How to Pray
what is prayer?
Prayer is a way of speaking and listening to God. Christians believe that God is the all-powerful being who created the universe. He cares deeply for the world and the people in it, and he wants to get to know and spend time with each person he has created, just like a perfect Father would want to get to know his kids.
why pray?
Prayer does make a difference. It can help you to feel better and can change the situations around you. When you pray it often feels like an exchange takes place – as we talk about our needs, worries and fears with God he lifts the anxiety and replaces it with a feeling of peace.
Many times he also answers our prayers, although not always in the way we would expect. For example, sometimes when we pray for people who are sick they get better, unjust situations are put right, or our needs are met in amazing ways.
Christians believe that God is not distant or angry. Instead he cares for human beings, his heart breaks when he sees them suffering, and he wants us to join in with his plans to bring healing and hope to the world. Prayer is one way that we can do that.
We can also take action, although we often find the best actions are the ones we have prayed about and feel peaceful about doing. Prayer can help us slow down and make wise decisions instead of rushing ahead of God’s plans.
how should i pray?
A good place to start praying is with the prayer that Jesus taught his followers while he was on earth. Many people learned it at church or school when they were young but may have missed the beautiful meaning behind these words:
‘Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our sins,
As we forgive those who sin against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
Amen.’
You can say this prayer out loud or silently in your heart. God hears all prayers, no matter how they are spoken. You can say it slowly, taking your time to let the meaning of each line really sink in, or quickly at a time of need. You can also take some time to tell God what is on your own mind in your own words if you’d like, although some people find it easier to use written prayers to start with.
Let’s take it line by line and look at what the words mean and how we can pray.
‘Our Father in heaven’
God is a good father to us, his children. He loves everyone just like a perfect father or mother would. We can feel safe with him, sharing our thoughts, fears, dreams, memories and experiences without fear of judgement.
‘Hallowed be your name’
Hallowed means to be greatly honoured. These words are a way of expressing to God that we respect him and love him. It is helpful to spend time remembering how great God is, as it can put our situations in perspective and remind us how good, powerful and loving the person we are praying to is.
‘Your kingdom come,
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.’
This world is far from perfect. However, Jesus came to bring a different ‘kingdom’ where God’s hopes and dreams for his creation happen in full. There is a lot which is beautiful about the world already, and that is a glimpse of this heavenly kingdom. As we pray these lines, we are asking God to make earth more like heaven, which is free from suffering and evil. Often we find that God gives us opportunities to become part of the answer to this prayer.
‘Give us this day our daily bread’
Every good thing comes from God, and he loves to meet our needs in beautiful ways. We can freely ask him for the things we need and want. Notice that this line only asks for bread for today – when we trust God to meet our needs, we become free from the desire to hoard money and possessions and can live generous lives, even if we don’t have much ourselves.
‘And forgive us our sins,’
All of us make mistakes, and all of us deliberately do things which hurt ourselves and others. These thoughts, actions and habits aren’t what God desires for us, his children. But the good news is when Jesus died on the cross, he took the punishment for all the wrong things we’ve ever done. Because of Jesus’ loving act of self-sacrifice on our behalf, God can freely forgive things we do wrong when we ask. It is a wonderful experience coming before God feeling broken, trapped and angry at ourselves, and feeling his love come and make us whole again.
‘As we forgive those who sin against us.’
None of us deserve to be forgiven for the wrong things we have done. But God does it anyway, because of the sacrifice Jesus made. We must show the same kindness and forgiveness to others who hurt us. Forgiving is not the same as trusting someone, and if they are likely to keep hurting you it may be wise to put firm boundaries in place. But that doesn’t mean we need to keep feeling angry, violent or hating towards them. Often, we find that those emotions do us more damage than the other person! By forgiving someone you are saying that God is the one to judge them, not you, and you let go of the negative emotions you hold towards them. You can pray for their health and wellbeing, which often can counter any bitterness in your heart.
‘And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.’
Everyone experiences temptation to do bad things. It’s part of living in a world which isn’t fully perfect. Even Jesus was tempted when he was on earth. God wants to help us stand firm against the temptations to do evil or hurtful things. He also wants to protect us from evil. God never causes evil things to happen, in fact he often prevents them. However, he has given human beings free choice, and we will respect that by allowing the consequences of our actions to play out. When humans invite evil into their hearts and actions, it impacts the whole of his creation. He wants to help us resist evil in ourselves, and protect us from the evil in others.
‘Amen’
This simply means ‘so be it’ or ‘I agree’. It is a way of confirming the words you or someone else have just said.
This prayer has helped, comforted and inspired people for thousands of years. We hope you find it does the same in your life today.
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