PACT for the 4th week of September

Hello Parents!  This week we are focusing on the fact that God WANTS to hear from us.  Your kids and I talked about how the creator of the universe, the One who hung the stars in the heavens actually cares about us... and has a plan for each one of us!  How awesome is that! The PACT for this week includes a simple structure for prayer.  By no means is the is the only way we should pray!  The ideas below are some suggestions to help you remember some of the things we can talk with God about. The acronym P.R.A.Y. has helped me a lot in this area. Praise Repent Ask Yield Above all, help your children remember that there is no secret formula or specific way to pray.  Prayer is just talking with God!  Plain and simple.  Help your kids remember that God wants to hear from them and cares SO much about them.  Pastor Beau Prayer Positions of Prayer The Bible gives many different positions for prayer. Look up the verses to find a way to pray, and then pray that way. You could tack up each verse at a different place, find each one, read the verse, and say a short prayer at each spot.  Psalm 123:1 (eyes open and looking toward Heaven) Psalm 95:6 (kneeling) Psalm 63:4 (lifting up your hands) Deuteronomy 9:18 (laying on the floor) You can call out to God wherever you are—no matter the position of your body. The praying position is not as important as what you are thinking or saying. God cares more about your heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Pray, Repent, Ask, Yield David poured out his heart to God in Psalm 44, honestly sharing his feelings. (God sees and knows what we are thinking anyhow.) Ask: Is it hard to talk to God even though we cannot see Him? Why? Encourage your kids to put an empty chair in front of or beside them when they pray. Ask them to imagine that Jesus is sitting in the chair wanting to hear what they have to say.  P.R.A.Y. Students in the upper elementary classes learned to pray using the PRAY acronym. Encourage them to use this as a guide when having a personal quiet time. You could even read the verses and talk about each one together; then STOP and "practice" each part. P raise Start your prayer by thinking about God, not yourself.  Read Psalm 145:1-3,8-9. Say good things about God. R epent Read Psalm 51:1-2 David admitted he had done wrong—no excuses, no hiding it, no keeping it! Tell God what you have done: I have____________. Please forgive me. A sk Read Psalm 57:1-3 You can ask God for anything; He has promised to answer if it is according to His will. Y ield Read Psalm 19:14 David realized he belonged to God. He wanted everything he thought and everything he said to please God. The only way to come to God is to yield (give) our selves to Him to do His work and to live for His glory (not our own). Tell God you want to do His work and make Him happy. On this journey with you, Pastor Beau