The Prayer Circle

Next we come to PETITION

This is where your prayer becomes more personal. It’s when you lift up your needs to God. It’s what Paul said in Philippians 4 - -

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We also see it in the Lord’s Prayer as we ask God for our daily bread.

That’s such a great prescription for personal prayer. Let your requests, your petitions be made known to God, do it with thanksgiving, which is next on the prayer wheel, and you have the opportunity to experience the peace of God which is unexplainable, which guards your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I believe when we make our petitions known to God, we aren’t wishy-washy about them, we’re confident and bold. We make those requests known to God. We go to His throne room and talk to our Father. We make these petitions, not for our personal gain or glory. That’s never the motivation behind this prayer.

Next we move into THANKSGIVING.

Sometimes thanksgiving and praise can overlap. But it’s at this point where we give thanks to God for our blessings. There’s so much we can be thankful for, even in the not so good times. When we give thanks, we’re thanking God for what He’s done for us.

When I’m thankful, I’m focusing on God’s faithfulness to me. I recognize it’s not about me, but it’s about God’s graciousness to me. In Philippians 4, we saw how we make our requests known to God with thanksgiving. Another passage is from Colossians 3 - - -

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be THANKFUL.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with THANKFULNESS in your hearts to God.

17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving THANKS to God the Father through Him.

Three times we’re told to be thankful. We can give thanks for our spiritual blessings, material blessings, physical blessings and more. Nothing is off limits.

Next in the prayer circle is SINGING

Psalm 100 tells us - - -

1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! - Psalm 100:1-2

Now this may be more difficult for some. Sometimes, you have a song in your head or in your heart. Sing it to the Lord. We give God thanks for His blessings, and we praise Him in song. It’s really a time of worship as we pray.

You can have a song in mind, or find one to sing. Singing is about honoring God. It can be a song of thanks, a song of joy, a song of God’s power and glory, it could be about a name of God. It can be for help and healing. It could just be a favorite song, or one from worship or the radio. You can even make up your own song.

It’s a time to follow up our moments of thanksgiving with a song or two of joy to the Lord. Sing a Christmas song or an Easter song. It doesn’t matter if it’s out of season - - - it’s more important to simply sing a song to celebrate God’s presence in your life. Take a passage of scripture and turn it into your own fight song.