Prayer

Initially, I know that prayer can be intimidating. It may seem unnatural or be something you’re not used to; or maybe, it’s become too natural to where you’ve forgotten how much power prayer truly holds.

Purpose

First, let’s start with what prayer is. Prayer is the way we can talk to God. I know that sounds insane, but it’s true. When we pray, God hears us. Not only that, but He listens and cares about what we have to say. It doesn't have to be a formal, rehearsed speech. In fact, God desires the opposite. He wants the real, honest you. He already knows what we’re going to say before we even think it, but He desires a relationship with us, so He wants to hear from us, no matter how big or small of a deal it is. When we pray, we’re telling God, “I know you know what I’m already thinking, but I need to talk to you.” Because God is our Heavenly Father, He wants to hear from and talk to his children. Prayer strengthens that relationship.

Cultural Aspect & Works

In the US, prayer has become something that we don’t hear about a lot. It has almost been culturally placed as second-best to going to church and doing things for God. Let me just tell you, that isn’t true. Doing things for God isn’t where our focus should be. If you go to a million church services just because you feel like you have to go to make God happy, you’re missing the point.

God is relational; He doesn’t see a checklist over your head. We can't actually do anything for God, it's more like doing things because of God to glorify Him, because we love Him. Our actions should come from a preexisting faith and desire to do those things, not because we think God will be unhappy if we don't do them. While works from faith are important in growing and strengthening a relationship with God, the faith that produces that desire is the most important thing.

What Does it Do?

Prayer is a gift, and a powerful one. Know that when you pray, you have God’s undivided attention. He is able to do this because He is omniscient, omnipresent, and all-powerful. He has the power to be everywhere at once, hear what you have to say, and give you His full attention when you pray. You aren’t bothering God, keeping Him from fulfilling other duties, or preventing Him from attending to someone who “needs Him more,” when you pray. You are just as important to God as anyone else. He has no favorites, no list of who to prioritize first, nothing.

Bottom line is, you are God’s child, and He wants to hear from you no matter the time of day or how significant you think the prayer might be. God wants to hear about the mundane, the exciting, the good and the bad. He wants to hear about anything and everything. Prayer is like a phone call to heaven, not leaving God a voicemail.

The Lord's Prayer

Luckily for us, Jesus provided a prayer for us. If you want to pray but don't know where to start, try this from the book of Matthew, chapter 6, verses 9 through 13:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

How to Pray

So, how do you actually do it?

1. Find a quiet area: Whether it’s your room, your car, or even the bathroom at school or work, it is extremely helpful to find a quiet place to focus and make sure your thoughts are not distracted by your surroundings.
2. Be still and close your eyes: It’s important that you give God your undivided attention, too. It helps your focus when there are no visual distractions. Just picture yourself talking to God as if He is right in front of you with His hand on your shoulder, attentive to what you have to say.
3. Opening: You can either start your prayer by talking in your head, out loud, writing it down, etc.; whichever way you feel is the most comfortable and feels the most connected to God. Start with, “Dear God,” or, “Lord,” or, “Heavenly Father,” whichever way feels right. Remember to be respectful; you're talking to the King of Kings. (Our Father in heaven...)
4. Gratitude: God is so cool; give Him some credit! Even if you feel like you have nothing to be grateful for, remember you have breath in your lungs. Remember you woke up today, which is proof God isn’t done with you. Remember you have the gift of Jesus. Even if your earthly father isn’t your favorite person, remember your Heavenly Father will never fail you. God calls you his treasured child. You are beloved. He knows you by name and loves you, specifically YOU, so much. That’s something to be grateful for.
5. Be honest: God doesn’t want these perfectly curated speeches when we pray. It’s not genuine that way. Be transparent. Don't be afraid to tell Him you’re upset, lonely, empty, or like He’s far away. Tell Him you’re so excited about something coming up. Tell Him you’re anxious. He wants to hear about it all.
6. Ask: God knows we need His help and guidance. Before asking for whatever you need, ask for forgiveness first. Thank God for His forgiving character and ask for forgiveness from sins you have committed (forgive our debts...). It can feel like a physical weight lifted from your shoulders; it is so freeing. After this, do two things: first, stop dwelling on the sin. You are forgiven, so there is no need to continue to feel guilty about it, even if someone in your life, or the enemy, is trying to convince you otherwise. The initial conviction is from God, but continued guilt is not from God. Second, tell God what you need. Be humble, knowing that you can’t do everything on your own. Ask Him for guidance, healing for yourself or someone you know, for peace, etc. Remember you are not a burden to God when you ask for things, and that He wants to give you what’s best for you. He will withhold no good thing from you that’s meant for you (Psalm 84:11). Ask Him for things, if it aligns with His Will (Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven...).
7. Closing: End your prayer with, “In Jesus name I pray, Amen,” or something of the sort. Always end with “Amen,” because it has used as a closing word throughout the Bible, and today. Saying “Amen” means, “so be it,” telling God that whatever He decided to do with what you just told Him, so be it. (For thine is the kingdom... Amen.)

Not a Genie

An important thing to note in prayer is that if you ask for something like patience, strength, courage, etc., God won’t just snap His fingers and you’ll instantly be those things. Instead, He often will give opportunities in your life to shape you into those qualities. If you ask for patience, He might give you an annoying coworker to interact with. If you ask for courage, He might present a decision in your life that requires you choose the path that will make you leave your comfort zone.

Also note that God does not always answer prayers immediately. Sometimes when you pray, you won’t hear His voice or have any idea if He even heard you. That’s what faith is for. If everything God will ever do for you was guaranteed, there would be no need for faith, and it wouldn't be a genuine relationship built on love and trust. God isn’t some genie in the sky that will grant your every wish. Prayer is simply how we can talk to God and one way we can connect with Him, not the equivalent of us rubbing a magic lamp. Prayer builds our relationship with God in the same way how talking to our friends and family connects us and builds our relationships with them. A relationship with God shouldn't be transactional, but intentional and loving.

Hearing His Voice

Even if you don’t feel like you have any idea of what God is trying to tell you, He can speak to you in many ways. After praying, He will answer you however He sees fit. The way God works is a mystery and we will never be able to fully understand it, so don't be discouraged if you can't seem to figure it out (it's not our job to know everything!). A few ways He can speak are through conversations with other people, verses that stick out to you in the Bible, and/or what you see in nature. If you want God to teach you something, you must be open-minded and open-hearted. Hold space for the possibility that God is trying to teach you something that won’t make sense to you right now, or that it's something you don't want to hear. The beauty of that, as confusing as it may sound, is that God has gone before us, and whatever happens in our lives can be used as opportunities to bring us closer to Him. We may not see the big picture now, but when we do, it’s incredible to look back and see how He was working. Remember He wants what's best for you. And sometimes, that won't be what makes you the happiest or makes the most sense in that moment.

Heart Posture

Prayer is also about perspective. If you’re bitter and think that God won’t provide, then you probably won’t see what He’s providing. If you try to threaten God and say that if He doesn’t do exactly what you want “or else,” then you won’t see what He’s already blessed you with.

Prayer is a two-way street, meaning that you must humble yourself and have an open heart and mind to whatever God has in store for you, because He knows better. If you want to hear what God is teaching you, you must be in the right posture for it. It can be hard, but with practice, it gets easier. In Psalm chapter 46, God tells us to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). If you’re waiting for Him to answer, be still and trust that He will. Don't try to take control of the situation. You can absolutely pray about the same thing more than once, but trust that He is working. This can look like making time in your day to read His Word and try to listen to what He is teaching you. Building the discipline to do this takes effort, but God is worth waking up 10-15 minutes earlier for.

Prayer is something that gets easier with practice, so don’t be discouraged if it’s hard to get used to at first.

Remember that God sees and wants you. Every version of you. The imperfect, messed-up you. No matter how you see yourself, He sees you as more precious than rubies and worth sending His one and only Son to die on a Cross for, just so that He could be with you again one day.

He doesn’t need you to get all “cleaned up” before coming to Him. He knows we’ll never be fully cleaned up. He just wants to hear from His child and be your Heavenly Father, refuge and strength, comfort in the storms, and source of strength.