A Balanced Prayer Diet
We all know eating a balanced diet means ample servings of each of four main food groups. A balanced prayer diet, in turn, means focusing on four basic prayer groups, which are praise, thanksgiving, confession/forgiveness, and petitions. While every prayer doesn't have to include all of these elements; in our daily prayer life we need to ensure we devote adequate prayer time to each.
The things we have to praise God for are limitless. It doesn't take careful thought to find many reasons to fill the praise part of our prayers.
Hand in hand with praise is thanksgiving, where we thank God for all the blessings he bestows on us with his grace. Again, we should have no difficulty coming up with a lengthy list of thanks to our Lord.
The third group requires a bit more contemplation on our parts. This is when we confess all our sins to God and ask confidently for his mercy and forgiveness, thus beginning our repentance process.
We don't need to be shy about petitioning God for our every need. In fact, we should always depend on God or everything and turn all out problems over to God, having faith he will take care of us.
Matthew 6:6(TNIV) says, "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
With ample servings of each prayer group, we will make sure our prayers are comprehensive and prepare us for anything we might face in our days. Study the Lord's Prayer for the best example of a perfectly balanced prayer.
