Prayer is the easiest part of being a Christian

and the hardest thing to maintain daily.

I have found that one of the keys to constant prayer is to have a grid you can pray through regularly. I want to show you how to maintain a decent prayer life with just 3 words.

You can pray this prayer in 30 seconds or you might find yourself praying through these words for 30 minutes.

The 3 words are: Abba, Sorry, Thanks.

| Abba |

"Because you are his sons,

God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,

the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

Galatians 4:

Abba is the Aramaic word for father, or dad, or daddy. Jesus called God Abba (Mark 14:36). Jesus is the Son of God the Father. He can go to his Father and ask for anything anytime. He received comfort from the Father. He fellowshipped with the Father. He lived under the Father’s will. And the Father loves his Son. He delights in him, celebrates him, supports him and guides him.

The gospel tells us that when you believe, God adopts you into this love between the Father and the Son. 

You are united to Jesus in his work on the cross,

but also you are united to his person

and his Father is “Abba.” 

You are now a child of God and are invited into all the benefits of having God as your Abba.

God the Father delights in you

and celebrates you because

you are in and with his Son.

When you pray “Abba,” remember that God is for you and that he deeply loves you as his child. The point of this prayer is for you to remember him not just as your Creator, but also your “Abba.”

He is there for you like no one else. You may not be wealthy, popular, good-looking, or even noticed by people, but Abba knows you and likes you.

Talk to Abba. He is listening with rapt attention and he delights to hear your voice.

| Sorry |

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just

and will forgive us our sins

and purify us from all unrighteousness."

1 John 1:9

Everyday we sin. A sin is to break God’s commands, to miss his mark, to fall away from his voice. We sin not just in action, but in thought, word, deed, and motive.

God has forgiven a lot

and he will continue to forgive

so there is no reason to hide

or make excuses.

You will find that confession and repentance are necessary for you to continue the long journey. Sometimes you need to clear the slate and admit your sin problems.

Take a few seconds or minutes to say to Abba “I’m sorry.” You will feel better, but also you will be reminded of things you need to confess that you haven’t - places where you gave yourself a pass, but now realize this, too, was sin.

The beautiful thing about saying sorry is

that God always forgives

and meets your apology with grace.

By doing this you not only become aware of the seriousness of your sin, but the massive ocean of grace that God pours on sinners connected to the Son.

| Thanks |

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving 

and his courts with praise; 

give thanks to him and praise his name."

Psalm 100:4

The Bible commands us to give thanks over 200 times. Do you struggle to be thankful?

Take a few minutes to thank God for your life, relationships, health, possessions, job, family and church. Take 60 seconds and thank God for everything you have. Thank him for what you have learned, who he is, what he has done, or what he has created.

Every time I do this I feel better about life, God, my blessings and my sufferings.

Giving thanks can help your mood,

change negative thinking patterns,

improve your relationships,

but ultimately God is worthy

of our thanks. 

When we live without gratitude we ignore the goodness of God and become fixated on life problems. Gratitude will reset you and get you in the right frame of mind to live the Christian life.

So maybe you could give this prayer a try? 

All you need are the 3 words:

Abba

Sorry

Thanks

Grace and peace,

Pastor Harvey