How do I talk with God? What should I say?

Step 5

"I think Christians fail so often to get answers to their prayers because they do not wait long enough on God. They just drop down and say a few words, and then jump up and forget it and expect God to answer them.

If we don't take prayer seriously, why should God?

Such praying always reminds me of the small boy ringing his neighbor's door-bell, and then running away as fast as he can go." - E.M. Bounds

What is Prayer?

If you want to grow as a Christian, there are two habits you must build:

Hearing from God by reading the Bible
Speaking to God through prayer

Would you like to know more about the Bible? Go back and read Step 4: Understand the Bible

What Is Prayer?

Prayer is simply talking to God. It is a real conversation with your Creator. It is not a ritual, performance, or memorized script.

Hebrews 4:16 - “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Because of Jesus Christ, you can go directly to God. Once we get saved, we have the priesthood of the believer. As a result, we have access to Him through prayer.

To talk with God, you don’t need...

A priest
A church building
Special words
A Bible college degree

You can talk to God anywhere and anytime.

Why Prayer Matters

Prayer is essential for your Christian life. Without prayer, we would be stuck in a one way conversation with God. He would be speaking to us through his word, but there would be no way to communicate back with him.

Through prayer, you can...

Build a relationship with God
Ask for help and guidance
Grow in dependence on Him

In short, prayer is how God's people communicate with him. If you aren't sure if you are God's child, I strongly recommend that you go back to Step 1: How to go to Heaven.

How to Pray

Many people don’t pray because they feel like they don’t know how. When you are first getting used to praying, it's best to keep it simple. You don't need to be nervous. Just open up your heart and have an honest conversation with God. You don't need the perfect words or fancy lingo. You just need to have a conversation with God. He wants to hear from you. God is not impressed with performance—He values sincerity.

Matthew 6:6 - “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret…”

Prayer can be intimidating at first. For encouragement about leaving your comfort zone, check out this article... "Stepping Out in Faith"

A Simple Pattern for Prayer - The Lord's Prayer

Matthew 6:9-13

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

1. Praise God

Start by acknowledging who God is. Notice how Jesus started his prayer. "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." Before getting into the purpose of the prayer, he starts by reverencing God for who he is.

Hallowed - Consecrated to a sacred use

You can praise God for:

His power
His goodness
His holiness
His mercy

2. Seek His Will

If we aren't careful, prayer will become a time where we just tell God everything that we want. We will tell him how to fix our problems, how to handle situations, and what is best for our families. In contrast, we need to realize that he truly knows what is best for us.

Jesus didn't tell God, "Here's what I want to happen." Instead, he said, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."

Our will doesn't always match God's will. When we pray, it's important to seek his will, even if it means that we don't get what we want. As we mature as Christians, what God wants will become what we want.

3. Make Requests

Bring your needs to God. As we go through life, there is no shortage of needs. Whether it be a physical, emotional, or spiritual need, God can supply it.

In the Bible, God promises to supply all of our needs according to his riches in glory. Understanding this promise, Jesus prayed, "Give us this day our daily bread." He is teaching us to rely on God for our daily needs, instead of ourselves.

Ask God for:

Help
Wisdom
Strength
Guidance

4. Seek Forgiveness

Jesus was/is perfect. He never sinned, therefore he had no reason to seek forgiveness. So, when Jesus says, "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors," he is responding to those asking him to, "Teach us to pray." He's giving them a good example of prayer, because they are sinners and they do need forgiveness.

Prayer is a great opportunity to confess our sins to God and seek his forgiveness.

1 John 1:9 - “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

5. Ask for Protection

We live in a dangerous world surrounded by spiritual warfare, with an adversary (the devil) who wants to devour us. By praying, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil," Jesus is emphasizing our need to seek God's protection.

On our own, we are defenseless sheep without a shepherd. With God, we are protected from the dangers of this world.

The Lord's prayer is not meant to be repeated or seen as a special prayer for us to use today. It is simply an example of what a good prayer consists of. Jesus was asked to teach them how to pray, and that's exactly what he did.

What Prayer is Not...

❌ Prayer Is NOT for Show

Prayer is not meant to impress others. Although, prayers can be said in public, a vast majority of our praying should be done in private. It's a great opportunity to have a private conversation with God. Prayer should be a humbling experience... not a prideful one.

Matthew 6:5 - “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”

❌ Prayer Is NOT Repetition

Saying the same words over and over does not make prayer effective. The Catholic church is known for encouraging this type of prayer. They teach that there is power in repeating certain prayers, such as "Hail Mary", "Our Father", and others. All throughout the Bible, you will never find anyone reciting a prayer over and over again. Repetition doesn't get God's attention... real, genuine prayer does.

Matthew 6:7 - “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."

To avoid these types of errors, learn how to Understand the Bible.

❌ Prayer Is NOT About Using Perfect Words

God is not grading your vocabulary. Just talk with him. Although it is good to address God properly and reverence his name/position, there is no reason to speak to God in the king's English. He is not listening to how you word things, he is listening to your heart.

❌ Prayer Is NOT for Anyone Other than God

Some denominations will teach that Christians should pray to saints in heaven. They believe that different saints specialize in different areas (i.e.The Catholic church encourages people to pray to St. Raphael the Archangel when they need healing). It is also very common for people to pray to Mary, but there are no biblical examples of God's people praying to anyone other than God. Prayer is how we communicate with God... no one else.

When to Pray

There is no wrong time to pray. You can pray in the morning, throughout the day, and even before you go to sleep at night. A strong prayer life isn't about when you pray... it's about how you pray and doing your best to be consistent.

Start Building a Daily Habit

Set aside a few minutes each day
Be consistent
Pray throughout the day

Talk to God:

When you need help
When you’re thankful
When you’re struggling

What If You Feel Like God Isn’t Listening?

Sometimes prayer can feel one-sided, but God is always listening. We don't pray in order to get a response. We pray to communicate our wants, needs, and desires to God.

Psalms 34:15 - “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.”

Your relationship with God will grow through:

His word... what He says to you
Prayer... what you say to Him

If you neglect prayer, your growth will be limited.

Start today.

Keep it simple.

Talk to God.

As you grow in the Christian life, trials and tribulations will come. Don't miss Step 6: Assurance of Salvation.

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