A Tool for Prayer
One of the things I appreciate most about our tradition is “The Book of Common Prayer.” Since its initial appearance in 1549, the book has helped Christians in the Anglican and Episcopal traditions shape the way that we pray.
One of my favorite passages comes at the end of the Morning Prayer service where we say the prayer of St. Chrysostom: we acknowledge that as two or three are gathered in Christ’s Name, He will be with us. Even if we are physically alone while we are praying, we can be confident that Jesus is with us and with others around the world praying the same prayer.
Sometimes, though, we want to talk to God and use our own words. Many of us feel distracted and cannot think of everything that we want to say to God in our prayers. This is where a helpful tool might be useful.
When I was a boy, our youth pastor taught us an acronym to help us organize our prayers. This isn’t the only way. There may be even better ways to do so, but this is a method that stuck with me. He taught us TACOS.1 (As a side note, it is always helpful to mention tacos to a group of teenagers.)
Thanksgiving: We thank God for what He has done in our lives - for the ways that He has answered our prayers. Adoration: We praise God for who He is - for His character, His goodness and His faithfulness. Confession: We confess our sins - we ask for forgiveness for the things that we have done and the things we have left undone. Others: We ask for God’s provision for others - for our families, our friends, our church, other Christians around the world, and for those who do not yet know Christ. Self: We ask for God to work in our own lives - for patience, for holiness, for contentment and our physical and emotional needs.
I hope that you too will find this to be a useful tool in prayer. No matter what tool you use to pray, remember what Paul writes to the church in Rome:
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26)
When you do not know how to organize your prayers or even how to express the things that you want to bring to God, remember that God knows everything that your heart desires. The Holy Spirit is working within you, bringing your requests to God.
Today, try to follow the mnemonic to compose your prayer. Remember that God is always ready and willing to hear you when you pray to Him.
1 You may have learned ACTS: Adoration Confession Thanksgiving Supplication. TACOS was a way to teach us that supplication involves praying for others as well as ourselves.
