We know that there is great power in prayer. James encouraged Christians to "confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16). The phrase "effective fervent" is translated from the Greek word ENERGO, from which we get our English word "energy."

The Lord taught His disciples to pray with expectation. "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them" (Mark 11:24). We can have this same expectation in our prayers. However, it is important to note that Jesus taught His disciples to pray (Luke 11:1-4). Effective fervent prayer is not a matter of guesswork. Prayers are not heartless chants meant to bring us fortune or good luck. Prayer is not to be used as a cosmic wish list, nor as a last ditch emergency effort. Prayer is communion with God.

We need to learn how to pray, and how to get the most out of prayer. Matthew Henry is credited with the acrostic "ACTS" - Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. Although it is not exhaustive, this acrostic does give us a practical understanding of the things that need to be included in our prayers.

1. Adoration. We are to adore and worship God in the language of our prayers. We need to acknowledge His power, perfection, wisdom, love, mercy, and care. Jesus taught us to address our prayers unto our Father in heaven with the declaration, "Hallowed be thy name" (Matt. 6:9). The word "hallowed" means "to make holy, consecrate, to render or declare sacred." As we are praying, we need to remember to Whom we are talking, and reverence and worship God in the language of our prayers.

2. Confession. Forgiveness of sins is available to the Christian if he is willing to confess those sins unto God. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Peace cannot be found where confession is lacking. "I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,' and You forgave the iniquity of my sin" (Ps. 32:5).

3. Thanksgiving. Prayer is an appropriate means of expressing our gratitude unto God for all of His blessings. There is no shortage of subjects here - life, health, home, family, friends, salvation, the church, the Bible, etc. "Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 5:20).

4. Supplication. To supplicate means to ask or to petition. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Phil 4:6). Prayer is the way we make our requests known unto God. It is also a time for us to be praying for others. "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men" (1 Tim. 2:1). However, we are to ask according to God's will (1 John 5:14), not according to our selfish pleasures (James 4:3).

There is a temptation to approach the subject of prayer with a sense of uncertainty. Prayer is an exercise of faith, but we can know that our prayers are being heard and answered. This assurance does not come from our emotions or from a gut feeling that we get. If we learn to pray as the Bible teaches, we can have great assurance in the effectiveness of our prayers.