Simple Prayer Focus Tracks

If you're like me, it's sometimes easy to get distracted when you pray.  I've discovered that one of the ways to stay focused when praying is by using a prayer track or prayer outline.  Like a train track, prayer tracks help us get somewhere when we pray.  Here are a few simple prayer tracks to help you maximize your time with the Lord.

ACTS

Adoration - Start off your prayer with a time of worship.  Tell God how great He is.

Confession - Spend some time in repentance, asking God to search your heart and confessing your sin and brokenness to Him.  

Thanksgiving - Get specific and thank God for all that He's done for you.

Supplication - Conclude your prayer time by bringing your needs and the needs of others to the Lord.

JOY

Joy - Prioritize your relationship with Jesus.  Thank Him for being your Savior.  

Others - Place the needs of others, your friends, family, other believers and situations that need prayer before the Lord.

You - Wrap up your prayer time by taking your own needs to the Lord.

PRAY

Praise - The Psalm's tell us to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.  Begin your prayer time with a praise session.

Remember - Reflect on the Lord's blessings and on the answers to prayer that you have already seen.

Ask - Intercede for others, asking God to meet needs.

You -  Wrap up your prayer time by taking your own needs to the Lord.  

One thing you'll notice is that all three of these tracks have a couple of things in common.  They begin by focusing first on God and end by focusing on you.  A lot of times when we pray the temptation is to jump right into reciting our list of personal problems and needs.  If we'll pause to take to time focus on God first and then others it's amazing the change in perspective that we'll get as we pray.

***Thanks to my Dad, Billy Wilson, for these simple prayer tracks which I've adapted from his book "Fasting Forward."***