Essentials for Students, 7-Days of Digging Deeper Into Your Faith

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This, then, is how you should pray:

Prayer is a wild concept.

Sometimes, we can get caught up in nervousness when public prayer comes up. If you’ve ever been asked to pray, are you the type that shakes your head “no” violently because you are terrified to pray out loud? Are you the type to jump in enthusiastically and start rambling on, sharing with God and everyone present all the crazy things happening in your life and maybe even in someone else’s life without their permission? Maybe you’re the one to just silently sit with the Lord and wait for Him to speak. Or maybe you are unsure of how to pray yourself. Maybe you are asking, “do I have to bow my head? Do I close my eyes? Do I put my hands together, or in the air? When do I get on my knees?”

All of these questions and worries are valid. We have seen and experienced a lot of different ideas and traditions on the concept of prayer, so clarity is certainly needed. If you believe in Jesus, you have a relationship with God by the Holy Spirit. And if you have a relationship with Him, then of course you and God talk to each other! So how can we do that?

Scripture tells us what prayer is, and it shows us how to pray.

At its core, prayer is the constant awareness of God. This means that we are aware of who He is and what He is able to do. We don’t have to do specific things to access God because He is always with us. Prayer is simply about focusing on Him and conversing with Him. We pray to acknowledge His constant availability, and we thank Him that he genuinely wants to move in our lives. We learn in the book of James that when we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. That means that when we quiet the distractions around us and make the most of our time with Him. He can and will exceed our expectations. He wants us to come to Him. Jesus died for our sin and rose again by the power and grace of God so that we might have a relationship with Him. He did it all so that we might be connected to Him again. So, of course, he wants to hear from you! And He desires for you to let your walls down and welcome Him. Prayer is an attitude of the heart that is in a posture of openness. We want to confess our brokenness, express our hurts, and share our deepest desires with Him. The beauty of it all is that we receive His forgiveness, healing, and gifts in our lives as a result.

So, we know what prayer is. The next question is: how do we pray?

Jesus gives us an example of prayer in the book of Matthew. While it does not have to be a word-for-word copy, He displays an order and outline for us when we pray.

1. We should remember we are His.
2. We acknowledge His name as holy, and He can do anything.
3. We align our hearts with His. We want to see His work done because it is perfect and for everyone’s good.
4. We resize our needs to His measurement. All things come from Him and all we are promised is today.
5. We recenter our gaze on the cross and forgive others. Remember that He first forgave us.
6. We follow God into eternity and away from the enemy.

Is there a perfect way to pray?

Yes. Are you ready for the formula? It’s a genuine heart and an undivided focus on Him. That’s it. All you have to do is simply look to Him and be with Him. He is always near, and He loves to be with you. So be with Him. You may be surprised at what happens!