You clicked the link today because you want to learn to pray. I believe I have an incredibly profound and simple answer to learning how to pray.

PRAY

Yeah… that’s it.

Have we overcomplicated prayer? Yes

Are we unnecessarily intimidated by prayer? Yes

Does God desire for us to pray? Yes

So maybe today, instead of waiting to figure out the perfect prayer, just start praying. The first time I spoke in front of people I was not very comfortable. In all honesty I was freaking out, nervous and sweating profusely, but overtime I have become more comfortable being in front of people. Maybe the same is true for prayer.

So, if you want to learn to pray, start today by praying.

Jesus spent a lot of time in prayer and on occasion his disciples would ask him how to pray. I love His answer, because he didn’t give them a specific prayer to pray as much as he gave them the heart of how to pray. If you struggle in prayer this is a great place to start.

Matthew 6:9-13
⁹ Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. ¹⁰ May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us today the food we need, ¹² and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. ¹³ And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

A couple important things:
1) Jesus said “Pray like this”. He did not say “Pray this exactly
2) Show honor and reverence to God’s name.
3) Pray that earth will be like Heaven. There is plenty we do not understand about heaven, but we do know that God is ever-present. That there is no more pain, sorrow or sickness.
4) Trust God for your daily needs. He is your source.
5) We are all sinners in need of a savior. Don’t arrive to the point of perfection in your prayers, but seek forgiveness.
6) Finally ask God to guide and strengthen you that you may not stumble into areas you know you shouldn’t be, and trust God that he can rescue you.

Let me leave you with one final thought from a quote I heard years ago and have quoted many times sense then:

“Short prayers still reach the throne room as long as you don’t live far away”

You do not have to babble on and on. A short genuine prayer is always better than a prayer filled with words but no heart.

---

If you were encouraged by todays reading, feel free to leave a comment below and share this post. Also, don’t forget to subscribe with your email to ensure you don’t miss out on future posts.