You want to pray, and you know you should pray, so why is it such a struggle to pray? Perhaps it’s because you don’t know how to pray. Today, we dive into learning how to pray for beginners.
Creating a habit of prayer can be challenging. Sometimes finding the words to pray can seem impossible. What can you do to begin learning how to pray, as a beginner and new to prayer?
Some days it can be incredibly hard to focus your thoughts without a million interruptions. Other days you make the time to pray, but then the words won’t come.
Maybe you’re in a season of discouragement or depression. Frustrated, you find yourself wishing you knew how to pray effectively, and one day the convicting tug at your heart becomes too much to ignore. You know you need to do something to draw closer to God.
How do you re-align yourself and strengthen your relationship with Him? Let’s take a look at seven things you can do when learning how to pray as a beginner.
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Learning How to Pray for Beginners
1. Make an appointment with God, in a quiet place, for prayer.
Have you ever seen the movie War Room? Remember the prayer closet? It’s in the bible, too! In Matthew 6:6 we read this example, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray…” (HCSB). The KJV actually uses the word “closet” instead of “room.” The spirit of the verse is to find a quiet place where you can shut yourself away while you pray.
If you have young children at home, try to get out of bed before they do and commit to pray, or ask your husband, mom, or friend to sit with your children later in the day. We schedule sitters for other necessary appointments; why not for prayer? Make an appointment and keep it!
To create the habit of prayer, remember it this way:
- make an appointment
- same time every day
- in a quiet room.
2. Do your best to pray out loud.
There are many instances in scripture where we read that someone “cried out to the Lord,” especially during times of stress. Use your voice when you pray. Cry to the Lord! When we pray “in our head” but not out loud it’s a certain recipe for sleepiness and struggle. There’s something about praying out loud that awakens our spirit and reaches the ears of God!
3. Practice fervent prayers.
We see this often in scripture, too. In James 5:16 we find that “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous [wo]man avails much.” We’re not practicing patty-cake Christianity, we’re cultivating a rich, growing prayer life. We need to pray fervently (with passion and intensity) and effectively!
It takes spiritual digging and planting in order to reap the harvest. Dig in to the depths of your soul. Sow in tears. Be burdened for your family, friends, and community. Speak to the Lord from the depths of your heart: the good, bad, and ugly. He can handle it all. Give it to him!
4. Try keeping a prayer journal.
Many beautiful journals are on the market today (I love this “Dear God” journal!). You can also use a spiral notebook…whatever works for you! Simply write out your prayers one by one.
Another pastor’s wife shared a new idea with me a few days ago that I’d like to try out: for her 50th birthday, she wrote 50 unique prayer needs down, one at the top of each page in her journal. As she went through her 50th year, every time she saw a glimpse of God moving in any of those needs, she’d go to its corresponding page and make a note of it. Now she can look into that prayer journal anytime and see God’s hand and her prayers at work! How encouraging!
Marian James says
I am grateful for the welcome I have received.
I am anticipating all there are to receive for growth and development.
Carrie says
Ty for this article on learning how to pray. I have been struggling with my faith and feel a spirit of rebellion trying to get me further from the Lord.
Dianne Petro says
thank you Jaime
this has helped me and inspired me to pray
for the past month i could not find myself to be at peace and pray but with this message now , i feel encouraged to pray when i feel i need to
thank you and blessed days ahead
IVY says
THANK YOU JAIME
TRUST GOD THAT MY CONNECTING WITH YOUR MISITRY I WILL ACHEIVE THE ANTICIPATED GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
Sharlene Simpson says
Thanks
Shirley Folger says
I want to build a relationship with God. I read my Bible and I talks to him. Your thoughts are counted as a sin. I ask all the time for these foul words towards him be removed. Another thing is why am I so afraid of him? Is this normal behavior. I’m not going to stop trying to build a relationship with God. I’ve been constantly trying. Just feels like I’m at a stop sign. I need help.
Dorrel says
Hi Janiethanks for your reply I just join up to your ministry but i feel so much encouragement how to pray I normally find a scriptures and pray back God’s word what he said.
At the moment we’re doing the Daniel fast and am struggling a bit because I don’t know what to pray about or to Pray for am asking him to grant me the strength and courage to direct me to continue I have a lot of doubts in myself that am not doing things right I know that I need to overcome that cycle.