If you’ve never prayed before and you’re not sure how to start, don’t worry. You don’t need special words or a religious building. Prayer is essentially talking to God. You can talk to Him just like you can talk to any other person. Here are some lessons from Jesus about prayer:
1. Prayer is not about being fancy
Matthew 6:5 “…when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others…”
Lots of people struggle to pray because they have seen others praying with an eloquence that they feel unable to match. Jesus’ warning to show-offs is also an encouragement to anyone who feels like their prayer is not fancy enough – it’s not about being fancy, it’s about being with God.
2. Learning to trust that God is good
Matthew 6:7 “…when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words…”
Matthew 6:9-10 “Pray then like this… Your kingdom come, your will be done…”
Prayer is not something we do to try to persuade or compel God to do our will. Instead, when we pray we are learning to align our will with His. Jesus taught us to trust that God’s will is good and that He can even turn our suffering into something amazing (like how Jesus’ crucifixion saves whoever believes in Him!)
3. We can ask God for help
Matthew 6:11-13 “Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Prayer is an opportunity to ask God for help – recognising that we need it! When we recognise we have so many needs, physical and spiritual, those needs become opportunities to exercise faith in God. We trust that He will give us help in our time of need.
4. We can approach God as our father
Matthew 6:9 “Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”
Christians have the incredible privilege of approaching the Almighty God as our Father. This is a wonderful gift that God gives to all those who believe in Jesus. God treats us as his family, as children that he will protect and love. Of course God hears all prayers, not just Christian’s prayers – he knows everything anyone could possibly say or ask for. He shows his generosity to everyone by giving us a beautiful world to live in. But Jesus’ followers are not just throwing out requests to an unknown God – we are approaching our Father who is perfect and incredible. We approach him with love and awe, using our prayers as an opportunity to praise him. You can enjoy this wonderful gift of prayer and relationship with God if you believe in Jesus.
