How to Pray in 4 Simple Steps

 Do you find it hard to know how to pray?

New Christians need prayer tips to help them learn how to pray, because prayer can seem so abstract, even elusive.

We're told to talk to God as we would talk to a friend, but we can't see God.

We can't read His facial expressions, and at first, we're not even sure we can hear Him talk back.

Even mature Christians find it hard to pray or to cultivate a consistent, disciplined prayer life.

I have been walking with the Lord for over 40 years, and it wasn't until about 10 years ago that I really understood how to pray effectively.

Prayer is something we learn, just like a baby has to learn how to walk and talk.

How to Start Praying

1. Start Small

Don't set out to pray for an hour...or even a half hour.

If you don't have an established, consistent prayer time, start with a goal of just 5 minutes. Then after that, begin to gradually increase your prayer time little by little.

I remember my dad sharing how, as a young Christian, he tried to pray for one hour.

He knelt by his bed and prayed fervently for everything he could think of.

He was certain he had prayed for a full hour, but when he checked his watch, he'd only prayed for five minutes.

Discouraged, he began again and prayed for all of those things again - trying to add as much prayer to those requests as possible.

And yet, only five more minutes had passed.

The goal isn't to pray for one hour.

The goal is to spend time with Jesus.

2. Keep a List

It often happens that when a friend is in need, we comment, "I'm praying!" only to forget to keep our friend in prayer.

I will neither confirm nor deny that this has happened to me.

A great way to remember to pray for our friends' and family's needs is to keep a list.

Just buy a simple notebook and track each prayer need, and then see when God answers your prayers.

3. Journal Your Prayers

Sometimes we find it easier to communicate our hearts and feelings through writing.

Journaling our prayers takes more time and helps us slow down enough to really dig down deep in our hearts and look at ourselves as we truly are and at Jesus as He truly is.

4. Listen

Let's not forget that a conversation goes two ways.

We speak, but we must also listen.

In recent months,  have been doing this more intentionally.

I set aside time at the end of my prayer to sit very quietly and listen for God's voice.

I don't think of Bible verses or internal prayers; I just sit quietly and listen.

What is amazing is the kind of wisdom that begins to come to my heart in these times of listening. Wisdom that I know isn't from me.

It is wisdom from above.

Of course, anything I believe I'm hearing from God must always be tested against Scripture. God will never speak something to us that contradicts His Word.

Want to Go Deeper?

These four steps are a place to begin. But if you're ready to spend seven days learning how Jesus taught His disciples to pray, I've created a guided Bible study just for that.

Why Prayer Can Feel So Difficult

One thing I've learned is that the journey to understanding how to pray is a lifelong journey. Just as any relationship deepens over time and becomes richer and more meaningful, so it is with prayer.

I believe it is so hard because our modern culture has greatly diminished the reality of a spiritual realm.

This can make prayer intimidating for us, as we have trouble relating to a God we can't see, feel, hear, taste, or touch.

And yet this invisible realm that often manifests itself in visible ways is as real - and even more so - than this world to which we relate with our 5 senses.

Prayer Is Something We Learn

God speaks to us through the Bible, but He also wants to speak to us through prayer. We must always bear in mind, though, that anything we hear in prayer must be confirmed through the Bible

God is not above His word and will never say anything that contradicts what we read in the Bible.

Prayer is an essential discipline for every believer and is a discipline that must be learned.

If you'd like to learn more about prayer, I'd like to invite you to join my Bible study on prayer. In this Bible study, you will learn how to pray easily and boldly.