Figuring out how to pray, or how to pray for a long time, can be difficult for every kind of Christian. Whether you’ve never prayed before or have been praying in church all your life, this guide may help you understand how Jesus teaches us to pray and help you grow in your prayer life and ability.
Jesus gives us clear instructions on how to pray. This is what He says in Matthew 6:5-13 (NIV):
5 “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. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 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. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name, 10 Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
Sound familiar? We say this prayer every Sunday in worship. It’s called the Lord’s Prayer and it’s got that name because it comes straight from the mouth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Christians have been praying this prayer for millennia and it’s a great prayer to start with if you don’t know what else to pray.
But did you know that this prayer is more than just a prayer to say? It’s also a guide to how to pray. This prayer teaches how to pray and in what order we should pray in. For moments when you don’t know what to say, or how to pray, this is a great starting point. Let’s walk through this together:
- Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name. Here we see that we start a prayer with praise to God and acknowledgment of Who God is. He is the almighty ruler of the universe. He is our Father. He is Holy and worthy of being praised. In your prayer, start by giving God thanks for Who He is and giving praise to Him.
- Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The next step is to ask for God’s will for us and our world to come to fruition. We already know that in heaven, God’s will is followed by all, but on earth that’s not the case. So, pray for the Holy Spirit to move you and the people around you. That you can be attentive to God and His will for you. Pray that whatever God is calling you and the world to, that you can know it and live into it.
- Give us today our daily bread. After we ask God to help us live into His will, the next step is to ask for God to take care of us. This can range from our physical needs for food, shelter, clean water, clothing, etc. to more emotional and spiritual needs. For instance, you can pray to feel God’s love for you, or to grow deeper in your understanding and faith in Him. In essence, you’re praying for God to give you everything you need to live the best life possible – of course, that’s by His definition and not yours.
- And forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors. This is where we ask for God to forgive the wrongs we have committed against both Him and our fellow humans. We’ve all sinned. There’s no getting around it. So, this is the time where you can ask God to forgive your sins – and to help you forgive others who have wronged or sinned against you. This might be a hard part, especially if you’re very hurt or angry at someone. But it’s essential for you to both seek forgiveness and seek to forgive. So, spend time asking God to help you do that.
- And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. When we’ve asked for forgiveness and help forgiving others, the next step is to ask God to help us stay strong against sin and wrong in the future. The reality is that we will face temptation again, but with God’s help we can avoid sinning and doing wrong. We also acknowledge that there are forces of evil at work in the world and that we need God’s protection from them because He is the only one with the power to do so.
- For Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever. This part of the Lord’s prayer is not in the original that Jesus gives but has been added to the prayer over time by the influence of the Holy Spirit. It reminds us that we should end as we began our prayer: with praise and adoration for a God Who listens to our prayers and does something about them. Take some time and thank God for spending time with you, for listening to your prayer, and for being the good and loving God that He is.
- We end every prayer saying amen. It is a Hebrew word which means, “May it be so.” In essence, we’re saying that everything we’ve just lifted up in prayer, we know or expect it to be so. So, we end with a big, YES!
Use this guide to help you build your prayer muscles. It may be difficult at first, especially to keep your attention, but keep practicing. If new thoughts come in that distract you, allow yourself to let go of them and continue. One of the greatest gifts we have is to be able to spend time with our God in prayer. Hopefully now, with the help of this guide, you can do more of that going forward. God’s blessings!