Prayer is a vital part of the ministry of a pregnancy center. Just as it is crucial for a soldier to stay in constant contact with their commanding officer during a mission, so it is vital for staff and volunteers to communicate with the Lord as they carry out His mission, including sharing the good news with clients. 

Yet many struggle with their prayer life. If we are not careful, our prayers can become routine, dry, and even obligatory.

One reason for this is HOW we pray.

When I was young, I viewed prayer like a vending machine. I prayed to get something I wanted. What I got instead was a prayer life that was dry, boring, and devoid of life.

I finally came to learn an important truth. The primary purpose of prayer is not to ask for something we want, but to deepen our relationship with Someone we know, the Lord.

I am not saying we should not bring our needs and the needs of the PRC to the Lord. I am saying that there is more to prayer than only asking Him to fulfill our requests.

When I pray, I often use the acrostic “ACTS” to remind me that prayer should be multi-faceted. Each letter of the acrostic represents a different facet of prayer.

A = Adoration (to adore and praise God)

C = Confession (to confess our sins to God)

T = Thanksgiving (to thank God)

S = Supplication (to ask God to supply our needs)

Think of ACTS as a trellis. A trellis provides a structure on which vines and plants can grow. In the same way, the ACTS model provides a structure to grow our prayer life. It does not restrict our prayers but helps ensure they are focused and multifaceted.

It also will enliven our outreach to others, including the clients you have the privilege of speaking with. I find that the closer we draw to God in prayer, the more passionate and effective I am in evangelism.

Let’s look at each facet of the ACTS model for prayer and see how each increases our intimacy with God and our outreach to others.

1. Adoration

Adoration is worshipping God by communicating our feelings of love and affection to Him. It is the starting point of prayer. As the Psalmist exhorts in Psalm 100, “Come into his presence with singing!” and “Enter his courts with praise!”

So how does adoration fuel our outreach?

• Adoration focuses our mind on God which helps us prioritize His mission.
• Adoration helps to dispel our fears. As we worship the Lord, we remind ourselves how big HE is and how small everything else is in comparison.
• Adoration reminds us of our dependence on God and that “without Him, we can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

2. C – Confession

Confession is acknowledging our sins to God which includes agreeing with Him about our guilt and expressing our desire to turn from them. Confession leads to forgiveness from God and restoration of fellowship with God according to 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faith and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Confession helps our outreach in the following ways:

• Confession restores our joy in the Lord which overflows to our witness.
• Confession helps remedy feelings of guilt and hypocrisy which can prevent us from sharing with our whole heart.
• Unconfessed sin turns our focus inward to fulfilling our selfish desires. Confession remedies this and helps us refocus on the needs of others.

3. T – Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is the gratitude we express to God. The Psalmist correlates thanksgiving with evangelism when he exhorts, “Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!” Psalm 105:1.

Specifically, how does thanksgiving bolster our outreach?

• Thanksgiving motivates us to share the gospel not out of obligation, but out of continual gratitude for God’s grace, a grace worth sharing with others.
• Thanksgiving leads to contentment which guards us against seeking to acquiring more stuff which can distract us from our main mission.
• A thankful heart in tough times produces conspicuous joy that others find appealing. It is not rooted in circumstances, but in Christ.

4. S – Supplication

Supplication involves asking God to supply our needs. It is listed last for a reason. When we are continually praising God, confessing our sins, and thanking Him for all we have, it helps us clarify what to ask for.

How does supplication relate to evangelism?

• Supplication puts us in the right posture to be used by God because it acknowledges our dependence on Him for everything in evangelism, including boldness, opportunities, and spiritual fruit.
• Supplication is near the heart of God because He likes to be asked for the resources we need, including all we need to share the gospel effectively.
• Supplication is the prescription for worry and anxiety which can distract us from our mission. It is also a pathway to God’s peace which speaks volumes in our volatile world. As Paul says in Philippians 4:6-7,

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

I encourage you to incorporate these aspects of prayer into your daily prayer life. You will find that you will draw closer to God and be a more effective witness for God to your clients.