“What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?” (Deuteronomy 4:7).

Praying is a constant throughout the Bible. It’s how we communicate with God. And let’s just stop right here and give a shout out to God that He desires that we communicate with him!

So why can it be so hard to do it, and especially to be consistent? We read in the New Testament that John the Baptist taught his disciples to fast and to pray, and then we read in Luke 11:1 that “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

That gives me comfort knowing that even the disciples, after being with Jesus, needed some coaching on prayer. Jesus then gave them the model Lord’s Prayer, a beautiful pattern or guide for how to pray. There are other models as well. For example, long ago I learned the ACTS model: adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication.

I’m going to use the next few Chaplain’s Corners to explore the elements of prayer with the hope that it will help us all to draw near to God and abide more fully in His presence. The model I will use draws on the imagery of the Old Testament tabernacle. When the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness (an eleven-day journey that turned into forty years because of their unfaithfulness), God in His mercy provided them with a portable temple or dwelling place for Himself so that he could travel with them and they could be near to Him. We read about the components of the tabernacle in Exodus, and in fact, God tells them it will serve as a pattern, or model: “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. “Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you” (Exodus 25:8-9).

At the heart of the tabernacle was the Ark of the Covenant which was situated behind a curtain, and it was surrounded by a tent, open at the top, which created a court or space between the walls of the tent and the curtain. That helps us to understand the significance of Psalm 100:

¹ Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
² Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

If you are desiring to strengthen your prayer life, the best place to start is here and the best time to start is now. And if you don’t quite know how to start, then just start by praising God and thanking God, as did David the psalmist above. Sometimes, once I spend time praising God and thanking God for what He has done in my life, I am content to leave it at that; it is enough. But there are other elements of prayer, and we will continue to explore them in the weeks to come. Just remember, while we have models to help us, there are no real rules or right or wrong ways to pray. The main thing is to stay in communication with God, and take time to listen as well as to talk. What are you thankful for today? What attribute of God are you praising Him for today?

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18a).

In Christ,

Judy