Teach Us To Pray
a prayer guide of sorts + worksheets to help you practice
What would make a huge difference in your life if you went to work on it?
For me, that answer was prayer.
I’ve compiled what I’ve learned + created a prayer guide. It’s a catch-all of sorts. I know there is prayer & faith & grace, & I know that when you feel like the whole of it isn’t working, it probably is.
Keep reading for 4 simple steps to get started.
…one of His disciples said unto Him, “Lord, teach us to pray”…
If you grew up attending church regularly like me, you most likely were taught how to pray using the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11) as a template.
Template. n. something that establishes or serves as a pattern.
Praise & Adoration
Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
THE HEART OF THIS PRAYER IS TO ADORE GOD ABOVE ANY PERSON, PLACE, OR THING. TO MAGNIFY HIM ABOVE EVERY WORRY & CIRCUMSTANCE.
Thank God for who he is. Tell him what he’s done for you. Pick an attribute or characteristic. Tell him you’re grateful.
ACTION STEP: There are 21 chapters in the book of John. Read a chapter a day & find an attribute of God you can thank Him for.
Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
THE HEART OF THIS PRAYER IS TO INVITE GOD’S WILL INTO OUR LIVES.
THE KINGDOM IS HIS. THE AGENDA IS HIS.
Pray about your DAILY NEEDS
Give us this day our daily bread.
Requests. Specific requests. The needs we have of our household, heart, & others around us. Here are a few topics to help you practice.
Daily strength — Responsibilities. The tasks of the day. Pull out your planner. Lord, here’s what I have going on.
Daily grace — Relationships.
Daily wisdom — Decisions. Ask for His guidance.
Daily favor — Surprises. Can you do something creative for me? I’m looking for you.
pray for your heart
& forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. & lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
THE HEART OF THIS PRAYER IS SURRENDER.
It’s returning to the Lord. It’s rededicating ourselves to be set apart & holy His. We can confess our sin. We can be reminded of his mercy.
It’s a practice that helps us keep a perspective that the extent to which we forgive others reveals the extent to which we understand our own forgiveness.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32) Holding on to unforgiveness isn’t just unhealthy, it’s disobedience & not worth the strain that it puts on our relationships with the Lord. — Valerie Woerner
ask all these things in the name of Jesus.
Acknowledge the finished work of Christ & the power that is in His name.
Onward we go. We move forward trusting the Lord & being wise at the same time. (Psalm 119)
a summary:
PRAISE + THANK: Glorify God for who He is & what He has done.
ADMIT: Confess to God where you have fallen short.
REQUEST: Ask God to forgive your sin & to meet your needs.
A kind reminder:
The way you will learn to pray is to pray.
Resources:
Our church went through a series called: THY KINGDOM COME last year (January 2021). In week 2, I got a refresher on how to pray.
I listened to a PODCAST that included a mini prayer guide.
Read this article. 5 WAYS TO PRAY MORE.
In researching the Old Testament, I read an article: HOW TO PRAY WHEN YOU'RE STRUGGLING TO UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE
This is my favorite PRAYER JOURNAL. Get one too, if you’d like!
Want more?