How To Pray For Beginners

Maybe you can relate to this. There was a point in my life where I didn’t know how to pray. I wasn’t sure what to say or how to say it and I thought so how do you pray?  I recall wishing I had some sort of guide to help me put prayer into practice. If that thought has come across your mind then you’re in the right place!

 

There are many ways to pray but this is just one way. A guide that will help you learn how to start praying to God. There are 6 keys to effective prayer and they’re laid out here by letter to make it easier for you to remember. Each letter of the word PRAYER teaches what to say when you pray.

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Start your prayers with praise.

 

P (PRAISE)- This is your opportunity to brag about God. Show gratitude and thanks for the things he has done, is doing, and will do.

 

Starting out your prayer with gratitude gives God the glory in your life first and foremost. Before we begin to think about ourselves or ask for ourselves, give God priority. Let him know how thankful you are for what he’s doing in your life and the prayers he has answered. You can even thank God for what he will do before it’s ever done because you have faith in who he is. Use this time to really brag on God. He deserves all the honor and all the praise. We are nothing without him. Beginning with thanks keeps us humble and serves as a great reminder of how great God really is.

 

Remember repentance.

 

R (REPENTANCE)- Ask forgiveness for your sins. Be honest, be transparent. Give God everything and ask him to help you turn away from sin as well. Don’t forget to forgive others during this time. Is there anyone you have a grudge against or have not forgiven? This is the time.

There are many scriptures in the bible that speak to how important and necessary forgiveness is. Scripture reminds us that if we have anything against anyone to forgive them so that God will forgive us. So not only do we need to have self-repentance. We need to make sure that we are extending forgiveness to those that have wronged us. Now this can be easier said than done. It’s easy to forgive the person who took your parking space at the mall, it’s not so easy to forgive the spouse who cheated or the best friend that betrayed you. In those more difficult instances, ask God to help you forgive and to let go of any resentment, anger, or hurt that you feel. 

 

Then we must repent of our own sins. Don’t try to hide things from God, he already knows lol It takes vulnerability to be honest about the things we’ve done especially those things we rather not face or bring up because they make us uncomfortable. Repent of the sins you’ve committed and not only ask God for forgiveness but ask him to help you turn away from those sins so you’re not repeating the same behaviors.

Give God your prayer requests.

 

A (ASK)- Give God your requests. Pray for others as well as yourself. Ask God to help someone else, heal someone else, deliver someone else. During this time, ask God to show you how you can be a help to others.

 

We have to be careful here because if we aren’t we’ll make prayer all about ourselves. Although it is perfectly fine to make your requests known to God, we have to also request prayers on behalf of others. Remember to pray for friends, family, coworkers, and strangers. Yes, strangers.

 

Your prayer may not always be about someone you know but a group of people in general. You may pray for women in abusive homes, kids in shelters, your government, or those that are incarcerated. Whoever it may be, prayer works and it’s a great way to show love to a group of people you may never know.

 

This is also your opportunity to ask for God’s help and intervention in your own life. If you can’t think of anything to pray for, ask God to help you draw closer to him. Ask him to give you the wisdom to examine yourself. Ask God to guide you to become more Christ-like every day.

 

Include a corresponding bible verse.

 

Y (YOUR SUPPORT SCRIPTURE)- Once you have given your request to God back it up with scripture. Find the scripture that directly relates to the situation you’re praying for. If you’re dealing with it, there’s a scripture for it. God’s word cannot come back to him void.

 

Including a corresponding bible verse in your prayer does many things. First, it speaks directly to your situation. There is nothing new under the sun. Therefore, whatever you may be facing or dealing with in your personal life, you can be sure to find a scripture that relates to it.

 

This also helps build up your knowledge of scripture and helps to make you familiar with God’s word. Write the scripture down. A great place to do it is in the Date with God prayer journal. Do this, so that throughout your day or week you can begin to memorize that scripture when certain situations arise.

 

Do you trust God for what you’re asking?

 

E (EXPECTATION)- Do you have faith in what you are praying for? Do you believe that God will meet your needs? Do you have any doubts? Profess the expectation that God will move on your behalf according to his will.

 

If we were to be honest, we tend to say we believe in God but there are moments and times in our lives where that is not reflected in our faith. We know we believe in a God who knows all things and do all things but we don’t live our lives that way.

 

We pray for things and then doubt they will happen. We ask God for things but in the back of our minds, we don’t have faith that he will work it out. Do you trust God with your prayers? Even if the answer comes back in the form you didn’t expect. Even if the situation you’re praying for doesn’t change at all. Do you trust God?

 

Take a minute to reflect.

 

R (REFLECTION)- This is an important part of developing a solid prayer life. Often we pray and never give God the opportunity to answer. Maybe he’ll answer you right then and there. Take a moment to reflect and be still, see if there’s something he wants to convey to you.

 

Being still. I still have not fully mastered this myself. However, it’s something I’m trying to work on more and more. Being still. Allowing the Holy Spirit to move. Allowing some silence to happen to think. When is the last time you just sat in God’s presence? Not thinking about anything. Not rushing. Not trying to get to the next 100 things on your to-do list.

 

Reflection is awesome. Reflect on what you prayed. Reflect on what God is doing in your life. Reflect on what God has brought you through. Reflect.

 

It’s always a good idea to write your prayers down so that when God brings them to pass or gives you an answer to a prayer, you can be reminded of it. I love to record my prayers in the Date with God prayer journal. It’s a great way to record my thoughts, prayers, or scripture verses I’ve read.

 

Learning how to pray for beginners can seem intimidating. Don’t over complicate things. It doesn’t need to be perfect, formal, or super theological. Just be you. The best prayer is for you to talk with God and keep that open communication and relationship with him. (link to grow closer to god post)