How to Pray for beginners
The question I get the most is what my time with God looks like when I pray. I get it. I’ve often wondered what prayer time looks like for others, because I know there must be more. So, I’ve learned from my favorite people to create a prayer time that invites the presence of God and allows Him room to speak to me. This is my best guide to How to pray for beginners.
THE TIME AND PLACE TO PRAY
My pastor did a message on this once and it just stuck with me. The routine of a time and place makes prayer a habit and easy for me to do almost every day. I do have littles so not every day looks the same for me in prayer, but I show up MOST days. God cherishes those quick moments in the car or shower when I’ve missed my prayer window.
Commit to a time.
I do suggest first thing in the morning. There is something special about giving God the first of your day. When I choose to pray in the morning, I tend to see the whole day with a much bigger perspective, and I allow the Spirit to lead me. I’ve also notice that time in the presence of God makes the biggest impact on my anxiety and stress as the day goes on. Prayer reminds me to keep my eyes on Jesus.
If you can’t do the morning, I suggest before bed. It’s not in scripture but this was my season for a while and I felt like I slept better and woke up fresh and full of the Lord. A quick “Good morning Father!” and devotion in the car before work, was how I began my day instead.
Decide on a place.
I like to pray inside somewhere private, preferably where I’ll be interrupted the least. It’s distracting to wonder if I am being watched or soon to be interrupted. I want the presence of God and that takes disconnecting from distractions. I love my bedroom for this during the summer, but when the kids are in school, I just sit in the living room.
I also like to have a certain chair. It’s comfy and when I sit there, my mind and spirit know it’s time to meet with God. I have the best grey chair from Costco that lets me put my feet up and take up room.
PRAYER BASKET AND JOURNAL
You don’t need anything but the Holy Spirit for prayer, but over the years I’ve collected a basket of resources that are ready if I need. Mostly, I don’t want to have to leave my prayer spot to grab something if I can help it.
My prayer basket holds:
- My Bible
- Prayer Journal
- Pens and Highlighters
- Post-it notes
- Devotional book
- Prayer resources
Oh! Don’t forget a cozy blanket, candle, and worship music!
HOW TO PRAY for Beginner’s
So here is how I spend time with God. Remember that the goal is to want to spend time with God because you love him and want to know him more, not because religion obligates you to. God waits for us to meet with him. It’s his favorite.
Side Note: Not every season is the same and I don’t do all these every day. This is meant to be a template that you can use to figure out what your own time with God looks like.
If you are looking to just begin, start with this 15-minute prayer time my pastor shared with us years ago. It’s a good way to start and build a love of spending time with God.
- 5 min Worship
- 5 min Prayer
- 5 min Word
When you are ready for more, here is my personal prayer plan.
Lisa’s How to Pray Plan
- Thanksgiving & Praise: One thing I’m grateful for. Bonus points for a new thing.
- Devotion: Currently FIRST 5 devo.
- Bible Study: I like to read slow through one book at a time, but so many plans out there!
- Worship: I play a worship Song (Cece Winans and Jenn Johnson are my Fav right now).
- Surrender: Confess sins, forgive others, surrender my life.
- Prayer: God’s will and others first, then I have a focus for each day. ( I’ll share more next)
- Warfare: Armour and Spiritual warfare.
- Praise: For who he is and what he does.
Daily Prayer focus
Every day I pray for authority, my husband, and my kids. Every day. But after that, I have a prayer focus everyday so I can pour into each area more specifically. I will change up the order based on season, but I usually keep these 6 topics:
- Monday: Marriage
- Tuesday: Kids
- Wednesday: Relationships
- Thursday: My calling and myself
- Friday: Finances and the lost
- Saturday: Praise reports and testimonies
I didn’t invent this idea of praying with a plan, but it has changed how I pray for the good and keeps me focused on who and what I’m praying for.
I hope that was helpful. I know I’ve always been unsure of what prayer time could look like. Learning this discipline has walked me through some dark days and been there to encourage me on my best days.
Distractions and my phone, oh my!
Just as important of what to do is what not to do. I can’t tell you how many mornings I have the intention of meeting with God, only to get a text from Martha and then 25 minutes later I’m on Instagram watching dog videos. Don’t act like it’s just me. If I want a powerful and productive time in the presence of God, I have to let any and all distractions go- this is mainly my phone for me.
My devo is on my phone and sometimes my worship music, but I try to be mindful of silencing notifications and protecting that time I have with God.
Over the years I have grown to love my time in his presence. Prayer feels like an escape for me, so if I can, I spend 45m-1 hour a day. Most days I have a tight window and I know God honors whatever time I can make for Him.
This blog post is different than most, so I hoped you got a great take away! If you got something from this subscribe for printable and monthly newsletters. You can also comment below your favorite prayer time hack! I love learning what others do!
Until Next Time,
