Luke 11:1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”
The first thing we must remember when we pray is that you have to be sincere and whole hearted. When we were kids, we were taught a special prayer that most kids knew: Now Lord lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I shall die before I wake. I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen.
As I got older I believed children were taught this prayer as a way to learn to converse with the Lord. My mother told us to add to it. So after we said what we memorized, we would then, ask the Lord to bless our Mother and Father and our siblings. If we knew someone was going through something, we would ask the Lord to bless them. When you grow up around people who believe in the Lord, you see them pray for people all the time. As a child, this is where your faith starts to grow. Praying becomes easier and easier, you pray not just for you but because you want the Lord to bless someone. The Lord loves when we love like him, removing yourself to care for someone else, is Love!
James 5:13-15 is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up.
There is not a certain time to pray. Prayer is powerful and you can pray whenever you want. In the morning, thank God for waking you up. Ask him to bless and direct you throughout the day. You can pray in the afternoon, at night, or when your mind is telling you to pray. There is not a certain style or certain words that you must say. All you have to do is speak from the heart. What is important to remember is that you must have Faith! Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” You must believe that the Lord will hear you prayer and answer your prayer. Be patient and wait on the Lord. Do not give a time frame for when this prayer is to be answered. If you do this, you will give room for you to doubt the Lord. It is also alright for you to pray for yourself, to encourage yourself and/or ask the Lord to bless you or help you get through something. Psalm 34:17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. Sometimes, you don’t have to say much because the Lord knows your heart. Psalm 55:17 Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.
Also, if you ever feel like someone betrayed you or did something that will cause harm to you, pray for them. The bible said one day we may need the Lord to forgive us, so in return we must forgive those who we feel has wronged us. Matthew 6:9-14 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 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. 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
May God continue to bless us all.
