Prayer

Prayer for Beginners

Tip 1:Pray Simply: We might think we have to pray passionate, persuasive words for God to hear us, but in reality He listens even to our shortest “SOS” prayers. “The fewer the words, the better the prayer,” said Martin Luther. Isn’t that reassuring? We can talk to God in everyday language, just like we talk to a friend. We don’t have to pray long. God delights in a simple word of praise, like “Lord, I love you.” He treasures the anguished prayer of a mother when she calls, “Heal my child.” He answers the simplest request: “Lord, give me strength for today.”

Tip 2:Read the Bible and Pray Over Verses: Have you ever had a one-sided conversation with someone who talked continually without listening to you? The conversation didn’t go very far, did it? We do the same thing to God when we pray without reading the Bible, His eternal letter of love and wisdom to each one of us on earth. Reading Scripture helps us get to know God. It brings life to our prayers.  If you want to have a more effective conversation with God, read Scripture. Let David’s words in the Psalms enliven your prayers. Stop in the Gospels to pray over a verse that strikes you, asking God to work that truth into your heart. Let the words of Paul’s letters give you specific prayer requests for yourself and the people you love.

Tip 3:Make Prayer Active and Multi-Sensory: Prayer grows dull when we turn it into a purely mental exercise. God made us creative beings, so why don’t we bring creativity to our prayer lives? Lighting a fragrant candle can send a signal to our brains: “It’s time to pray.” It can bring a sacred sense of awe to a few minutes of prayer. Listening to music can help us focus on God. Many people enjoy doodling, drawing, or painting while they pray.A prayer journal builds faith when you look back over your petitions and recall God’s answers. Remember you don’t have to sit quietly to pray.

Tip 4:Make Prayer an Integral Part of Your Day: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances;” (1 Thess. 5:16-17) Is it really possible to pray without ceasing? How about trying an experiment? Start and end your day with prayer. Lift up short prayers to God as often as you can throughout your day. Pray over your schedule. Ask God to help you with your to-do list. When you hear a troubling news report, lift the situation up to God. Say a prayer for your spouse or child as you give him or her a hug. Pray for the person you’re talking to.Look for prayer moments that work for your life.

Tip 5:Pray Expectantly: Prayer becomes a lifeless exercise when we’re not looking for answers. Jesus invites us to expect God to work. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7) How much more exciting prayer becomes when we keep our eyes open to watch for God’s answers.How many answers do we miss because we don’t really expect God to respond.

Prayer Examples

A Beautiful Prayer to End the Day: Heavenly Father, my day is drawing to an end, and I'm ready to turn in. But before I do, I have to thank you for your faithfulness today. It's always a good day, even when things may not go the way I plan, or when the world seems in chaos, because you are in control. For all the times when I was aware of your help today, all the times when your unseen presence seemed so near, thank you, God. But for all the ways you worked behind the scenes, unknown to me, moments when heaven-sent angels moved on my behalf in ways I'll never know, thank you for those also, Lord.
Amen.

For True Rest: Dear Lord, break me of the need to be busy pursuing a sense of self-worth. Make me secure in who You are and who You’ve made me to be, and as a result, teach me what it means to truly rest. Help me catch my breath. In Jesus’ Name, Amen For A Good Night's Sleep: Grant me a good night's sleep tonight, God, so that I can awake refreshed and ready to begin another day loving you. Thank you again for blessings so undeserved and too numerous to count. I love being your child, and I long for the word "faithful" to describe my service to you, each day of every year. When I awake in the morning, may it be with a joyful smile, not a grumpy spirit. May your protection and your presence bathe this place with peace and safety against the enemy. Good night, Lord. In Jesus's name.
Amen.

A Daily Prayer of Thanksgiving: Dear God, Thank you for your amazing power and work in our lives, thank you for your goodness and for your blessings over us. Thank you for your great love and care. Thank you for your sacrifice so that we might have freedom and life. Forgive us for when we don't thank you enough, for who you are, for all that you do, for all that you've given. Help us to set our eyes and our hearts on you afresh. Renew our spirits, fill us with your peace and joy. We love you and we need you, this day and every day. We give you praise and thanks, for You alone are worthy! In Jesus' Name.
Amen.

A Prayer to Love the Life You Have: God, help me love the life I live right now. Show me the good things I often overlook and help me be content with what I have. Forgive me when I compare myself to others, forgive me for longing for things outside of you and your kingdom. Thank you for loving me right where I am, right as I am. Help me keep my eyes on you. In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.

Fill Me With the Spirit Today: Dear Lord, as we rise to meet each new day, please let us be filled with Your spirit. Wherever we go, let us spread love, joy, peace, goodness, and faithfulness. Let us desire to become more like you and to worship you in all we do. Help us desire these things so much more than the sin that entices us. Thank you for always going before us. In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.

Scriptures Supporting Prayer

Genesis: Chapter 25:Verse 21
1 Chronicles: Chapter 4:Verse 9-10
2 Chronicles: Chapter 7:Verse 14
Mathew: Chapter 6:Verse 5
Mathew: Chapter 6:Verse 9
Mathew: Chapter 21:Verse 22
Mark: Chapter 1:Verse 35
Luke: Chapter 18:Verse 1
John: Chapter 1:Verse 20
Romans: Chapter :Verse 26
Colossians: Chapter 1:Verse 9-14
1 Thessalonians: Chapter 5:Verse 16-17
1 Timothy: Chapter 2:Verse 8
1 John: Chapter 5:Verse 14-15

A.C.T.S.

Prayer is communion with God in order to:
1. Intimately know,love and Worship Him.
2. Understand and conform our lives to His will and ways.
3. Access and advance His kingdom,power and glory.

How do you get to know someone? When it comes down to it, it’s simple: you talk with that person and spend time with them. Your relationship with God is no different. If you want to get to know God, what he loves and what his desires and passions are, you need to spend time with him. Prayer is one of the ways you can do this.


A simple guide to help shape your prayers follows the acrostic ACTS.

A: Adoration
To adore God is to worship him for who he is and not only for what he does. In adoration you verbalize your worship, praise, honor, and exaltation of God. Many of the psalms can help us to focus on the attributes of God, such as his loving kindness, his mercy, and his majesty. Adoration is an expression of love and trust.

C: Confession
As you begin your prayer by worshipfully adoring God, the Holy Spirit will often reveal any sin in your life that needs to be confessed. To confess means to “agree with.” In other words, you agree with God concerning your sin — that it is, in fact, sin; that Jesus’ death on the cross has paid for that sin, and that you are fully forgiven as a result of that perfect sacrifice. This leads you to ask God for forgiveness and thank him for doing so
(1 John 1:9).

T: Thanksgiving
Giving thanks to God is an expression of faith, and faith pleases God. In saying, “Thank you,” you are expressing your gratefulness and appreciation for what God does. Thanksgiving is also saying, “God, I trust you.” It is the opposite of whining and becoming bitter when things don’t work out the way you want them to. The Bible tells us that God’s will is that we give thanks to him in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5.16-18).

S: Supplication
Supplication means entrusting all your needs and desires to God. He is the Creator of the universe, and he wants you to tell him what’s on your heart, however minor it might seem. Anything that concerns you concerns God. That includes difficult areas in your personal life, or the needs of others.


When you pray, don’t forget that listening to God is just as important as speaking to him. Listen to him as the Holy Spirit speaks to you through the Bible or even in the quiet stillness of your heart. Remember that a clear answer might not come right away or in the way you’d expect, but God is always listening, and he does respond. The more you pray and spend time with him in his Word, the more you will get to know who he is and see him at work.

Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be made full (John 16:24).

7 Days of Prayer

Monday Prayer Theme: Our Church(Unity)
Dear God, We are so incredibly in need of your power and your strength. We ask that you would fill us with your Spirit of love and unity among believers all around our world. We ask for your help to set aside our differences and look to the greater cause, the cause of Christ. Please help us to truly live out a life of love. We know that this is only possible through the power of your Spirit, so we ask that you would move across our land in miraculous ways, with fresh filling and awareness, turning your people back to you, drawing others to come to know you. We need your unity and your love to stir our hearts and give direction to our days. We need your wisdom to guide us, we need your Spirit to lead us, to live out godly lives that would bring honor first to you. We thank you that you are always with us; and give us great purpose and hope.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Tuesday Prayer Theme: God’s Spirit to fill our Church
Dear God, Fill us with the power of your Holy Spirit this day. Fill us with your joy, your wisdom, and with constant reminders that Your Presence will go with us, and you will give us rest. Thank you that you came to give new life, peace, hope, and joy to your children. Thank you that your power is made perfect in our weakness. We know that you are with us, and you fight for your people. We believe that it’s not by might, nor by power, but by your Spirit that you make a difference in our world. We choose to trust you today and to recognize the authority of who you are in our lives.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Wednesday Prayer Theme: God’s Provision
Dear God,You are Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides. We thank you that you own it all and hold everything in your hands. We thank you that you know our needs before we even ask. You’re aware of all that concerns us, and you have a plan and provision. You alone can move mountains to make a way for your children. We ask for your answer, in your timing, for every need that weighs our hearts down.
Forgive us for doubting you, for worrying, and for trying to work everything out on our own. Help us to trust you more. We choose to recognize and to believe that you are able to accomplish far more than we even thought possible.
We thank you in advance for your miracles, for paving out pathways, for your provision for those who love you – the church. Thank you for the abundance of blessing and goodness you have already stored up. Thank you for teaching us to be content in all circumstances. We love you Lord; we’re leaning on you.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Thursday Prayer Theme: Our Leaders
Dear God,We pray for every leader in our churches around the world – give them your wisdom and discernment as they lead. We pray that their hearts would be directed first to you, that they would recognize where their true help and strength come from. We ask that you would guard their coming and going, that you would be their refuge and their peace. We pray that you would surround each one with wise counsel, that they would be humble and kind, patient and loving through their actions and words. We pray that their faith in you would be unwavering.
We pray for their families – give them great strength, protection, and grace for the days ahead. We ask that you would continue to pave the way for strong, faithful men and women to serve your people. We ask you for the outpouring of your Spirit to raise up those you’ve chosen to lead.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Friday Prayer Theme: Our Minister
Dear God, I pray that my Minister would operate in wisdom when it comes to counseling and assisting your people. Give him wisdom the way you gave Solomon wisdom, so that he would know how to lead your people justly and rightly. Lord, surround him with relationships with people he can trust and can be accountable to. Surround him with people to encourage him in your way. Lord, we know that this is not an easy endeavor, so, grace him all the more to do the work of the ministry for which you have called him...
God, give him peace, strength, and let a refreshing fall over his heart so that he can continue to go forth in your power and might. Finally, Lord, give him clear direction and revelation about the direction for this church. Protect him from those who would desire to harm him and steer them off course. Give him sharp discernment. Flow prophetically through him Lord, so that your Holy Spirit would make manifest the glory of God in his life, in his relationships, and in the church that you are leading him to raise up.
In Jesus name, Amen.

Saturday Prayer Theme: Church finances
Dear God, I lift up our church finances. May we sow generously into our church without reluctance or compulsion. Make all grace abound so we have all we need for every good work You’ve assigned us. Make us rich in ways that result in generosity on our part so You will be praised. Keep reminding us of your promise to throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out blessing on all who bring the whole tithe into Your house.
In Jesus name, Amen.

Sunday Prayer Theme: Prayer
Our prayers should not be limited to miniscule, unimportant matters. It's like it's been said: If God answered all your prayers this week, would it just change you, or would it change the world around you?
Because our God is a big God, we should concern ourselves with the bigger picture. We serve a God who has said, "Listen! The LORD's arm is not too short to save, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call." (Isaiah 59:1)
Jesus taught saying, "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." (Matthew 17:20)
We serve a mountain moving God! A God who does impossible things on a regular basis. When is the last time you prayed for something as impossible as moving a mountain?

We should regularly pray prayers that are so audacious that only God could accomplish them.
What happens when we only pray small prayers? Does that require faith? Does that really require God to intervene?
On the other hand, audacious prayers could never be accomplished unless God did something only He could do. The Christian's prayer life should rest far more on the mountain moving side of the spectrum.
But here's the thing about audacious prayers:
• Audacious prayers are rarely answered instantaneously - they require wrestling and doing business with God over a long period of time.
• Audacious prayers retain the possibility of greater disappointment if God answers differently than you are asking. But they honor God nonetheless.