We had the joy of spending the very American holiday of Thanksgiving with my mum and dad and my brother and sister along with all the kids. One thing my father required during the holiday is that we all meet at his kitchen table for a bible study each morning. There are few things that give my dad more joy than having his kids and grandkids gather with him around the word of God.

Dad shared with us six powerful prayers that any believer can pray. These prayers are powerful enough to change the direction of your life. These prayers are powerful for two reasons:

1. God is gracious to hear them
2. God is guaranteed to grant them

These six prayers are simple and can be voiced by anyone in a moment. They can be prayed by you right now. Over time, while retaining their simplicity, they grow deeper. They begin to stick and web a multitude of intimate moments with the Lord. These six prayers are simple requests which become a relationship with our Almighty Father. There are certainly more that you could add to this list, but here are the six that my father shared with us.

1. Humble Me
2. Try Me
3. Forgive Me
4. Change Me
5. Lead Me
6. Send Me

Humble Me (1 Peter 5:6-7)

There is nothing which distorts and destroys our relationship with God more than our own pride. Our life and our everyday must begin with a bow of our knee to him. We must not be wise in our own eyes but wholly lean upon him. A life that is not humbled before him is a life of self-deception.

Try Me (Psalm 139:23-24)

It is almost impossible for us to know ourselves as we truly are. Only God’s word like a mirror will reveal us. A life apart from God’s word is a life adrift at sea. Only God’s word can ground us in reality. We are transformed in the light of his word when we discover who he actually is and allow him to tell us who we actually are.

Forgive Me (Psalm 51:1-2)

We need not be afraid to humble ourselves before him, because all that awaits us is mercy and grace and peace with him. Based on the blood of Jesus Christ we can expect nothing but for our Father to run out to meet us, to fall upon our knack and kiss us with his grace. A life without his absolution is a life weighted by grief and inescapable guilt. Oh, but to receive his verdict of forgiveness brings a weightless joy to our soul.

Change Me (Psalm 51:10)

The truth is we cannot change ourselves. The power of creation is an ability we do not possess. All we can do is rearrange the same old material. He has the power to make us new. He has the power to create a new heart in us. He has the power to transform our entire disposition. Apart from him, no matter how many times we stare into our own closets, we will always find ourselves in the same old clothes.

Lead Me (Matthew 4:19)

Following Jesus is more than choosing who we are going to obey. It is not choice of religious affiliation. Following Jesus is more than an opinion that his commands are better than others. It is far more than that. It is a realisation. Following Jesus is an actual discovery that accompanied by profound relief. It is that moment when we realise that we live in a world where everyone is blind; and our hands have stumbled upon the one person who can see.

Send Me (Isaiah 6:8)

When we are confronted with the magnificence of his glory, we cannot remain as we are. We are transformed into his image and we become as he is. Just as he left his glory to seek and to save those who are lost; we are compelled to volunteer our lives to join him in his glorious cause. Our prayer is changed from, “Save me” to “Send me”. The beauty of his glory does not simply transform us. It turns us toward the multitudes who still remain in the dark.

This is the bible study my father shared with us this morning and so I share it with you. I challenge you to pray these six prayers. Humble me, Try me, Forgive me, Change me, Lead me and Send me. I pray these requests will be more than a moment, but will infect your entire life and blossom into a relationship with your Heavenly Father. I encourage you to pray that the Lord would allow you to not only see his glory, but to use your life to reflect his glory onto others, that they may see him in you.