How to pray
What Is Prayer?
In the most simplest of terms, prayer is communication with God. It is both speaking to Him and listening to Him. Prayer is an easy thing to complicate so often we avoid it altogether. But remember, the Creator of the universe loves you and wants to hear from you.
PRAYER IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO:
Praise God for who He is and what you love about Him.
Confess where you have fallen short.
Share your heart with God.
Seek advice from Him.
Rest quietly in His promises and presence.
Ask for help and make requests for you and for others.
Experience union with Him.
How Do I Pray?
There are many ways to approach prayer and a full prayer life often includes a variety of practices. Read on to learn about some of these…
Use the ACTS acrostic…
This simple approach to prayer is a great place to start. Find some quiet. Still your body and set your focus and intention on God. Pray through the ACTS acrostic:
Adoration
“Praise be to God” Psalm 68:5
Tell God how much you appreciate Him. Express your love for Him and all the amazing things he has done.
Confession
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
Tell Him where you have fallen short. Be specific. Thank him for forgiveness through Christ. Ask for help and strength to turn away from temptations.
Thanksgiving
“Always glorify him with thanksgiving” Psalm 69:30
You have plenty of reasons to be thankful. Thank God for His love, provision, faithfulness, and the list goes on.
Supplication (requests to God)
“Make your requests known to God.” Philippians 4:6
Tell God what you want for others (family, friends, church family, coworkers, neighbors, the stranger) then for yourself. No request is too small for our God.
Listening Prayer
- Find a place of quiet and calm.
- Read a scripture passage slowly and just breathe to slow down your body and mind.
- Close your eyes and focus on the God who loves you and wants to commune with you.
- Ask Him to meet with you, be with you and communicate with you
- Sit quietly and just listen.
This is not an easy practice in our chaotic, digital, instant world. Be patient. Give it time and don’t give up.
Breath Prayers
Breath prayer is a simple practice that involves combining a short prayer phrase with the rhythm of your breath, typically inhaling and exhaling with different parts of the prayer. You can use a passage of scripture as a breath prayer. This helps focus your mind to connect with God and can be done throughout the day.
Example using Psalm 68:19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,who daily bears our burdens.
Quiet your mind. Close your eyes and breathe in and out steadily until you sense calm and focus.
Then Breath in: Praise be to God, my Savior
Exhale: Who daily bears my burdens
Sit still and repeat this, meditating and focusing your heart and mind, for a minute or two or as long as you like.
Come back to this prayer during pockets of your day when you have a few minutes
Pray Like Jesus Did
Jesus provided us with a pattern for prayer which is referred to as the Lord’s Prayer While it is beneficial to recite this prayer exactly as Jesus spoke it, He did not intend for it to be the only way we pray. Instead, the prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4 serves as an example, highlighting the essential elements that should be present in our own prayers.
Matthew 6:9-13
This, then, is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven, (establishes the loving relationship between God and humanity)
hallowed be your name, (showing honor and praise to Him)
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (A prayer for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven and be carried out in every aspect of life)
Give us today our daily bread. (asking God to provide for our daily needs, both material and spiritual.)
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. (Asking God for God to forgive our sins and trespasses.)
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Requesting for deliverance from the evil one and all harmful influences.)
Check out this Teaching on Prayer
“In Jesus Name”
You have probably heard people end thier prayers with the phrase, “In Jesus’s Name”.
John 14:6, states that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
As Christians we believe our access and realtionship with our Holy God has been secured for us by Jesus Christ, his death on the Cross, and his resurrection 3 days later. While we know our sovereign, omniscient God hears all prayers, a secure relationship with Him for eternity comes by faith through grace.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Do you have questions about having a relationship with God?