Navigating faith is difficult. If you’ve ever wondered how to pray or if you’re doing it right, this post is for you. This is my own Christian perspective and very basic guide on how to say a prayer. If you’d a second opinion on prayer, there’s an excellent, Amazon e-book I’d recommend called Prayer Time by Belinda Keller.
What is prayer? Prayer is talking to God. If you’ve heard formal prayers or prayers spoken in church, there’s usually a structure. This isn’t necessary, but is helpful when you’re first starting out or being put on the spot. All prayer really is is a conversation with God.
Who to pray to? As I have previously stated, this is my perspective of prayer as a christian. I pray to God, who is also Jesus, who is also the Holy Spirit. Maybe that’s a lot to think about or maybe you just don’t agree, but that’s okay. If you’re here just looking for a way to start a prayer, this is still the spot for you.
What’s considered prayer? I consider any conscious (but sometimes unconscious) question, comment, or concern directed to God a prayer. Even something as small as, “Please, don’t let it rain today.”
How to start? If you don’t want pre-planned structure, start with a simple, “Hi.” I know plenty of people that start with, “Hi, God. It’s me.” If you’d like a more formal, structured beginning, you can start with, Dear God/Lord/Jesus. Then you can move into where you want to take the conversation. Maybe you’re having a problem you need help with. Maybe you want to discuss a decision or something that made you happy or something that made you sad. Maybe you want to ask for something. It’s okay to jump right into that.
How to end? ‘Amen’ is the word Christians usually use to end a prayer. Amen means “it is so.” It is a declaration of affirmation. It’s an agreement between you and God on what you’ve talked about. If you don’t like that, you can end your prayer like any phone conversation. “Thanks!” “Love you.” “Talk to you later.” All are acceptable, if you’d be more comfortable with those. It is more important that you spend time praying to God than is the structure or the way you do it.
How do you know He’s heard you? As a christian, I believe God is omnipresent. This means that He’s everywhere at once. I also believe that, through the Holy Spirit, I have direct access to God. That’s how He hears my prayers. If you get the chance to read through the Old Testament of the Bible, you’ll find that not everyone had access to God then. Only those He picked out himself could talk to Him. The New Testament gives us the story of how He sent Jesus here, to Earth, from heaven to make a way for everyone to have access to Him. That access is through the Holy Spirit. It’s kind of like, even when you don’t have the words, the Spirit knows what you mean and can convey your message to God. So, even when you feel unworthy or out of sorts, you have a helper there to help you through your prayer.
Why pray? You may be thinking, “If this God is so powerful, why doesn’t He just already know what I want? Why do I have to tell Him?” Honestly, I think prayer is mostly for us, not Him. He does already know everything, but we need to consciously address our fears and problems. We need to know God better. We need to know that He’s listening. The best way to do that, like anything else, is through practice. Just like friends or family members, you can talk to Him every day. He’s always there. Prayers to God can also bring you peace. You may not be able to explain it, but after prayer, you may feel better about what it was that was on your mind.
Where/How to pray? Prayer can happen anywhere, anytime. In the car, at home in bed, in the shower, even a mid-conversation “Thank you, Jesus” can be considered a prayer. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). This may seem like a daunting task, but you don’t have to start there. I’d say most people never make there. For now, you can think of it as an open invitation to pray as often as want. Wherever you want. In your head or aloud. Sitting down or kneeling or standing, etc. For however long you want.
Mainly, make your prayer your’s. It is a conversation between you and God that many times no one else will hear.
If you want to know even more about prayer, look out for part two: How to Pray 102. In the meantime, let us know what you found most helpful about this post. We’d love to hear it!
Prescribed by Law 