Prayer is a gift from God. Through it, we are able to have conversations with the One who created, formed, and sustains us. As our lifeline, prayer breathes rejuvenation, reconciliation, and hope into our daily lives.

In Mathew 6:5-14, Jesus provides his followers with a model of prayer defined as “The Lord’s Prayer.” There, He teaches us how to pray and where to pray. He tells us that prayer is an intimate exercise; one that is to be had between you and the Father. It’s an intentional, focused conversation not to be done with “pomp and circumstance,” but with humility and in secret.

Below is prayer model used at Conflicts of the Heart. Its roots are in the structure Christ set forth with The Lord’s Prayer, but it adds a few additional pieces to help to keep one’s heart positioned toward God and His truth. As a follower of Christ, we must work to not only be one who reads the Word of God, but an ACTOR upon it. This desire shapes our hearts when we go to Him in both jubilant and trying times.

We pray that as “actors” the Lord will always give you the words to communicate with Him from the most sacred places of your heart.

Adoration We choose to celebrate God for who He is. It is a time where we give Him praise and thanks for His work in our lives and the lives of others. We acknowledge that this world and our lives are His. We honor His will to be done.

Confession We confess our sins before God. We acknowledge our unholy behavior that has grieved God’s heart and caused our separation from Him. We ask God for His forgiveness and seek assistance from the Holy Spirit in order to overcome temptation and the commission of additional sin. We, too, choose to forgive those who have hurt us, as Christ has forgiven us.

Truth of God’s Word We state back to God His Word, while encouraging ourselves in its power. God has given us the gift of His Word which is true and the foundation on which our faith rests. The more we are able to speak God’s Word over our circumstances and lives, the greater awareness we will have when God exercises His power. Familiarity and identification with His Word enables us to more readily call upon His truth in times of challenge and goodness.

Opportunities for Growth We acknowledge places and opportunities for spiritual growth and the strengthening of our spiritual walk. We seek God’s purification of our hearts and His leading in all we do.

Requests We lift up prayers and requests for others and ourselves.

Surrender We acknowledge God’s sovereignty and omniscience over the world and our lives. We submit our prayers to Him trusting that His answers will come in His perfect timing. We submit our heart and actions to Him remembering that He is in total control, and that it is His will to be done.