How to Pray

Today I am going to share with you 5 ways that you can pray. If you want to know more about prayer, or why it is important and biblical references, you can check out this devotional about prayer!

Prayer is essentially communication with God. There isn't a right or a wrong way to pray; however, over time, I have learned some techniques that help me connect with God more than others. And that is what I am going to share with you!

The first way of prayer is probably the most common and the most simple. It is communication with God, either verbally or mentally. Just speaking to God and sharing what is on my heart at that time. You can do this at any time. You can talk to God when you are driving or when you are overwhelmed at work or school. For me, these are just casual conversations like I would have a friend. But the important thing is that I am in communication with God throughout my day. Although I do this the most often, it isn't always fruitful because my brain is usually going so fast that I easily distract myself and can't stay focused for long. So this type of prayer is important because it allows you to always be in communication, but if you struggle to focus as I do, maybe the next few techniques will help you better connect with God.

The second way to pray, journaling, is probably my favorite! I try to do this every night before I fall asleep. Sometimes I jot down a few things which takes 2 minutes, and other times I spend like an hour in prayer. I like journaling because having something to do with my hands helps me stay focused on what I'm doing. I pretty much jump back and forth between two different styles of journaling prayers.

The first type is letters. I write a letter to God. I start with Dear God, and I end with Love, your daughter. Everything in between touches on gratitude, it touches on areas where I am struggling or reflection on the day.

If I am exhausted, or don't have time to sit down and journal with God, I try to write down at least three things that I am thankful for, and then three specific requests from God, and then I'll speak through them. I like journaling because I can look back, and I see how God has answered my prayers.

The third way I have come to really enjoy praying is by reading written prayers. I especially enjoy this when I am facing something that feels too big for me, and I don't feel as though I have the right words for what I am trying to work through. For example, this week, I have been googling, "prayers for the oppressed, or prayers for injustice." People have been writing these prayers and publishing them for years! When the weight of something just feels too heavy to pray for, then you can easily google prayers to read aloud or read silently and offer them to God. A personal favorite written prayer is this book, 31 Prayers for My Future Husband. Reading these prayers has opened my eyes to areas that I didn't even think to pray—for example, praying for the relationships and friendships that he has now, that are shaping him for the future relationship with me, God willing. This book is just an example of a resource for written prayer.

The fourth way is listening to prayer. I love listening to others pray and I love being prayed over. Some great apps offer voiced prayer. One of my favorites is the Abide app. In this app, there are prayers or meditations which are categorized by different topics, length, and there are just a ton of really great options to listen to. You can even turn on Christian music and let the music guide you through prayer.

The fifth way to pray is by praying at a specific time of the day. At 11:50 every morning, I have an alarm that reminds me to pray over my brother, who works in the Medical field in Los Angeles. This reminder stops me from what I am doing, usually for like 15 seconds, and reminds me to pray over him. Through this reminder, I know that I am praying over it every day, and offering my concerns to God, and then no matter what happens, I get a notification to pray. This technique goes off of a prayer discipline called fixed-hour prayer, which is more relevant in some denominations than others. I don't pray at the top of every hour or have notifications that remind me to do so, but essentially this is a set time that I have committed to setting aside every day to pray.

These are five ways that I have found fruitful for me to pray and connect with God. Trying new things out is great, especially if you think you're in a place where prayer is just on your to-do list. Prayer should be fruitful, and with practice or trying different prayer techniques, you can grow in your prayer life!