How to Pray

The most vital resource we have as Christians is access to God’s throne in prayer. Prayer is not merely asking God for things, (though it certainly includes that) nor is it a time of reciting mantras in order to change your thinking from negative to positive (though prayer will certainly change your perspective.) Prayer is the act of being present with God.

In prayer we cultivate an awareness of God’s presence in our lives and we begin to invite Him into even the mundane areas of life. Prayer isn’t just for church or for holy moments in life. Prayer is a lifestyle.

Think about the closest relationship you have. Your times together with this person doesn’t only involve conversation, there is also shared activity. Sometimes the best and most intimate moments that you have with this person don’t involve speaking at all but just being present with them. A hug when someone’s grieving, a smile when someone walks into the room, even mere eye-contact can be the most intimate moments in a relationship. This is what it’s like with God.

If you’re a Christian, God has placed His Holy Spirit within you. Jesus said, “‘…Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.’” (John 14:23) God Himself dwells within the heart of every Christian by His Spirit! He never leaves you and He will never forsake you! Prayer begins by merely cultivating an awareness of this truth through thanking Him for the great gift of His presence.

Jesus Taught Us How to Pray

Read Matthew 6:5-14

• What are some of the truths that stood out to you in this passage?

• What are some of the things we are told to ask our Father for in prayer?

Notice the way Jesus taught us to address God, “Our Father.” When you pray, you’re not coming to the principle’s office expecting a reprimand for your bad grades. You’re not trying to prove to some divine loan officer that you’re worth the line of credit you’re about to ask for either. You’re coming to your Father who loves you.

Read Matthew 6:25-34.

• What stands out to you most in this passage?

• What is God’s attitude toward answering your prayers?

• What if My Prayer Doesn’t Get Answered?

An unfortunate reality in lives of many Christians is that they give up praying when they encounter disappointment. They prayed for something and didn’t get it and assume that God’s either no longer in the prayer answering business or He simply is uninterested in listening to them. How sad! We just read how the Father wants to answer our prayers, but there are some conditions to our prayers being answered.

Read Luke 18:1-8.

• What does this say about they way we should pray?

Read James 1:5-8.

• What is the most essential ingredient for prayer according to this passage?

Faith is an active trust in God’s promises. Having faith means you trust God enough to act as though what He says is true and will affect the world around you. When we have faith in God for healing we pray and expect a change afterward. When we have faith in God for provision, we bring our requests to God and live generously knowing He will provide our needs. Simply put, faith is living as though what God says really is true. That is why those without faith are called “double minded.”

• What are some ways you can exercise faith in your life?

Read 1 John 5:14-15.

• What is the condition given here for our prayers being answered?

A Model for Prayer

There is no true right or wrong way to pray, but if you feel stuck in your pray time and feel like you don’t know what to do or say, here is a helpful model to follow. Think of this as training wheels to get you going rather than a strict rule to follow.

Thank God.

It is often helpful to begin praying by thanking God for giving you His Son. Thank Him for forgiving your sins and providing you with true peace. Remind yourself that God loves you and has invited you into His presence. Begin to celebrate the joy of being united with Christ. The old you is dead and you have been raised to a brand new life in Jesus!

Praise God.

Praise is the act of glorifying God with our words. When we praise God we remind ourselves and others who God is and what He has done. One excellent way to do this is through singing. Ask your Christian friends what songs they like to incorporate into their prayer time.

Ask For God’s Will to Be Done.

Prayer isn’t just about getting our needs met, it’s about bringing Heaven to earth. Remember when Jesus said to pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”? That’s exactly what we get to be part of in prayer. If there are things in your life or the lives of others that don’t line up with the will of God, it’s time to partner with Jesus in prayer.

Ask For Your Needs and Those of Others to be Met.

Jesus told us to pray, “give us today our daily bread.” This means that we ought to bring our requests for provision both for ourselves and others before God.

Spend Time in Worship.

Worship is the act of surrendering to God and serving Him with our lives. We often worship through singing. Again, music is a great tool for this. There are many songs that help us to posture our hearts in a place of surrender to God. Here is one excellent example.

If this is not your favorite style of music, as you Christian friend for some recommendations of worship music that might be more up your alley. Music is not strictly necessary for you to enjoy worship. It’s merely a helpful tool. True worship is an expression of an inner desire to honor God and serve Him. This can be done by simply telling Him how much you love Him, enjoying His nearness to you, and asking Him how you can serve Him.

As has already been stated, prayer is not a formula. But it is vital that you make it a regular part of your life to get alone with God and pray. Then take that awareness of God’s presence that you’ve cultivated in private and try to be aware of Him always. It will change your life forever.

Watch these videos, either with a Christian friend or before you meet: