Some Ways to Pray in the beginning and thereafter
by Sherry Kirton
02 October 2007

There are many ways to pray and some will be more effective than others at different points of time or because of the age of the prayer warrior. Here are a few to try.

Five-Finger Prayer

1. Your thumb is nearest to you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved, as C. S. Lewis once said, is a “sweet duty.”
2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction.
3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.
4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is fact that this is our weakest finger; as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them. And if you are married, your ring should remind you to pray for your spouse.
5. And lastly comes our little finger; the smallest finger of all, which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, “the least shall be the greatest among you.” Your pinky should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

Five-Fingers of Praise (given to KDB through Pastor Jerry Bieker)

1. Pinky- Music.
   [sing a praise chorus, hymn or spiritual song]
2. Ring finger- Prayer.
   “Lord, I praise You because [You are]...”
3. Scripture.
   [read a praise from the Bible; ie. one of the Psalms from 100-150]
4. Witness.
   [share what God has done]
5. Thumb - Promise.
   make a commitment to Him - as a praise.

ACTS Prayer

Do this prayer outloud; either one at a time in a group or in your quiet prayer time.

A - adoration. (adore Him here by speaking of His characteristics and qualities - use Scripture for help. Speak one line only for practice.)

C - confession. (confess your sins here knowing that you serve a forgiving God who already make a way for your sins to removed from you -- through the death of Jesus.)

T - thanksgiving. (ok, now thank Him, not just for forgiving you, but for all kinds of things. Again, a one-line sentence is best for practice.)

S - supplication. (here is where you ask Him to take care of your needs, “supplies”, and be expectant that He will do what is best for you and those around you.

1-2-3 Prayer

This kind of prayer is for group settings, when in congregational prayer. Here you take a deep breath, a leader counts to three, and you all jump into prayer, outloud, at the same time. It takes a bit of practice, but is helpful in learning to pray through noisy situations, in public, and maintaining focus on what the Holy Spirit leads, you, specifically, to pray. The first few times, it is best to have everyone close their eyes, and gather in a tight cirlce, and then designate someone to close the prayer time when they believe that they are led to do so. We sometimes wait until the noise dies down, and sometimes, we do not wait, because the leader is led to cut off the noise by the Holy Spirit, probably in order to refocus someone or all of the participants back toward what the Holy Spirit is saying.

Eyes-open Prayer

Similar to the 1-2-3 Prayer, this one is for groups gathered into a tight circle, facing each other. Here you keep your eyes open and pray for each other and for any other thing while looking into the eyes of those around you. It is difficult at first, because we are all intimidated when praying, wondering what others are thinking of us. At times you may all look heaven-ward as you call on God to fill each of you with the Holy Spirit expecting Him to do so.

Walking Prayer

This one is more advanced as you may be asked to close your eyes while walking around the room praying. It isn’t a "#147;Prayer walk"#147; where you are praying for the site and activities held there. Instead you are praying as the Spirit leads and walking trustfully around the room. Again, if doing so in a group setting, designate one person to bring it all back together at the close.

Spotlight Prayer, or “in the chair”

We spotlight one person at a time praying over them, laying our hands on them if called to do so. Here you call on God to fill the spotlighted person with the Holy Spirit expecting Him to do so, but only after praying for some specific needs and calling out specific blessings on them as led. You can do this 1-2-3 style, or one-at-a-time outloud.

Caution about “laying on of hands”

Be sure all those who are participating have had some instruction on the “laying on of hands”. Some Scripture parts to use in your instruction.
Bible Gateway quicksearch of laying on of hands
1 Timothy 5:22
Hebrews 6:2