Prayer is meant to be easy. Simply put, it is meant to be a heart to heart conversation with God. However, sometimes praying is just plain hard to do. In the past, I always tried to avoid being the family member chosen to say the prayer at the dinner table, at a holiday gathering or during a time of need because I felt like my words fell short. if I’m being honest, not only did I lack confidence praying in front of others, but I also felt inadequate in my private prayer life. When praying publicly, I always felt as though my words were not profound enough. During my personal prayers, I often found myself distracted, losing my train of thought or drifting off to sleep. I felt quite disappointed in myself and couldn’t believe I was incapable of pulling together something more beautiful for the creator of the universe.
The truth is that God doesn’t expect eloquent prayers. God wants us to come to Him as we are. He wants us to be real and honest so we can develop a genuine relationship with Him. Matthew 6:7-8 says, “When you pray don’t babble on and on as the gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him”. God already knows what is on our hearts. He just wants to hear it from us. He wants us to be honest with Him because it’s in our most vulnerable moments that we have our biggest breakthroughs in our relationship with Him.
So, what should our prayers consist of?
First, we should praise God for who He is. Personally, I choose which attributes I want to praise Him for depending on what is happening in my life on that particular day. Some of the things I commonly praise Him for include his omnipotence (ability to do anything), omniscience (ability to know everything), omnipresence (ability to be everywhere at once), love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, justice, eternality, and holiness. We can also praise Him for His creation, salvation, guidance, provision, presence and promises.
Secondly, we should confess our sins to God. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. When we refuse to confess our sins to God, it can create distance in our relationship. Confessing our sins allows us to restore our relationship with God, receive His forgiveness. It breaks the power that sin has over us.
Third, we should pray with thanksgiving for the blessings we have received. These blessings can be new and recently received or something long term. Gratitude is powerful because it shifts our focus from what we lack to what we already have. Gratitude is not just saying “thank you”, it’s living with a heart that recognizes God’s presence and provisions in all things. It’s important to keep a written, running list of all our blessings so we can thank God at any time for anything.
The next step of prayer is to ask God for the things we need. During this time we may pray for our own personal needs or may pray on behalf of someone else. During this time, it’s okay to be honest with God about our feelings. If feeling sad, scared, or mad, let God know. If your prayer hasn’t been answered, ask God what you are supposed to learn in the waiting. Ask God to be with you, to help you wait patiently, and to align your will with His. When prayers aren’t answered immediately we can begin to feel like God has abandoned us. However, unanswered prayers and the storms of life can actually mean the exact opposite. Sometimes what we learn in the waiting period is more valuable then what we asked for in the first place and God is trying hard to reach us during these times.
Lastly, ask God to protect you from sin. As humans, we will sin, it’s our nature. But, when we ask God to help us, He can guide our every step and help us make better decisions.
When closing a prayer it is common to add the words “in Jesus’ name”. The reason for this is to recognize that Jesus is the mediator between human and God and to remind us to align our prayers with God’s will and not our earthly desires.
As stated above, prayer is meant to be a conversation with God. When you have finished your prayer, spend a few minutes being still and quiet. Give God the opportunity to answer you. When we pray and focus only on what we have to say to God, we tend to miss his side of the conversation. Listening for God is just as important as our actual prayer. Our conversation should be 50/50.
