This a simple yet flexible method to
pray. It builds on the established ACTS. This is not rigid nor wrote prayer but rather a model to guide and support it.
They can be used stand-alone or or tandem.
I also like to box breathe and meditate:
Breathe IN – UP (Insert)
Hold IN – RIGHT Insert)
Release OUT – Down (Insert)
Pause LEFT – (Insert)
Here is a visual to assist:
PRAY = the posture/process of prayer.
ACTS = the content of prayer.
So they can work together like this:
PRAY
- P — Present: Present yourself to God and become fully present with Him.
- R — Reset: Repent, restore, recall, revere. Clear the noise and re-center.
- A — Align: Align your Head, Heart, and Hands with God’s truth, will, and calling.
- Y — Yes: Yield and say yes to God’s will, way, power, presence, and purposes.
Then within PRAY, ACTS gives you the substance of the conversation:
ACTS
- A — Adoration: Who God is.
- C — Confession: Where I have fallen short.
- T — Thanksgiving: What God has done and given.
- S — Supplication: What I bring before God for myself and others.
I particularly like it because PRAY prevents ACTS from becoming merely a checklist, while ACTS prevents PRAY from becoming vague or purely experiential.
PRAY prepares and positions the person; ACTS guides the prayer.
PRAY is the posture of the Head, Heart, and Hands before God. ACTS gives expression to that posture.
And the Y — YES is important because prayer shouldn’t terminate with words. It moves toward yielding, obedience, and participation—then back into PRESENT, where prayer becomes an ongoing way of walking with God.
That gives you a genuinely memorable cycle:
PRESENT → RESET → ALIGN → YES → PRESENT…
with ACTS operating throughout the conversation with God.
SONG
Lyrics
[Intro — quiet, spacious]
Here I am, oh Lord
Here I am, oh great I AM
Before I speak
Before I ask
I come into Your presence
Just as I am
“Present your bodies as a living sacrifice…”
— Romans 12:1
⸻
[Verse 1 — PRESENT]
I present myself before You
Awake to this moment, awake to Your grace
Yesterday’s gone, tomorrow’s not promised
So here in the present, I seek Your face
You are the Giver of every good gift
Every breath, every moment comes down from above
So I bring You the present that You first gave me
My attention, my worship, my life and my love
Here I am — fully present
Head, heart, and hands before You
⸻
[Verse 2 — RESET]
Reset my heart, restore what is broken
Search me, O God, show me what’s true
I repent of the ways I have wandered
Create a clean heart and make me new
I recall all the ways You’ve been faithful
I remember Your mercy again
In reverence I stand in Your presence
Where confession meets grace without end
Repent — Restore
Recall — Revere
Reset me, Lord
And draw me near
⸻
[Pre-Chorus — ALIGN]
Renew my mind
Adjust my sight
Not my will
But Yours alright
Teach me Your precepts
Show me THY way
Align every part of me
With what You say
⸻
[Chorus]
P — Present
Here I am
R — Reset
Make me new again
A — Align
My heart with Yours
Y — Yes, Lord
I am Yours
I will PRAY
And in my prayer I bring ACTS
Adoration — You are God
Confession — cleanse my heart
Thanksgiving — for all You’ve done
Supplication — Your will be done
PRAY and ACTS
Posture and prayer
I come before You
And meet You there
⸻
[Verse 3 — ADORATION & CONFESSION]
Holy, holy, holy
You alone are worthy
From You and through You
And to You are all things
You are Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer
Beginning and End, forever the same
Yet standing before all Your holiness
I see where I’ve fallen and call on Your name
Not hiding my weakness
Not defending my sin
Your mercy has opened
The way back again
Isaiah 6:3–5 • Romans 11:36 • Hebrews 4:16
⸻
[Verse 4 — THANKSGIVING & SUPPLICATION]
Thank You for mercies new every morning
Thank You for blessings I never could earn
Thank You for walking beside me through valleys
For every correction and lesson I’ve learned
Now here are the burdens I carry before You
The people I love and the work I must do
Give wisdom and courage, provision and power
But more than my answers—
Lord, I want You
Your Kingdom come
Your will be done
Through my life
As in heaven
Lamentations 3:22–23 • Philippians 4:6 • Matthew 6:10
⸻
[Bridge — YES]
Then I heard You asking
“Whom shall I send?”
And my prayer becomes an answer:
Here I am — send me
Yes when I understand
Yes when I don’t
Yes when the pathway is easy
Yes when it won’t
Yes to Your calling
Yes to Your way
Yes to obedience
Today after today
Not merely hearing
But ready to do
My hands now follow
What my heart knows is true
⸻
[Breakdown — spoken/sung]
PRAY is the posture
Present
Reset
Align
Yes
ACTS is the prayer
Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication
But prayer was never meant
To end with Amen
Prayer becomes obedience
Obedience becomes worship
And worship brings me
Back into Your presence
⸻
[Final Chorus — building]
P — PRESENT!
Here I am
R — RESET!
Make me new again
A — ALIGN!
My heart with Yours
Y — YES!
I am Yours
A — ADORATION!
You alone are God
C — CONFESSION!
Search my heart
T — THANKSGIVING!
For all You’ve done
S — SUPPLICATION!
Your Kingdom come!
PRAY ∞ ACTS ∞ PRAY
From presence
Into prayer
From prayer
Into action
From action
Back to presence
⸻
[Outro — quiet again]
Here I am, Lord
Here I am
Present
Reset
Align
Yes
My Head knows Your truth
My Heart abides in Your love
My Hands are ready to obey
Here I am
Yes, Lord.
“Here am I. Send me!”
— Isaiah 6:8