The ACTS prayer model: how to pray it, with examples

ACTS is a simple four-part shape for prayer: Adoration (praise God for who he is), Confession (admit your sin and receive his forgiveness), Thanksgiving (thank him for what he has done) and Supplication (ask for what you and others need). You pray the four parts in that order, which keeps prayer from becoming only a list of requests.

Below: what each letter means, the verses behind it, sample words for every step, a full example prayer, 5-, 10- and 20-minute versions, how ACTS lines up with the Lord's Prayer, and the mistakes that make it feel mechanical.

What does ACTS stand for?

Some churches and books say Contrition instead of Confession, or Thankfulness instead of Thanksgiving. The meaning is the same. Nobody knows for certain who first put prayer into these four letters; it has been taught in Sunday schools, youth groups and discipleship ministries for generations as an easy way to remember a balanced prayer.

Is the ACTS prayer model biblical?

The acronym isn't in the Bible, but each of the four parts is, and they appear together again and again. Paul writes: "In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6, WEB). That one verse holds thanksgiving and supplication side by side. He also urges "petitions, prayers, intercessions, and givings of thanks" for everyone (1 Timothy 2:1, WEB).

The Psalms are full of all four. Psalm 103 opens with praise, moves to forgiveness ("who forgives all your sins"), and is full of thanks. Psalm 51 is a model of confession. And the Lord's Prayer, the pattern Jesus gave when his disciples asked "teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1), covers praise, asking and forgiveness (more on that below).

ACTS is a tool, not a rule. It helps because it puts God first, deals honestly with sin, keeps gratitude in view, and still brings every need to him. If it ever starts to feel like a box to tick, set it aside for a day and simply talk to your Father.

Why pray in this order?

• Adoration first turns your eyes off your problems and onto God. A big view of God makes your worries look their real size.
• Confession next clears the air. Having just seen God's holiness, you see your sin more clearly, and you hear that he forgives.
• Thanksgiving third grows out of forgiveness. Grace received makes you grateful, and remembering what God has done builds faith for what you're about to ask.
• Supplication last means your requests come from a settled heart. You ask as a forgiven, grateful child, not as someone bargaining.

Many people find that when they pray this way, their asking changes. Requests get shorter and more trusting, and they pray more for others.

A: Adoration (praise God for who he is)

Adoration is praising God for who he is, not for what he's given you (that's thanksgiving). It's the part beginners find hardest, because we're used to praying about our own lives. The fix is to borrow words from Scripture.

"Great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised! His greatness is unsearchable." Psalm 145:3 (WEB)

How to do it: pick one attribute of God and stay with it for a minute. Say it back to him in your own words.

• Faithful: "Lord, you have never once broken a promise. You are the same yesterday, today and forever."
• Holy: "God, you are perfectly good. There is no darkness in you at all."
• Powerful: "You made everything I'll see today. Nothing is too hard for you."
• Near: "You are not far away. You know when I sit down and when I stand up" (from Psalm 139).
• Loving: "Your love is patient and kind, and it doesn't run out."

Psalms for adoration: 8, 19, 29, 93, 95, 96, 100, 103, 145, 146, 147, 148. Read a few verses and pray them back.

If you find it hard to get started, a breath prayer from one of these Psalms ("Be still" / "and know that you are God") is a quiet way to settle before you begin.

C: Confession (be honest, receive forgiveness)

Confession is agreeing with God about your sin. It isn't groveling, and it isn't trying to earn forgiveness. For a Christian, it's coming back into the light with a Father who has already promised to forgive.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 (WEB)

How to do it:

1. Ask God to show you: "Search me, God, and know my heart" (Psalm 139:23).
2. Look back over the last day: your words, your thoughts, what you did, and what you left undone.
3. Name it specifically. "I was impatient" is vague; "I snapped at my son over his shoes and didn't apologize" is honest.
4. Receive forgiveness. Say 1 John 1:9 out loud, and thank him that it's true.
5. If you need to put something right with a person, decide when you'll do it.

Psalm 51 is the classic prayer of confession: "Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10, WEB).

Don't keep confessing sins you've already confessed. They're gone. If guilt keeps coming back about something long confessed, remind yourself of what God has said, and consider talking with your pastor.

T: Thanksgiving (thank him for specific things)

Thanksgiving is thanking God for what he has done. The more specific, the better: specific thanks trains you to notice God's hand in ordinary days.

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, and bless his name." Psalm 100:4 (WEB)

How to do it: name three things from the last 24 hours, and one bigger thing.

• Small and recent: a good night's sleep, a kind text, coffee, the drive home without trouble.
• People: your spouse, a friend who listened, a coworker who helped.
• Answered prayer: something you asked for and saw, even partly.
• The big things: forgiveness, the cross, the promise of eternal life, the Holy Spirit with you.

Paul wrote "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18, WEB). In hard seasons, thanks may be small, but it's always possible: thank him that he is with you in it.

S: Supplication (ask for yourself and for others)

Supplication is asking: bringing God your needs and praying for other people (intercession). Jesus told us to ask, and God invites it. This is not the selfish part of prayer; it's trust.

"In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 (WEB)

How to do it: pray in widening circles.

1. Yourself: today's needs, a decision, a struggle, a habit you want to change.
2. Family: each person by name, with one thing for each.
3. Friends and church: people who've asked for prayer, your pastor, people who are sick or grieving.
4. The wider world: leaders, your town, people who don't know Jesus, Christians who are persecuted.

End by handing it over: "Your will be done." A prayer list helps here so you don't forget people. Many keep five names for each weekday, so no one gets dropped.

If what you're bringing is mostly worry, our prayer for anxiety and worry walks through Philippians 4 in more depth.

A full ACTS prayer example

Here's what one 10-minute ACTS prayer might sound like. Use it as a pattern, not a script: fill the brackets with your own names and needs.

Adoration. Lord God, you are great and greatly to be praised. You made the morning I woke up to. You are holy and good, and you never change. You are not far off; you know me completely, and still you love me.

Confession. Father, I confess I was short with the people closest to me and blamed it on being tired. I worried instead of trusting you, and I gave away time I had promised to you. I'm sorry. Thank you that you are faithful and just to forgive me and cleanse me. Make my heart clean again.

Thanksgiving. Thank you for rest, for [a person who encouraged you], and for [one prayer you saw answered]. Thank you for my church, and most of all for Jesus, who gave himself for me.

Supplication. Today, give me patience in my work and wisdom for [the hardest thing on today's list]. Be with [each family member by name] and meet [one need for each]. Heal [someone who is sick] and comfort those who love them. Strengthen our pastor this week. Bring peace to our country, and draw people who don't know you to yourself. Your will be done. In Jesus' name, amen.

ACTS in 5, 10 or 20 minutes

If you're building a daily habit, start with 10 minutes and keep it the same time each day. Our guide on how to have a consistent prayer life shows how to make that stick, including what to do the day you miss.

How ACTS lines up with the Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) isn't arranged in ACTS order, but every part of ACTS is in it.

The Lord's Prayer has no separate line of thanks, which is why ACTS adds it. On mornings when ACTS feels stale, pray the Lord's Prayer slowly, stopping after each line to add your own words. It covers the same ground.

Common mistakes with the ACTS method

• Rushing to S. Most of us spend 30 seconds on praise and ten minutes on requests. Try giving the first three letters at least half your time for a week, and see what changes.
• Mixing up adoration and thanksgiving. Adoration is who God is ("you are faithful"). Thanksgiving is what he did ("thank you for keeping your promise yesterday").
• Vague confession. "Forgive me for everything" skips the honesty that brings real relief. Name one or two things.
• Treating it like a formula. ACTS doesn't make prayer "work." God hears you because of Jesus, not because of the order. Use the shape to help you, not to grade yourself.
• Never listening. Add a minute of silence after adoration or at the end. Read a verse again and let it speak.
• Praying the same words every day. A different Psalm each morning keeps the shape fresh. Read first, then pray what you read.

Using ACTS with a group or your family

• Small group: the leader opens with a Psalm and a minute of adoration; then a moment of silent confession (keep confession private in a group unless people choose to share); then go around for one thank-you each; then pray for requests in pairs. If you'd rather read the whole time aloud, our guided prayer script follows the same order with timed pauses.
• With children: teach the letters on four fingers. Ask: "What's one thing great about God? One thing you're sorry for? One thing you're thankful for? One person we can pray for?" Even young children can do this in two minutes at bedtime.
• Couples: take turns: one prays adoration and thanks, the other confession and requests, then swap the next night.

Write it down: an ACTS prayer journal

Writing slows you down and stops wandering. Divide a notebook page into four boxes, A, C, T and S, and write a line or two in each. Add a column on the right of the S box for answers, and date each page. Over a few months you'll have a record of God's faithfulness to look back on. Our prayer journal prompts give you 40 ideas if you get stuck.

If you'd like this done for you each morning, our guided plan reads a Psalm and an ACTS-shaped prayer aloud, ten minutes a day; answer a few questions to build your 40-day prayer plan.

Common questions

What does ACTS mean in prayer?

Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication: praise God for who he is, confess your sin, thank him for what he's done, and ask for your needs and others'.

What's the difference between adoration and thanksgiving?

Adoration praises God for his character (holy, faithful, loving). Thanksgiving thanks him for his actions (a healing, provision, forgiveness). One is who he is; the other is what he has done.

What is supplication in prayer?

Humbly asking God for something, for yourself or for others. Praying for others is often called intercession, and it's part of supplication.

Do I have to pray all four parts every time?

No. A quick prayer in a crisis is still prayer. ACTS is most useful for your daily time with God, when you want a balanced prayer and don't want to run out of words.

Is ACTS the only way to pray?

No. The Lord's Prayer, praying a Psalm word for word, and simply talking to God are all good. Many Christians use ACTS on some days and other shapes on others. Our guide on how to pray every day has more ways in.

Can ACTS help with a wandering mind?

Yes. Knowing what comes next is one of the best cures for drifting. If your mind wanders, notice which letter you're on and pick up there.

Try ACTS tomorrow for ten minutes, with Psalm 100 as your reading. When you want each day laid out for you, start your free 40-day plan, or see all our prayer guides.

Sources

Scripture: World English Bible (public domain), eBible.org. Pages read for this guide: The Navigators, "ACTS Prayer Model"; Hallow, "How to Pray With the ACTS Prayer Model"; Glorify, "ACTS Model of Prayer".