Praying Based on God's Attributes Will Power Up Your Prayer Life!

At a recent women's retreat, we began by discussing what prayer is. The key takeaways included:

Primarily, God speaks to us through Scripture.
Prayer is the continuation of a conversation God has started in His Word.
Prayer is our reply to God.

We spent some time in a small group looking at a few passages (Psalm 23, Psalm 145 and Mark 14:36-39) and noting the attributes of God that are specifically mentioned or implied. After receiving feedback from the session, I found that many of the ladies had never approached scripture with a focus on who God is in mind.

According to Scripture, we must pray in God's will to have our prayers answered. To know His will, we must know Him, and to know Him, we must know His Word. Knowing Him better also reminds us of our helplessness and need for Him. Recognizing His greatness also helps us believe that our prayers will be answered.

You regularly entrust yourself to a power you can’t see to do a work you can’t do. Max Lucado

Many prayers recorded in the Bible acknowledge God's characteristics before laying their needs before Him. This is part of the Model Prayer as Jesus says, "Our Father, holy is your name." In other words, He is acknowledging God's complete uniqueness and indescribable nature.

Perhaps you have a good list of attributes because you have used the ACTS prayer model, which starts with adoration. This focuses our thoughts on who God is before we begin thanking Him for what He has done. Sometimes His actions can lead us to a description of His character.

I created this resource for my friends who attended the retreat, and I thought it might help you if this is a new concept for you. Look for these in your Bible reading - whether explicitly stated or described by some action the Lord is taking.

When we comprehend God’s greatness, it leads us to a new grasp of our own sinfulness…The more we see God’s power, the more we will want to depend on him for our needs. Timothy Keller

This is by no means an exhaustive list, and I hope you'll add the ones you find as you study, as well as share those you see that I have overlooked.

You may also want to check out some of the blog posts I have written on specific attributes of God over the last couple of years. You can find them by selecting "Worship God Because" in the Categories list.

If you do not have access to a printer, please let me know. I will be happy to print and mail it.

I am praying for you!