What is prayer? Maybe you’ve been thinking about this. Is it a crazy poem with big words that you have to say just right? No, prayer is none of those things. Most simply put, prayer is a conversation with God.
Have you ever wanted to get to know someone better? Of course you have. We have all had that moment in our life where we wanted to get to know someone better. In order to get to know a person better, you have to do something... you have to do this thing called TALKING. In order to really get to know someone better, you have to spend a lot of time talking with them.
The same is true in our relationship with God! If we ever really want to know God, we have to be willing to regularly talk with God. And it’s pretty amazing that the God of the universe, the God that created all things, actually wants to talk with us. That’s why we have this thing called prayer. We believe that creating a regular time of prayer will help you become who God wants you to become and also help you get through anything that you may go through in life. In the tough moments of life, you always have God to turn to in prayer.
It’s also important to know that God wants you to prosper and do well in life. The Bible tells us that God has great plans for your life, but for you to win at what God wants for your life, you are going to need prayer along the way. We will never have a growing relationship with God if we don’t talk with God. So maybe you’re new to this and you’re wondering where to start.
Step 1: Pray Simply
Jesus himself actually begins to teach his followers how to pray in Matthew 6. In fact, the first thing he shares when he begins teaching about prayer is this:
5 When you pray, do not be like those who only pretend to be holy. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners. They want to be seen by other people. What I’m about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward. 6 When you pray, go into your room. Close the door and pray to your Father, who can’t be seen. Your Father will reward you, because he sees what you do secretly. 7 When you pray, do not keep talking on and on. That is what ungodly people do. They think they will be heard because they talk a lot. 8 Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need even before you ask him.
The first thing Jesus shares about prayer here is that prayer doesn’t need to be flashy or formal! Just pray simply.
Step 2: Pray God’s Promises
In your conversations with God, you can pray the promises He spoke in His Word. When you’re going through something tough, you might pray “God, your word says that you work all things for my good so I pray that you will do just that for me”. We speak God’s promises in our prayers not because he needs a reminder, but because it sets our hearts with His!
Step 3: Pray Boldly
Prayer becomes boring when we’re not looking for answers. Jesus invites us to expect God to work and to boldly ask Him to work.
Ask, and it will be given to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7, NIrV
Prayer becomes much more exciting when we keep our eyes open to watch for God’s answers. Sometimes I wonder how many answers we miss because we don’t really expect God to respond.
My favorite part of prayer is saying AMEN! Amen isn’t the “period” at the end of your sentence, it’s more like an exclamation point. AMEN means “it is so”. We say AMEN at the end of our prayers because we are believing that God will make “it so”- that he will answer our prayers! We can pray boldly and expectantly.
Step 4: Pray Continuously
If I only talked to my family once a day, our relationship might feel pretty far. We often find ourselves doing that with God, talking to Him only once a day. If you want to grow strong in your prayer life, you can’t just pray once and be done! Make your prayers an ongoing conversation with God. Prayer isn’t held to a time and place, we can talk to God anywhere at any time. Isn’t that amazing?! Talk to God often, all throughout your day, stay in conversation with him.
Jesus actually modeled prayer for us in Matthew 6, he said this:
9 This is how you should pray.
10 “Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored.
May your kingdom come. May what you want to happen be done
on earth as it is done in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our sins, just as we also have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 Keep us from sinning when we are tempted. Save us from the evil one."
Let this acronym be a guide and take a moment to PRAY.
P - Praise – give God praise for all He has done.
R - Repent – tell God about your struggles. God’s not mad at you.
A - Ask – tell God what you want and what you need. God is good.
Y - Yield – ask God to allow whatever He wants for your life. Lord let your will be done.