The longer I walk with the Lord, prayer formulas keep fading in importance. In my formative years of walking with the Lord, several prayer formulas helped me. Most memorable are the ACTS acronym (I will not explain here) and the Lord’s Prayer, the model Jesus gave to teach prayer. These formulas have purpose, and I will use them again and teach them.

However, when I am at my best with the Lord, prayer feels like friendship, not a formula. Prayer is thinking in the presence of the Lord. Prayer is being with Him, which sometimes is not a list, but sitting in silence. When I consider prayer in these terms, I anticipate a lifetime of joy in prayer.