LORD, teach us to pray. (Luke 11:1 NLT)

Prayer is how we communicate with God.

God the Father loves His children, and desires for His children to know and love Him. Prayer is a primary way that we get to know who God is and experience His love for us. Through prayer and relationship, God meets us where we are and invites us to become more like Him.

Prayer is a central part of our relationship with God. God’s Word makes it very clear that God expects His children to pray, primarily because this is the best way to be in relationship with God and to know God!

For example, the following Bible verses show us how we are to practice prayer: 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6, Jesus instructs us in the appropriate actions for our prayers.

Jesus also instructs the disciples in prayer in passages such as Luke 11 and His parable in Luke 18. 

In his letters to the early churches, Colossians 4 as well as 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul gives instructions on how we ought to pray.

Prayer is how we communicate with God, and God expects and desires His children to be in relationship with him.

As Richard Foster says, to pray is to change, because prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us. In relationship with God through prayer, we can begin to know God’s thoughts and character and be increasingly changed into His image. As we are in relationship with God, our desires, passions, and loves begin to reflect God’s. Through prayer and relationship, God meets us where we are and invites us to become more like Him.

God the Father loves His children and desires for His children to know and love Him. Prayer is a primary way that we get to know who God is and experience His love for us.

How do we pray?

There are no right or wrong ways to pray. Just like when you talk to your parents or to a friend, prayer is a place where you are safe and in relationship where you are loved! The best thing about prayer is that God is delighted to be in relationship with you through prayer in whatever shape or form that might take. On the next page are a few thoughts about prayer to get you started.

The Lord’s Prayer

When we think about prayer in the Bible, our minds usually go to the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus taught His early disciples when they asked Jesus how they should pray. Jesus gave them a framework for prayer, beginning by asking God to act in the world by building God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. The Lord’s Prayer gives us a model for asking forgiveness and for God’s meeting our daily needs. The Lord’s Prayer ends by naming God as all powerful and worthy!

Breath Prayer

Breath prayers are a simple way to practice praying regularly—as regularly as we breathe!

These can look lots of different ways. One example would be to take 10-15 different moments throughout the day to repeat as you breathe in, “I love you, Lord.” And then as you breathe out, “Thank you for your love for me.”

Or base your breath prayer on scripture:

• “The Lord is my shepherd…”
• “I shall not want”
• “The Lord is my strength and my song… He has become my salvation”
• “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good…
• His love endures forever”
• “When I am afraid…I will trust in you”
• “Be still and know…that I am God”

Prayer is centered in…

Praise

A great way to begin our prayers is by offering our thanks and praise to God. When we start with praise, it reminds us who God is and what He has done. Praising God also trains our hearts to remember the character of the great and mighty God who invites us to come to Him in every situation and need, promising us that He is faithful to hear our prayers. 

Listen

Prayer is also listening for the still, small voice of God. How do we listen in prayer? For ideas, continue reading this magazine!

Ask

After we thank and praise God, after we confess and listen, then is the time to ask God for God’s care and provision.