Wednesday: Praise, Confession, Requests, Thanksgiving
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 13th of May 2026
In the same way that Jesus taught us how to pray in Matthew 6:5-15, we can follow this simple model when we come to God privately, with our families, or as a church, remembering that prayer is speaking to God as a friend. Too often our prayers are full of requests when Jesus has taught us to pray for so much more!
Read Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9:4-19 and look for different parts of his prayer.
Consider how you might include the following components in your prayers:
Praise: Praise is expressed adoration for who God is and what He is like. Read Psalms 100:1-5, the beautiful praise song to God. Consider God’s many names and His magnificent character. Praise Him for being your Redeemer, Savior, Comforter, Healer, Good Shepherd, Alpha and Omega, and Rock, to mention just a few.
Confession and Forgiveness: When we find ourselves talking with and abiding in God, we can’t help letting go of whatever might be holding us back or separating us from Him. The closer we are to Him, the more we see our unworthiness and wretchedness. This makes us beg Him to remove our sins and shape our character in His likeness. If we expect God to forgive us, we need to be ready to forgive others as well. “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, NKJV).
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
Requests: What challenges are you facing, perhaps with your family, friends, health, finances, work, or study? Where, specifically, do you need God’s leading hand to guide? Who needs your support, and how can you best give it? Pray specifically about these areas and people, asking for God’s will to be done.
Thanksgiving: Read Philippians 4:6 and think about the blessings in your life. Significant things might come to mind, but what about the small things that we so often take for granted? We are the constant recipients of God’s mercies; yet, how little gratitude we express, how little we praise Him for what He has done for us.
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What things do you need to praise God for, confess to Him, request from Him, and to thank Him for? Why not do it right now? |
Amen gracious is God almighty. Very informative lesson. Thank you
Praising God has never been easy since the fall of humanity, just as thanksgiving is not always easy for sinners like us. Interestingly, God created humanity and hardwired us for praise, but the one-million-dollar question is: where do we direct our praise—to God or to ourselves? God desires our praise and thanksgiving because they give us the true power we need. Praise and thanksgiving bring satisfaction in life, give us a sense of completeness, and above all keep us in an ongoing relationship with God. As Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Neglecting prayer and thanksgiving risks leaving us spiritually incomplete and causes our relationship with God to grow distant.
When I am faithful in prayers of thanksgiving, God blesses me, but when I become careless, I am less effective in everything I do. Prayer and praise increase my awareness of God’s help, strengthen my accountability to Him, promote unity of purpose within me, and keep me open to His blessings throughout the day. The purpose of prayer is to experience God’s grace and mercies that are new every morning. As Lamentations 3:22–23 reminds us, “His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.” Waking up early to commune with God helps build a deeper relationship with Him as the day progresses and prepares the heart to walk faithfully before Him.
The best response we can develop toward God is thanksgiving and giving offerings that acknowledge Him as the source of our abundance. When we are thankful, we are encouraged to move forward and face life’s challenges with confidence in God’s help. Philippians 4:6 teaches us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Thanksgiving affirms that our decisions, resources, victories, and successes come from God alone. A grateful heart reminds us that without God we can do nothing, but with Him we are strengthened to endure and overcome.
A lifestyle of praise also becomes a testimony to those around us. Many people believe that Christians are weak or dependent on a wishful idea of God, but when we continually give God credit for what is right and good in our lives, we become living witnesses of His power. The purpose of glorifying God is not only to honor Him but also to enjoy a close relationship with Him and appreciate the blessings He has placed at our disposal. Just as the drumbeats and cheers of a crowd give confidence to players during a thrilling soccer match, our participation in praise and thanksgiving equips us with confidence in God’s victory. As Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise.” Through praise and thanksgiving, we grow stronger in faith, closer to God, and more confident in His purpose for our lives.
“This, then, is how you should pray:……” (Matthew 6:9, NIV). It appears to me that Jesus gave His disciples an instruction on how they should pray. That is, He gave them a “standard format” which they should adopt when praying. I am intrigued by the content of the Lord’s prayer, more particularly its structure. The prayer starts with God-centred concerns:
“Hallowed be Your name”
“Your kingdom come”
“Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”
After this, that is when human concerns start:
” Give us this day our daily bread”
“Forgive us our debts”
“Lead us not into temptation”
“Deliver us from evil”
This order is extremely important. Jesus puts God first. God’s holiness, sovereignty and will are paramount beyond our physical provisions. It is very critical to note that our physical needs should not override our need to align ourselves with the will of God when we pray. Our earthly needs must not supersede our need for the heavenly kingdom. When you scan through Matthew Chapter 6, you will find very profound statements by Jesus about the kingdom of God:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth” – (6:19–21),
“Not to serve wealth as a master” – (6:24)
“Not to be consumed by anxiety over food and clothing” (6:25–34)
In verse 33, Jesus said one of the most passionate appeals in the Bible. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”
No doubt Jesus cares about our earthly well-being, but His paramount desire is to see each one of us being saved into His Father’s kingdom. Dear believers, let’s revisit the Lord’s prayer prayerfully and ask God to help us to do His will here on earth as it is done in heaven.
The first time I was approached with the “proper” way to pray—the ACTS model (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication)—it was presented as the correct way to talk to God, rather than speaking things here and there. I got offended, as I felt invaded. I had always thought my troubled prayers came from a genuine place within me, but then…
Oh dear… this disturbed me deeply, so I restructured my prayer life to move toward the “ideal” and abandoned my old ways of praying. Sadly, I felt a sense of disconnection. I was following an orderly process with stages. This disconnect led to self-loathing, as I judged myself a lot.
…But then, while discussing this with a counselor friend, I mentioned this model and challenged him on it. He pointed me to the prayer at Gethsemane, and I realized that it was very specific, without any imposed “structure.” Jesus focused on God giving Him strength.
I’m not saying that modeled prayers are wrong. On the contrary, I believe they intentionally help organize focus in prayer and allow for good coverage of various areas. Prayer life should allow a conversation between God and man—an open conversation—with no barriers, free and sincere.
However, this is a new understanding that I can work with: ( It’s great, but as I approach these young new members in church, I should not make them feel that their prayers lack substance or are incomplete. I should be more encouraging and more understanding of “their spiritual walk” (Luke 18:9–14).
I appreciated your comments, Stanley. I appreciate your point that as we share perspectives about prayer, we should not make others feel that their prayers lack substance or are incomplete. Incidentally, the ACTS model (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication) and Praise, Confession, Request, and Thanksgiving are the same thing. The acronym ACTS just makes it easier to remember. I found the ACTS acronym to be a blessing as it helped me realise that I needed to spend more time in praise, and it taught me the difference between praise and thanksgiving. I didn’t feel guilty about how I had previously prayed, and I don’t follow it every time I pray. But the awareness of the different aspects of prayer continues to be a blessing in my prayer life.
I believe the most important message from Matthew 6:5 is that when we pray, we should not be hypocrites. What God is looking for is sincerity. The problem is we sometimes try to pray like Elder X or Sister Y. We are different, and sincere prayer will reflect this. God knows his children. Some of us are wordy and poetic even in our daily expression. Others are direct and succinct in our discourse. This difference will be reflected in our sincere prayer.
In our spiritual life, as in our physical, we grow. There is period of life when we feed on milk. There is also a period when we feed on meat. The babe who feeds on milk is not wrong to do so. If we are praying sincerely, what we feed on is reflected in how we pray. If a person spends an hour each day in Bible study, and then prays after the reading of the Word, they will not pray like they did when they read a 5-minute devotion. So, how we pray may change as we grow. And it is the Holy Spirit who should guide the process of growth.
Sincere prayer is relational. It reflects our intimate relationship with God. Think of an intimate, loving relationship between a husband and wife. They will have moments when they have much to say, and moments when they can sit quietly in one another’s presence and just be. There will be moments when their discourse is mature and deep and others when it is playful and silly. If we have an intimate relationship with God, and prayer is the opening up of our hearts to him, authentic prayer will have these variations.
Dear God, help me to be sincere in my walk with you. I know that when my heart is right with you, our conversations will be acceptable in your sight regardless of how I pray.
Thank you, Jocelyn
I agree with you wholly that the ACTS and PCRT models (let’s call it that for now 😇) are essentially the same, with only a slight interchange at the end—and actually, the more mature me today finds the model helpful in organizing prayer sessions, especially group prayers. Maybe the only thing I avoid is stating the obvious, but these models allow time to be allocated to various facets within prayer.
My worry has always been—especially due to my earlier experience—that (and this happens often) good ideas are, at many times, watered down by the way they are presented in the initial stage. An approach, when it sounds corrective, may end up counterproductive, especially when it makes another feel wrong. I believe that if I had been approached differently back then—more as a suggested approach—I would have been less defensive.
Notice, Jesus responds to “teach us how to pray”; this gives an opportunity to share experiences and approaches in response. I love the way the study today has laid it out—that is the “new understanding” I meant.
Hi Stanley, Jocelyn, thank you for this lovely conversation. This is about your prayer life, and I feel it coming from your heart. Your personal walk with God is a blessing to me. Please, let us pray for each other.
Hi Stanley, I certainly don’t think we need to follow any formula for prayer – there are so many in the Bible and they all teach us things.
I do think there is value in the ACTS model (I prefer it just because I think our requests should ideally come last) especially when we pray publicly. When I am on duty as an elder, I map out a prayer with those 4 categories ahead of time – not because I believe you need to plan your prayers, but because I am praying on behalf of the congregation. In those contexts, all parts of prayer are important.
Being aware of ACTS helped my own prayer life as I realized that I was mostly praying for “things” (not necessarily selfish things but still focused on requests). Now I try to make sure I include each element in my devotional time and at the end of the day.
Of course, off the cuff prayers will not look like that, nor should they. Sometimes we pray just in thanksgiving or supplication or confession. And that’s all good.
Yesterday I missed Maurice Ashton’s message and his prayer for the day and today his comments are also missing. I pray that you are well and safe Maurice.
Thank you to everyone who takes the time to share your thoughts and experiences as they are a blessing to me each day as I learn to lay everything at the cross.
Just a quick note to explain my nonparticipation for a few days. Carmel’s mother is coming to the end of her life. This is not unexpected – she is nearly 99. She is a much-loved family member, and we had a wonderful Mother’s Day afternoon tea with her on Sunday. Since then, she has declined rapidly, and we expect it won’t be long before she goes to her final sleep. We live in the hope of the blessed resurrection.
I will get back to writing as soon as I can.
Thoughts and prayers are with you and Carmel.
May the Good Lord give you the courage and a thankful heart as you process the loss of one of the critical components of your family, Carmel’s mother.
Good day Maurice. I keep you and your family in my prayers at this time. I am assured that God’s presence will be with you, whatever happens.
I pray the Comforter will be close to you and your family during this time. Though it may be expected, the grief still exists. Take your time. 🙏🏾🫂🙏🏾
Our thoughts and prayers will be with you and Carmel as you spend time with Carmel’s Mother. May God guide you and bless you with the right words and prayers for her🙏❣️💞
Will keep you and your family in my prayers Maurice.
Sending virtual hugs and prayers for you and family.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you Maurice and Carmel
Thinking of you and Carmel. 🙏🏾❤️🙏🏾 May God grant you comfort and strength during this time.
My thoughts and prayers are with the family.
Our prayers are for you and Carmel, and your family. God bless you and your family.
May God grant you fortitude and supply you with grace to strengthen you and your family in these moments. We miss your ever gracious and helpful study comments and life application approaches to the study guide. We pray and hope to have them back soon.
I am blessed with all of your comments. God led me to this website. After years of not reading the study guide, I started consistent daily studies this week Sunday. And every morning after studying the day’s lesson, I am happy to read your contributions from which I learn alot more too. May God bless all of you and may the lessons bring each one of us closer to God each day.
I would like to thank the author and contributors of these sabbath school lessons based on prayer. This is one of my favourite topics, especially ‘how to pray.’I’m still learning, and in so doing sharing my experiences with others. I am so blessed and thankful. To Maurice, I have enjoyed your journey on bird watching and the photos as a Master Guide Pathfinder. I’m praying God be the Comforter and strength to your family at this time.
Jesus left the prayer blueprint for us to follow: Praise, confession and forgiveness, request and thanksgiving.
Sometimes we tend to only focus on the “REQUEST” and forget about the “THANKSGIVING”. We take for granted the little things which are vital in our lives.
Thanks for your contribution each day, which I look forward to. May God bless you and Carmel, as you go through this time. One day soon we will be home where there shall be no more death no more sickness or pain, be faithful family
Prayer is the great privilege of communicating with the God of all Creation, yet I can sometimes not appreciate it or engage in it as I know that I should. I don’t like living on a “should” basis. Living on such a basis is shallow and shaming. I want to live my life and my faith as a spontaneous act of worship, and service out of the abundant appreciation for the manifold blessings of being an adopted child of God. There really is no reason for God to love me except for this one thing, I am created in his image. Even though that image has been marred by my experience with sin, He still loves me and wants me to spend eternity with him. He has done and is doing all the heavy work of changing me to restore the fullness of his image in me. I praise Him for it all. Not just the blessings, but the hard times too. They remind me that God is still working on me. He is still there and is still for me, not against me.
My wife and I are involved in supporting an orphanage in Uganda. What began as a donation has somehow blossomed into a ministry, and it’s a beautiful thing to see these abused, abandoned, or orphaned children respond to simple acts of loving kindness. To hear them say thank you brings a smile to my face. In a small way I understand how God must feel when I, we, say thank you for the simple things that we often take for granted. If you are a parent you understand it even more. I have often said that God gave us the privilege of having and raising children so that we would understand both the joy and sorrow that He experiences with being our heavenly Father. For so many reasons, 🎵”I just want to praise His Holy Name. I just want to praise the Lord.”🎵
The psalmists in Psalms 116:1-2 said because God answered his prayer, he would pray to God all the time. There is a power in God answering our prayers that keeps us praying. My request is “Please God, hasten to answer our prayers so that your children don’t lose hope for we live in a world that is hard on us”. I am jut been honest.
@Maurice,my thoughts and prayers are with you and families . We know there’s hope of meeting when the Lord returns.
Prayer is not to be rehearsed. It is pouring out your heart to a friend that One Friend that matters the most to you. It is inviting that Friend to be included in every aspect of your existence. You don’t have to sound good or look good but you keep it honest and open. Our Friend is personal and as we grow in friendship with our God we recognize our total need of Him so just our faces differ so will our prayers until we grow up into the full stature of Jesus Christ.
Thank you for the message that prayer should be rehearsed. A few years ago I was asked to have the prayer at my Grandson’s wedding dinner celebration. I was approached several weeks before the wedding. I had plenty of time to think about what to say in prayer in front of a crowd of their many friends, relatives, co-workers, etc. I knew many of the people, but probably only half of them or less. I decided definitely not to rehearse the prayer, but to prepare by asking for the Holy Spirit help me say the proper words.
Mr. Ashton, thank for sharing as we continue to pray for you and your family. May God continue to lead the paths.
“Forgives us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us….,” is one of the most powerful prayer covenants we make with God. In that prayer, we are essentially asking that the measure of mercy we extend to others become the measure by which mercy is extended to us. It is a solemn testimony that forgiveness received from The Father must produce forgiveness toward our fellow men. In essence, we pledge before God that because he is forgiving, we too shall become forgiving. Grace received must become grace demonstrated.
This truth is beautifully reflected in Christ’s parable of the unforgiving servant in the gospel of Matthew. The servant owed his Master an enormous debt, one he could not repay. Falling before the Master, he pleaded for mercy and the debt was completely forgiven. Yet this same servant went out and found a fellow servant who owed him a far smaller amount, likely a small part of what he himself had borrowed from the Master and which was now forgiven. Instead of extending the mercy he had just received, he seized his fellow servant by the throat and demanded immediate payment.
The contrast is staggering. Straight from the throne of forgiveness, he became an agent of condemnation. When the Master heard of what had happened, judgement was swift and severe. The forgiveness previously granted was withdrawn, and the unforgiving servant was delivered to punishment.
The lesson was unmistakable, the gift of forgiveness is inseparably tied to a forgiving spirit and this is what we affirm in the Lord’s prayer. We cannot truly receive the mercy of God while refusing to extend mercy to others. Forgiveness is not merely a transaction; it is transformation. The forgiven must become forgivers.
That is why Christ taught that if we do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will our heavenly Father forgive ours. Next time we are praying the Lord’s prayer, we should be deliberate how we frame that part of the Lord’s prayer.
The evidence that grace has entered the heart is that bitterness no longer rules it.
Walter – I greatly appreciate your statement: “The evidence that grace has entered the heart is that bitterness no longer rules it.” I consider this to be God’s blessed Truth revealed to your heart and mind – thank you for sharing this with us.
You also stated: “We cannot truly receive the mercy of God while refusing to extend mercy to others.” Harboring unforgiveness, not wanting to forgive – not being willing to let go of the pain an injury caused to the heart -, disallows the Holy Spirit to heal it.
Our God invites us to turn to Him in complete trust, believing that He is able to mend a broken heart – restoring it to its full capacity to love Him unconditionally.
I agree.
I believe that forgiveness is a gift from God that remains in the heart even before any offense, and this forgiveness keeps us in peace.
I also find that forgiveness can be accepting a difficult circumstances we must bear because God is in control of our lives.
Otherwise we may blame God for them: such as a death of a loved one, damage from nature–such as hurricanes, tsunamis tornadoes, floods, etc.–raising costs beyond our abilities especially the doubling and tripling of rents that leave many homeless.
I believe forgiveness comes from trusting in God as He continues to heal all hurts in our hearts by His gift of forgiveness.
Thanks for all the comments. While I agree that prayer should not be rehearsed .I don’t think anything is wrong in sometimes thinking about what and how you will pray depending on the the occasion and the audience for which you are praying. Sometimes when we are going to talk to a friend. We carefully thought how and what to say before we say it. I know that the Holy Spirit will interpret our prayer to God but the word also encouraged us to be specific in our request and this might just requires us to think about what we are praying for even before we pray.
I agree. I probably wouldn’t suggest memorizing your prayers, but public prayers are exactly that. Almost always you are praying on behalf of a larger group. So it is important to think about some of the things you can pray for – what is most needed, what is most fitting.
God is so amazing!!! He knows exactly what I need! He knows my weak areas and helps me to overcome them. Thank you, Lord for so many teachings!