Share the Hope!

It is one of the most honest statements anyone has made to me in a long time.

This beautiful young mom shared her heart recently when she told me:

“I’m just not very good at praying. 

I don’t know how to pray.

So, I don’t pray… at all.

But, I’d like to change that.”


Prayer. It's something we all would like to do and do well. But, what happens when we really don't know how to pray? What do we do when we are uncomfortable or awkward with our prayers? How can we get better at praying? Here are simple, helpful, and practical tips on how to pray. Why not drop by to read them? #pray #prayer #easypraying #learningtopray


Simple Tips on How to Pray

Lately, I am talking to many of you who want to understand more about HOW to pray.

You desire to pray, but you don’t know where to begin.

And, you may be embarrassed to ask for help in this area. You hate to raise your hand in a group and ask for some basic instructions on how to get started.

Or, you may be one of my friends who wants to take your prayer life to the next level. What a wonderful goal!

Whether you are a prayer newbie, a prayer novice, a prayer wimp, or a prayer warrior – you can improve and enhance your prayer life.

Whether you are a prayer newbie, a prayer novice, a prayer wimp, or a prayer warrior - you can improve and enhance your prayer life. Click To Tweet


Scripture tells us to, “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NKJV)

The New Living Translation of this verse suggests that we, “Never stop praying.” 

Is this possible? 

Can we learn to pray as a regular part of our day?

Absolutely!

We can learn to pray!

And, it doesn’t have to be complicated!


As a child, I was taught that all prayer involved a bowed head, a quiet posture, closed eyes, and folded hands. 

As an adult, I’m so thankful that we can pray in any place, position, posture, or situation.

There is NO limitation on prayer – except not doing it!

Ready to try praying?

Are you ready to add more prayer to your day?

Ready to add more prayer to your day? Click To Tweet


Prayer. It's something we all would like to do and do well. But, what happens when we really don't know how to pray? What do we do when we are uncomfortable or awkward with our prayers? How can we get better at praying? Here are simple, helpful, and practical tips on how to pray. Why not drop by to read them? #pray #prayer #easypraying #learningtopray


Here are 10 Simple Tips on How to Pray

Tip One – Say “Good Morning” to the Lord.

  • Acknowledge Him as you begin your day.

  • Look toward heaven and speak to Him.

  • Spend a few moments at the first of your day in the Word.

  • Talk to Him as you are getting dressed, driving carpool, or driving to work.

To look to heaven and acknowledge God each day is to PRAY!

To look to heaven and acknowledge God each day is to PRAY! Click To Tweet


Tip Two – Share your needs as they arise.

  • Make your needs known to the Lord throughout the day.

  • As needs arise, pray.

  • When you need wisdom, ask for it.

  • As you think about problems, present them to God and ask for His help.

  • If you worry about one of your kids or grandkids, pray for them!

  • Talk things over with Him just like you’d talk to a friend.

To talk to God about your cares, problems, and worries is to PRAY!

To talk to God about your cares, problems, and worries is to PRAY! Click To Tweet


Tip Three – Thank Him all day long.

  • How has He been sweet to you?

  • What has He done for you?

  • What are 10 things you could stop and thank Him for right now?

  • You can thank Him for the sunshine, rain, life, breath, a car to drive, a place to live, food to eat, friends, a job, children, grandchildren, and so much more.

  • You can thank Him as you are driving down the street. 

To thank the Lord for His goodness and kindness in your life is to PRAY!

To thank the Lord for His goodness and kindness in your life is to PRAY! Click To Tweet

Tip Four – Offer sincere praise to Him for His character.

  • Take time to consider how awesome He is.

  • Go through the alphabet and thank Him for one of His traits that start with each letter. A-Awesome, B-Bountiful, C-Compassionate.

  • Look around you and praise God for His creation.

  • Praise Him for making gorgeous sunny days or beautiful flowers or refreshing rain

To praise God with a sincere heart is to PRAY!

To praise God with a sincere heart is to PRAY! Click To Tweet


Five – Repent as the Spirit convicts you.

  • Agree with God as He puts some sin on your heart.

  • Keep short accounts with Him.

  • Ask for His help to make things right with others as needed.

  • Check-in with Him often and ask Him if there is anything you need to confess.

  • Think of it as keeping things right and reconciled. 

To admit our sin to God and make things right is to PRAY!

To admit our sin to God and make things right is to PRAY! Click To Tweet


Six – Make appeals to the Lord.

  • Just as a lawyer would appeal to a judge, you can appeal to God.

  • Discuss your concerns and frustrations with Him.

  • Talk things over with Him just as you would talk to a close friend.

  • Express your deepest hurts, needs, desires, passions, and wishes to the Lord. Share your heart with Him.

To pour out your heart to God & appeal to Him is to PRAY!

To pour out your heart to God & appeal to Him is to PRAY! Click To Tweet


Philippians 4:6 encourages us to,

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

can you help me photo


Seven – Think about Him.

  • Silently direct your thoughts to Him during the day.

  • Lift your eyes to heaven and focus on Him for a few seconds.

  • Think about how much you love Him. 

To think about the Lord and tell Him you love Him is to PRAY!

To think about the Lord and tell Him you love Him is to PRAY! Click To Tweet


Eight – Sing to Him.

  • Raise your voice and sing.

  • Turn up the praise music and sing along.

  • Singing is a form of prayer! 

  • If you can’t sing, hum the tune and think about the words!

  • Or, just listen to the words of a wonderful hymn or inspirational song.

To sing or hum lyrics/words of praise to the Lord is to PRAY!

To sing or hum lyrics of praise to the Lord is to PRAY! Click To Tweet


Nine – Listen for His voice.

  • Tune your ears to listen for His voice.

  • Allow Him to speak to you through a friend, the Bible, a sermon, music, and even a beautiful sunset.

In John 10:27-28, Jesus teaches, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”

To tune in and listen for the Lord to speak is to PRAY!

To tune in and listen for the Lord to speak is to PRAY! Click To Tweet


Ten – Say “Good Night” to the Father.

  • Closeout your day with Him.

  • Go to sleep thinking about Him and talking to Him.

To tell the Father Good Night is to PRAY!

To tell the Father Good Night is to PRAY! Click To Tweet


Mix all of these up. Use them as needed and in any order.

Just start!

Jump in!

It doesn’t have to be fancy, it just has to be attempted!


To assist you as you add more prayer to your day, I’ve created a FREE Printable for you to print out and use.

Right-click, save, and print.


Prayer. It's something we all would like to do and do well. But, what happens when we really don't know how to pray? What do we do when we are uncomfortable or awkward with our prayers? How can we get better at praying? Here are simple, helpful, and practical tips on how to pray. Why not drop by to read them? #pray #prayer #easypraying #learningtopray

 


So, which of the ways will you try first?

I encourage you to pick 1-2 of these suggestions and start praying today.

  • And, how do you add prayer to your day?

  • What are some ways you like to pray?

  • What questions do you have about prayer?

I always enjoy hearing from you!


Want more on prayer?

How to Make the Prayer of Jabez Personal

What to do When You’re Ready to Start Praying Powerful Prayers

How to Turn Jeremiah 33:3 into a Personal Prayer

7 Ways to Pray for that One Who’s Drifted Away from God


Were you blessed by what you read?

Then, would you share this article with a friend, co-worker, or family member?

Or, maybe you can send it to a friend or family member?

This blog occasionally uses affiliate links and may contain affiliate links. Additionally, Melanie Redd is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Also, for more on my disclosure policy, click HERE.

© Melanie Redd and Ministry of Hope, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Further, excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Melanie Redd and Ministry of Hope with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.



helloredds@gmail.com

Best-Selling Author | Speaker | Blogger| Podcaster | When the world is falling apart, we can ALWAYS trust in God’s goodness!

25 Comments

Thaddeus · 03/10/2020 at 9:41 AM

Thanks for the tips on prayer.
I find that reading a Daily Devotional and then praying on the Bible Verse of the day really helps strengthen my connection to God

Lila Diller · 02/10/2020 at 9:46 AM

Whew! I finally found where to comment!

When I first heard the title, I was a little skeptical that this was going to be a how-to, putting prayer into a formula, or even giving exact words to pray. But thank you for these ideas that really share ideas of what to talk to God about — these are great! Prayer is just talking to God, and though we get nervous when we have to do it in front of people, we should never be nervous to just start talking to God anytime. He is Emmanuel, “God with us,” and He is our Shepherd who leads us one step at a time (Psalm 23).

    helloredds@gmail.com · 02/14/2020 at 5:28 PM

    Sounds like you had to scroll down a lot, Lila!
    Glad you found the comments section too!
    I appreciate your dropping in and sharing your thoughts!
    Amen!
    Blessings,
    Melanie

Kevin Shorter · 07/02/2018 at 6:38 AM

I love how you made prayer into some very simple and easy to do tasks. I also like how you made it more than a one-time things we do in our quiet times. Thanks for creating this.
Blessings,
Kevin

Channabasappa · 05/21/2018 at 3:10 AM

My name is channabasappa Bhardwad from India I am a evangelist distribution of the gospel tracks daily basis is in the village 2000 daily distribution Ian having a some debt problems and court case please pray for my problem and Ian not received god’s answer my prayer please help me with thanks Amen

    helloredds@gmail.com · 05/21/2018 at 9:34 AM

    Yes! I will pray for you – for God to provide all that you need for life and godliness!
    May He take care of you and encourage your heart today.
    Blessings,
    Melanie

Pauline · 03/18/2018 at 2:06 AM

Thank you so much for sharing this I’m really touched .but still I’m having a hard times I really Need to pray but whenever I start praying I feel like I don’t have words to say and I become bored and then stop. My prayers are becoming too weak

    helloredds@gmail.com · 03/18/2018 at 2:59 PM

    Hey Pauline,
    Have you tried journaling while you pray? Or, maybe praying with a friend?
    I’ve also found that I can sing along with Christian music and focus on the Lord.
    It doesn’t have to be boring, but you will have to work at it a little.
    You learn to pray by praying~
    Keep going!
    You can do this!
    Blessings,
    Melanie

Jo T. · 02/24/2018 at 12:57 AM

Thank you for this. It is so simple and uncomplicated, and makes perfect sense.
May God bless you in your coming & your going (and everything in between).

    helloredds@gmail.com · 02/24/2018 at 10:38 AM

    Thank you, Jo!
    That is always my goal – simple, uncomplicated, helpful, and easy to use.
    Sure do appreciate your kind words today!
    Blessings,
    Melanie

Renay · 01/06/2018 at 10:27 AM

Thank you for learning how to pray. I am shy about praying out load in a group or even one friend. I don’t think I’ll make very much since and pray way differently with my words than anyone else.

    helloredds@gmail.com · 01/06/2018 at 11:35 AM

    Thank you for letting me know, Renay.
    I understand. Lots of people are shy about praying out loud. My husband invites men to pray in our church services each week. Even though we attend a very small church, most of them will tell him that they don’t feel comfortable praying in public.
    But, you can learn to do it. So much of prayer is learned by praying.
    (I encourage you to just be willing.)
    Prayer is just talking to God. There is not a wrong way to do it
    Keep me posted!
    Melanie

Lorraine Calderon · 06/12/2017 at 11:46 AM

Thank you for sharing How to Pray.. This is me I dont know how to pray like others do the words are in my head but dont come out the way I would like. So Thank you for showing me different ways to pray I am going to try praying daily by the examples .

    helloredds@gmail.com · 06/13/2017 at 9:08 AM

    Lorraine,
    Thanks for stopping by to share your heart. I do think we make prayer very complicated. If you can begin to think of prayer as having a conversation with God, I think that might help.
    In fact, I think of prayer as an ongoing conversation with the One I love the most. I talk to Him when I first get up. Then, I check in with Him throughout the day. At night, I speak to Him as I’m about to go to sleep.
    I encourage you to just start talking to Him. I believe you will learn to pray by praying!
    Excited to hear what God is going to do in your life.
    Blessings,
    Melanie

Lorraine Calderon · 06/12/2017 at 11:43 AM

Thank you for sharing How to Pray.. This is me I dont know how to pray like others do the words are in my head but don’t cone out the way I would like. So Thank you for showing me different ways to pray I am going to try praying daily by the examples .

Mrs. Millie Williams · 04/15/2017 at 5:27 PM

I thank you for this. May you have a bless day. Mrs. Millie Williams

    helloredds@gmail.com · 04/18/2017 at 3:12 PM

    Thank you, Millie!
    I appreciate you taking the time to leave me a kind word today.
    You bless me~
    Melanie

Bablofil · 04/03/2017 at 6:26 PM

Thanks, great article.

Lori Schumaker · 04/03/2017 at 2:00 PM

Melanie,
Such a thorough explanation and a place where anyone can start! Great post!
Blessings and smiles,
Lori

    helloredds@gmail.com · 04/05/2017 at 12:21 PM

    Thanks, Lori!
    You bless me with your encouraging words today!
    Sure do appreciate you~
    Melanie

Sharon Landers · 04/03/2017 at 7:18 AM

Love this post! You’ve covered every aspect of praying. (You should have written it several years ago…I could’ve used it then! Ha!) I’m sure this will help others who have struggled with praying as I used to do.

    helloredds@gmail.com · 04/03/2017 at 10:27 AM

    Thank you, Sharon!
    It’s so good to hear from you, and I really appreciate your kind & encouraging words!
    I may have to do an interview with you one day where we shared your story – before and after on prayer. Could be very encouraging to many others!
    Sure do appreciate you, and hope you are doing great!
    Blessings,
    Melanie

20+ Resources for a Stronger Faith · 04/24/2017 at 4:07 AM

[…]  Help! I Really Don’t Know How to Pray! by Melanie […]

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