How to Pray.

Prayer is how we communicate with God. In the Bible, it’s mentioned over 300 times, and was most often used in a conversation-like style by those such as Abraham (Genesis 18:16-33), David (Psalm 23), Daniel (Daniel 9), Jesus (Luke 6:12; John 17:1-26) and the disciples (Acts 4:23-31).

As we see through these Bible verses, there is no strict format to prayer, as even in the Bible people praise, sing, speak, whisper, shout, cry and even dance as they speak to God in all circumstances. God simply wants to know us, and will hear us as we speak honestly and openly to Him – no matter who or where we are.

In the Bible, our most clear instruction of prayer comes from Jesus Himself in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4, which both document Jesus teaching the disciples how to pray. In Matthew, we see this directly after Jesus tells the disciples to be sincere and humble as we approach God in prayer (Matthew 6:5-8).

Our Father in heaven,Hallowed be Your name.Your kingdom come.Your will be doneOn earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread.And forgive us our debts,As we forgive our debtors.And do not lead us into temptation,But deliver us from the evil one.For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.Matthew 6:9-13, KJVIn this prayer, Jesus shares the basic instructions for how to pray to God. It’s important to note here that this isn’t supposed to simply be a repetitive dialogue that we use over and over again, but rather a guide for how we pray. We know this from Matthew 6:5-8, which directs us not to repeat empty words, but rather fill our prayers with actual meaning and emotion, telling God what’s going on in our lives, and how we want to involve Him in it. But this is our example of structure: so let’s break it down.Our Father in heaven…First, we’re encouraged in verse 9 to speak directly to God ourselves rather than being forced to go through a third party. God wants to speak to us directly and individually, and we don’t need another person to intercede on our behalf – that’s for Jesus’ (Hebrews 7:25) and the Holy Spirit to do (Romans 8:26-27). We’re reminded here of God’s power, but also of His love for us: He’s not some distant figure, but rather our Father. He wants what is best for us, and loves to spend time with His children. We don’t need to be afraid to talk to Him. Hallowed be Your Name...While God doesn’t want us to be afraid of Him, He also deserves our respect. After all, He is our (and everything else’s!) Creator and Lord of the universe. This part isn’t only respectful of God, but reminds us of who we’re talking to. Your kingdom come.Your will be doneOn earth as it is in heaven...The first part of this phrase reaffirms both our excitement for Jesus’ return, but our wish for God’s authority and His ways to be reality for the Earth. This is affirmed in the next phrase ‘Your will be done’ where we elaborate that although we may ask for certain things, we ultimately know that God’s plans are best, and so submit to them – even above our own wants or needs. On earth as it is in heaven is another reminder: as God is the ruler of heaven, we want Him to rule the earth. Give us this day our daily bread.This is where we share with God our needs, and respectfully ask Him to fulfill them. This is an interesting section – because of course, God already knows our needs, right? However, we’re encouraged throughout the Bible to share our needs with God (Philippians 4:6-7). This reminds us of what God really wants – for us to have a relationship with Him. This includes asking Him for our needs, even though He already knows them, similar to our earthly parents. While they may know what we need or want, asking for it reminds us that we have submitted it to them – and receiving it makes it that much sweeter! And forgive us our debts,As we forgive our debtors...This is important. Not only are we asking for mercy and forgiveness for our, let’s face it, countless sins, but we are knowing that this doesn’t just mean doing whatever we want and asking for forgiveness after. Rather, we’re encouraged to act with a kind and merciful nature, just like Jesus did. This is elaborated upon in Jesus’ parable of the ‘unforgiving servant’ in Matthew 18:23-35. To summarise, we learn here that God wants to forgive us – but He also wants us to take this gift, and pass it on. And do not lead us into temptation,But deliver us from the evil one...I’ve always found this part of the passage to be interesting phrasing. After all, what does it mean to ‘lead us’ into temptation? According to most Biblical scholars, this is simply asking God to protect us, leading us away from sin. We are also entrusting God to save us, as the only one who can really help us be freed and dragged away from sin’s snares.For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.It's interesting to note that not all versions of the Bible include this second half of verse 13, as it isn't present in the earliest manuscripts of the Bible. Therefore, most consider it to be personal discretion whether to add it in or not when praying 'the Lord's prayer'.

When we pray, we typically begin by addressing God, as you would at the start of a sentence or a letter, by saying something along the lines of Dear God…

At the end of the prayer, we often follow the advice of John 13 as we finish by stating ‘...in Jesus name, amen.’ Amen is simply a traditional end to prayer, where we are expressing our faith that our prayer is honest, and it will be answered by God. When praying with others, amen is also used as a word of agreement.

1 Thessalonians 5:17, ‘pray without ceasing’ tells us that we can pray anywhere, at any time. In fact, we’re encouraged to include it as a constant part of our lives.

Although this may seem overwhelming (how can we pray without ceasing?) I like to think about it as not only speaking to God directly, but also involving Him in our everyday lives and thoughts. Whether just doing our daily routine or in those moments when we need guidance or support, we don’t have to go through life alone – rather in constant connection with the One who loves us most.

Throughout the Bible, we’re instructed to pray to God. But why? If God knows everything (Psalm 139:4), and can live in our hearts (Ephesians 3:17; 1 Corinthians 6:19), why do we need to pray?

Again, this is a multi-faceted conversation.One reason God calls us to pray is to build a relationship with us. How can you get to know someone you don’t even talk to? Most of us understand that communication is the most basic step in knowing someone. This applies to our relationship with God, and prayer is the key ingredient in this process of getting closer with God. As James 4:8 NIV says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” After all, isn’t He the best friend we could ask for? He’s always there for us (Psalm 16:8), knows what we need (Matthew 6:8), and loves us with endless abundance (1 John 4:8; John 3:16). Now that’s someone I want to be close to. Prayer is also an act of trust and dependence. When we pray, we acknowledge that we need God—after all, we know that we can’t navigate the difficulties of life alone. Prayer reminds us that we don’t have to be alone – we have a God much greater than ourselves, who is always ready to give us help when we need it. Philippians 4:6 encourages us: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Prayer teaches us to lean into God’s wisdom and provision, rather than relying solely on our own strength. This also leads into having increased faith and obedience to God’s direction, as the more we consciously see Him working, the more we’re able to trust Him and know His ways are, in fact, the best – even if we don’t understand at the time! Even Jesus made prayer one of the focal points of His life – even though He was one with the Father (John 10:30). In Luke 5:16, NIV, we read, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” If Jesus, who lacked nothing, made prayer a priority, how much more should we?

Prayer isn’t just something to learn about — it’s something to experience. It’s not about having the perfect words, or being good enough but just coming as you are to our God, who loves you. Prayer grows deeper not through study alone, but through practice — through real, honest conversations with God. Anytime, anywhere, He’s ready to listen. So I encourage you: take the first step. Now, it wouldn’t be right not to end a blog post on prayer without it, so as you read I invite you to pray with me:

Dear God, I know You’re our ever-loving Father, and Creator. Thank You for the chance to write to these people, whoever they are and wherever they may be on their journey. Be with each and every one of the people reading this blog today, and please touch their hearts with Your love. Please remind us that You want what’s best for us, even if we don’t understand at the time. Please, help us to submit our goals, our concerns and worries, and our futures ultimately to You. We know that whatever You have planned for us will be so much better than whatever we could do for ourselves. Thank You for working with us, regardless of our sins and mistakes, and for Your complete forgiveness in those moments. Although we may not deserve it, You give it anyway, and for that we are so thankful. Please help us to grow in our understanding of Your love, and learn what it really means to talk to You, and build a relationship with You as the people in the Bible did. Thank You for offering that kind of relationship with us – we are so grateful to be able to be this close to our King. Thank You for Your goodness, and help us to remember it, in every situation. Help us to remember that we can always call out to You.In Jesus Name, Amen.