How to pray
What Is Prayer?
Put simply, prayer is talking with God—it involves both sharing with Him and listening to Him.
PRAYER IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO:
Acknowledge and celebrate God’s character and the qualities you cherish about Him.
Admit your shortcomings and areas where you’ve missed the mark.
Openly express your thoughts and feelings to God.
Look to Him for guidance and wisdom.
Find peace and stillness in His promises and presence.
Present your needs and the needs of others, asking for His help.
Embrace a deep sense of connection and unity with Him.
How Do I Pray?
There are many ways to approach prayer and a full prayer life often includes a variety of practices. Read on to learn about some of these…
Use the ACTS acrostic…
This simple approach to prayer is a great place to start. Find some quiet. Still your body and set your focus and intention on God. Pray through the ACTS acrostic:
Adoration: Praise and worship God for who He is.
Confession: Admit your sins and ask for forgiveness.
Thanksgiving: Express gratitude for God’s blessings.
Supplication: Present your requests and needs to God, both for yourself and others.
We would love to pray with you, or for you!
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Listening Prayer
- Find a quiet place
- Breathe slowly in and out
- Close your eyes and focus on the Lord
- Ask Him to meet with you, be with you and communicate with you
- Sit quietly and listen. Notice what images and words come to mind.
Pray Like Jesus Did
Jesus provided us with a pattern for prayer which is referred to as the Lord’s Prayer While it is beneficial to recite this prayer exactly as Jesus spoke it, He did not intend for it to be the only way we pray. Instead, the prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4 serves as an example, highlighting the essential elements that should be present in our own prayers.
Matthew 6:9-13
This, then, is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven, (establishes the loving relationship between God and humanity)
hallowed be your name, (showing honor and praise to Him)
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (A prayer for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven and be carried out in every aspect of life)
Give us today our daily bread. (asking God to provide for our daily needs, both material and spiritual.)
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. (Asking God for God to forgive our sins and trespasses.)
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Requesting for deliverance from the evil one and all harmful influences.)
“In Jesus Name”
You have probably heard people end thier prayers with the phrase, “In Jesus’s Name”.
John 14:6, states that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
As Christians we believe our access and realtionship with our Holy God has been secured for us by Jesus Christ, his death on the Cross, and his resurrection 3 days later. While we know our sovereign, omniscient God hears all prayers, a secure relationship with Him for eternity comes by faith through grace.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Do you have questions about having a relationship with God?