Three prayers to learn to speak to God simply, in daily life, in hardship and in gratitude, in the name of Jesus.
Pick a categoryTo pray is to speak to God as to a father, with simple words. No complicated formula is needed: Jesus himself taught his disciples a short prayer, the Lord's Prayer. These three prayers are models you can read aloud, adapt with your own words, then follow with a moment of silence to listen to God through his Word.
Father, thank you for this new day. Before I begin, I simply come to be with you. I give you my plans, my meetings, my tasks and the unexpected. Guide my steps, guard my thoughts and my words. Help me listen to you and recognize your voice in your Word. May my day please you, even in the small things. Forgive me my faults of yesterday, as I forgive those who have hurt me. I ask this in Jesus' name, with the help of your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Psalm 143:8
Lord, I come to you with what concerns me. You know my worries before I even name them, and yet you invite me to talk to you. I place in your hands my family, my work, my health, my hard decisions. I do not always know how to pray as I should, but I know that you hear me. Give me your peace, which guards my heart and my thoughts. Whatever your answer, help me trust you, for you are good and your will is perfect. May your will be done, not mine. In Jesus' name, amen.
Philippians 4:6-7
God of all grace, I thank you. Thank you for life, for today's bread, for the people who love me and for the forgiveness you offer me in Jesus Christ. Thank you for the prayers you have answered, and for those whose answer is still to come. I praise you because you are faithful, just and near. Teach me to live in gratitude in every circumstance, to keep my joy, and to pray without ceasing, hour after hour. May my whole life be a prayer that pleases you. Amen.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
« The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. »
James 5:16
I proclaim that my fervent prayer, offered in righteousness, avails much before God.
« And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. »
Matthew 21:22
I declare that whatever I ask in prayer, believing, I will receive, according to the promise of Jesus.
« Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. »
1 John 5:14
I proclaim confidence that when I ask anything according to God's will, he hears me, and I have what I have asked of him.
« Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. »
Jeremiah 33:3
I declare that I call on the Lord, and he answers me and shows me great and mighty things I do not yet know.
« Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. »
Matthew 7:7
I proclaim that I ask and it is given to me, I seek and I find, I knock and the door is opened to me, according to the word of Jesus.
Begin by speaking to God as to a father, without looking for fine phrases. You can follow a simple pattern: praise him, thank him, bring him your needs, ask forgiveness, then ask him to guide you. The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) is one example. A few sincere minutes are worth more than a long recited prayer.
Both are possible. Jesus invites us to pray in secret, in our room, away from the eyes of others (Matthew 6:6). God hears a silent prayer as well as one spoken aloud. Praying aloud can help you stay focused, and praying with others strengthens the faith of the whole Church.
God listens to every prayer, but he does not always answer as we expect. His answer may be yes, no or wait, because he sees further than we do. Jesus himself prayed that the Father's will be done (Luke 22:42). To pray is to trust his wisdom rather than to impose a result on him.