A Really Short Prayer Guide

Someday, I’ll do a lengthier post on prayer, but because of some personal commitments, I can’t spend too much time writing on this subject.  I wanted to write something on this for a while, though, because I’ve met many who when asked, they tell me they don’t know how.  Occasionally, it’s because they’re out of practice, but more often than not, it’s because nobody ever taught them how.

This is a model, or pattern, on how I was taught when I was little, and I still mainly follow this style of praying because it’s so ingrained in me.  It comprises of these four steps:

1)      Start by saying “Heavenly Father…” or “Father in Heaven…” because that’s who you’re speaking to.

2)      Give thanks.  This can be for anything:  family, friends, food, your home, opportunities you’ve been given, health, or anything that you’re grateful to have in your life.  Once in a while, I have a hard time feeling gratitude for anything around me, and in those times, I’ll say “Thank you for the air I breathe.”  It feels a little snarky when I say it, but I’ve found that even if nothing else is going well in my life, showing some gratitude that I am alive does wonders for how I feel about the rest of my prayer.

3)      Ask for blessings.  Some feel uncomfortable asking God for anything, either because they don’t feel worthy or because doing so feels selfish.  I would bring your attention to Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, where he says, “Ask, and it shall be given you… how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matt. 7:7,11)  My belief is that God desires to give us blessings, but in many cases, he’s waiting to be asked for them.

4)      Finish by saying “…in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”  Anything that’s done spiritually ought to be done in Christ’s name. 

It’s easy to just say prayers.  The harder part is listening to God.  Prayer isn’t supposed to be a one-way monologue, but a dialogue between us and Him.  Listening to God’s instructions is a learning process.  Sometimes the answers to prayers are obvious; I’m one who believes angels can be sent to give you guidance, but these instances are rare, and it’s certainly not something that has ever happened to me.

Often, though, God is going to speak by the Spirit, and that takes a lot of discipline and patience to understand.  The three ways I recognize the Spirit are: an overwhelming sense of peace, burning in the bosom, and certain thoughts and impressions that will come.  By no means are these the only ways to understand the Spirit or hear what the Lord is saying, and as I said, learning to understand God is a learning process.  But if one hasn’t developed a habit of praying, I don’t know how one can ever expect to receive an answer.