the words, ‘Almighty eternal God’ belong to the offering up of prayer to God [adoration]; the words, ‘Who has given to Thy servants,’ etc. belong to thanksgiving; the words, ‘grant, we beseech Thee,’ belong to intercession; and the words at the end, ‘Through our Lord,’ etc. belong to supplication.”

George Herbert (1593-1633) taught his congregation about prayer: “We begin with confession of ourselves to be vile, miserable sinners; and that we begin so because till we have confessed ourselves to be such, we are not capable of that mercy which we acknowledge we need and pray for. But having in the prayer of our Lord begged pardon for those sins which we have confessed, and hoping that as the Priest has declared our absolution [forgiveness], so by our public confession and real repentance, we have obtained that pardon, then we dare and do proceed to beg of the Lord [supplication], to open our lips, that our mouths may shew forth His praise; for, till then, we are neither able nor worthy to praise Him [adoration]. But this being supposed, we are then fit to say, ‘Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost’; and fit to proceed to a further service of our God, in the collects, and Psalms, and lauds [expressions of praise] that follow in the service.”

Knowing all this, we can learn to pray better. Perhaps the most basic element of prayer we have used from childhood is supplication, when we have prayed things like, “Lord, please help me not to be afraid” (petition), and, “Lord, please bless Mommy and Daddy” (intercession). But having received daily mercies from the Lord, how can we fail to thank Him as well? Let not forgetfulness and ingratitude curtail our express thanksgiving in prayer. The practice of thanking God in prayer nurtures our gratitude for blessings received. Also, humility requires our regular confession of sin to the Lord in prayer. In public, this is properly more general; in secret prayer, we should be more particular. Maybe our special weakness in prayer concerns the element of adoration, when we ought to spend time extolling God with His glorious attributes and wondrous works. When we realize that prayer is not utilitarian but truly religious, aimed at His glory above all, we will not consider it wasted time to praise the Lord in our prayers, whether offered in private or in public. May He help us for His name’s sake. Amen. Ω