What is the ACTS method of prayer?

from the old testament

• Adoration: Adoration means worshipping God. Psalms of praise like Psalm 8, Psalm 29 and Psalm 95 are examples. Poetic moments of praise include such instances as when Moses praised God with the Israelites after being delivered from the Egyptians (Exodus 15:1-21) or when Daniel blessed God in a Psalm-like fashion after God revealed to him the meaning of King Nebuchadnezzar's dreams (Daniel 2:20-23).
• Confession: Confession means to agree with God about our sins. Perhaps the most well-known example of confessional prayer is Psalm 51 in which David confesses his sin to God concerning his adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband, Uriah.
• Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving means to thank God for the things He has done. Examples of thanksgiving are spread throughout the book of Psalms, including Psalm 9:1, Psalm 30:11-12, Psalm 69:30, and others.
• Supplication: Supplication means making requests of God. Many examples of supplication are in the Psalms, such as Psalm 25:16-18, Psalm 55:1-2, and Psalm 86:6-7. Other Old Testament passages include supplicatory prayers, such as Abraham’s prayer to spare the righteous in the land of Sodom before its destruction (Genesis 18:22-33), Hannah’s desperate request for God to grant her a son (1 Samuel 1:9-18), and Daniel’s plea for God’s mercy on Israel (Daniel 9:3-19).

from the new testament

• Adoration: When we seek to adore God, we can approach Him with love and give Him praise for who He is. We see this in the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13).
• Confession: Forgiveness is accompanied by confession. First John 1:8-9 discusses confessing our sins and trusting that God will forgive us. In Christ, we’re assured that we have been and will be forgiven (2 Corinthians 5:21). Hebrews 4:14-16 makes it clear that our sins have been atoned for and that we can approach God confidently.
• Thanksgiving: We can thank God for blessings like providing for our needs (Matthew 6:32-33) and loving us in lavish ways (Ephesians 1:3-14). First Thessalonians 5:16-18 commands us to rejoice, “pray without ceasing,” and “give thanks in all circumstances.” Philippians 4:6-7 similarly calls believers to pray with thanksgiving.
• Supplication: After describing the armor of God, Paul tells the Ephesians to be "praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18). Philippians 4:6-7 says, "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication 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 minds in Christ Jesus." We can bring any request or petition to God. Yet we should do so with the desire to ultimately seek His will, as Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane: "Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done" (Luke 22:42).

implications for today

Following the ACTS method of prayer can be a beneficial way of structuring our prayer time with the Lord. Beginning our prayer with adoration of God is perfect because He is worthy of our worship and praise; it is appropriate to adore who He is before we do anything else in prayer. Next, our confession of sin is essentially relationship maintenance. While our sins do not have eternal consequences, they can get in the way of our current relationship with God and impede His work of sanctification. However, when we confess sin, we can receive His forgiveness, and approach Him with confidence. Thankfulness is the next step. We can thank God for His forgiveness of our sins and for the countless works He has done, is doing, and will continue to do for us. Lastly, when we bring supplications to God, they may include our needs and our worries. We can ask Him to work on our behalf or on the behalf of our loved ones or our nation and pray for those who don't know Him. We can also bring God our specific requests and submit to His greater knowledge and love (Proverbs 3:5-6). The ACTS method of prayer is a helpful model, as all of its elements are biblical. But not every prayer must include every part of ACTS, nor does each part need to be prayed in a specific order. What we are called to do is to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).