Many people struggle to stay on track during times of private prayer.  Perhaps you sit down to pray and start to think about your day, the water softener, the flat tire on your car, letting the dog out, how you hurt a person, how somebody hurt you, what’s for breakfast, what is on TV, will the Lions ever get to the Super Bowl…and Lord help the missionaries…Amen.  It is certainly okay to talk to God about all of those things but having a plan for your times of private prayer will very likely help you stay more on track.  The first and best outline for prayer is from the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 6.  We would do well to spend much time meditating on His instructions.  Praying Scripture from the OT and the NT is also very helpful, Lord willing we’ll be looking at Paul’s prayer requests from Ephesians 1 and 3 on this coming Sunday.  These prayer requests go beyond physical needs to the needs of the inner life.  That’s where we really live and where motives and decisions are birthed.  You’ll see the importance of these prayer requests if you join us.  If you haven’t already, I encourage you to come up with your own prayer list, including Scripture, so that your times of communication with God are characterized by His Word and Will and not just the rambling thoughts that migrate like geese through our heads.  So beloved, let us pray, in the Spirit.