Acts 16:13 (Amp)
… and on the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the bank of the river, where we
thought there would be a place of prayer, and we sat down and began speaking to the
women who had come there.
Philippians 4:6-7 (Msg)
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries
into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s
wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s
wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life.
Prepare
Acts 16:13 (Amp)
… and on the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the bank of the river …
Too seldom do we prepare to pray, and too seldom do we quietly reflect after our prayers.
These are times for reverent meditation. They allow our minds and our hearts to
communicate clearly – and to be communicated to clearly – Jeffrey R. Holland
The time that we spend in preparation can increase our desire to encounter God when we
pray – Michael Denk
Place
Acts 16:13 (Amp)
… and on the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the bank of the river, where we
thought there would be a place of prayer …
When you go to this place, you know it is time to pray. Half the battle is just getting there! –
Michael Denk
Posture
Acts 16:13 (Amp)
… and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had come there.
We believe that our bodies and souls are one. What this means for prayer is that what we
do with our bodies impacts the way that we pray and expresses what we believe – Michael
Denk
Stand – Kneel – Lie Face Down – Sit – Walk
Passage
Acts 16:25
Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God.
Presence
It is MORE about His Presence and LESS about His Presents
God will fill the hungry, because He Himself has stirred the hunger. As in the case of Prayer,
when God prepares the heart to pray, He prepares His ear to hear. – Thomas Watson
Philippians 4:8-9 (Msg)
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on
things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the
beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you
learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes
everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.