Learning How To Pray

QUESTION: Learning how to pray - How do I start?

ANSWER:

How do I start learning how to pray? The first thing we need to know is that prayer is talking to God. It’s that simple. Just like our close relationships are maintained by spending time together, so is our relationship with Jesus. There are no magical formulas, no specific format or time. Prayer is having a conversation with God about anything, everything, anytime, and anywhere.

Here are some simple steps to structure our prayer time.

• Adoration: Spend time praising and worshiping God. Acknowledge who He is. Praise Him for His attributes of faithfulness, goodness, power, mercy, and love. “I will praise him from the bottom of my heart: ‘LORD, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the weak and helpless from the strong? Who else protects the poor and needy from those who want to rob them?’” (Psalm 35:10).
• Confession: Confess our sins to the Lord, because He always forgives us. Confession is a daily cleansing exercise. “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong” (1 John 1:9).
• Thanksgiving: Give thanks to the Lord for the many blessings He has given us. Thank Him for the big and small things in our lives. These are the blessings that we easily take for granted. “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34).
• Supplication: Present our requests to God. God is our Father and He is delighted when we come to Him with our requests. “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians 4:6).

The above steps are examples of the many ways we can learn how to pray. Some people like to get up early in the morning to pray, while others prefer night time. People enjoy talking to God while they take a walk, and others like to write silent prayers into journals. Many read Bible passages and turn them into prayers. When needs arise in the middle of our busy days, we can whisper a short prayer and God will hear.

I believe that God honors us when we come to Him as we learn how to pray. Prayer takes a whole new meaning when we realize that Christianity is a relationship, not a mere religion. Relationships are strengthened through sharing. Prayer strengthens not only our faith, but our love relationship with Jesus. The only key to an effective prayer is prayer itself. “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me” (John 15:4).