How to Pray

In a culture that is fascinated by meditation and mindfulness, prayer becomes added to the mix. But, prayer is very different from emptying your mind or focusing on your breath. There is a lot of power in prayer. 

Prayer is the foundation in which our relationship with God grows. To simplify, prayer is communicating with God. We cannot be in a relationship with someone if we don’t communicate and connect with them. Think of the person you love the most in your life. How often are you interacting with them throughout the day? God invites us to do the same with Him. He desires to have a relationship with us and wants to draw near to us. Deuteronomy 4:7 states God is near us whenever we pray to Him.

Many Ways to Pray

We can connect with God through prayer in so many different ways: journaling, painting, drawing, sculpting, dancing, singing, reciting scripture, sitting in silence, etc. Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Prayer can look different for various situations in life. For example, we can pray quiet peaceful prayers in moments of contentment, and then cry and scream when we feel desperate and uncertain. We can journal or sketch when we’re wrestling with something and have a lot of questions or we can dance and sing when our hearts are filled with joy. We can utter communal prayers of gratitude, or prayerfully recite scripture when we lack the words to express what we’re praying for. Speak to God, express your concerns, doubts, troubles, fears, etc. Delight in His gracious love. Praise and worship Him. No matter what’s going on in this world, prayer brings life.

Over and over again, Jesus left the crowd and went into solitary places to pray. Prayer is very personal, it’s a connection between you and God. Prayer isn’t for anyone other than the Lord. Matthew 6:5-7 says, “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others… But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”

There’s no formula to prayer. There’s no one way to pray. Some people like to kneel when they pray, others lift their hand up toward heaven. Clasping hands together is another posture often taken. The words and position of our body don’t determine the value of our prayer. God looks at our heart and what we want to offer Him. Acts 1:24 says that the Lord knows everyone’s heart. Even if silence is all we have to offer. He knows why that offering is of utmost importance in that moment and He cherishes that we came to Him.

Just like each of our human relationships is different, prayer will look differently for each of us. Each person on this earth communicates differently with the Lord, so no-one should define how they pray based on someone else’s experience. 

There is obedience involved in prayer because it’s a commitment to God. Colossians 4:2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Prayer is a discipline. Connect with God on a regular basis. Prayer isn’t something we do just once or even once in a while. Rather, it’s something we do continuously. Jesus tells a story about a woman who is incredibly persistent as an example of how we should never give up on prayer. Scriptures say that prayer pleases God.

What the Bible Says About How to Pray

There are over 300 references to prayer in the Bible. Some of these references are the author asking others to pray. Some references are actual songs or words of prayer. Other references are instructions on how to pray. Additional text speaks about the state of our heart and mind in prayer. Each account is an opportunity to see how personal and beautiful it is to pray to our Lord.

If we have no words, God will still hear our prayers. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us, which means that He prays our prayer on our behalf. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” (Romans 8:26) You can even ask other people to intercede for you, or offer to pray for those who are unable to offer up their own words of prayer. 

Throughout the Bible, we read that God hears our prayers. David repeatedly writes in the Psalms, “Hear my prayer.” Sometimes we get discouraged if God doesn’t answer our prayer, but in those moments, hold onto the truth that God hears our prayer. Just because He doesn’t answer, doesn’t mean He isn’t listening. 

One of the major difficulties with prayer is that God’s voice often seems inaudible. Therefore, we tend to spend a lot of time and effort telling God what we think about our life and this world. And, we often ask Him to fix our struggles and burdens. We forget that God can speak to us in as many different ways as we can pray to Him. Ask the Lord how He wants you to pray. Then, talk to Him about what comes to mind. Read His Word and listen to His response. Hear other people speak to you about what God’s doing in your life. He can and will communicate with us plenty, if we’re willing to listen.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus directs His disciples in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) by saying, “This is how you should pray.” This prayer is often recited in churches every Sunday throughout the world. This is a universal prayer that brings every Christian together. These words can become rote, but there is such power yet tenderness to this prayer. It’s such a blessing to study this scripture in depth, to bring new meaning when we recite it on our own. 

Just as God is faithful to us, no matter how we respond to Him. We can be faithful in prayer. It can become an essential part of our life, therefore an essential part of your relationship with the Lord.