Just Do It
Prayer really is one of those things that you learn by doing. When people ask me, "How do you pray, pastor?" I tell them, "I just do it." The truth is, the Bible contains many promises concerning prayer. For example:
"Evening, morning, and noon I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice." -Psalm 55:17
"In the day of my trouble I will call to you, and You will answer me." -Psalm 86:7
And while I could go on and on and even share personal experiences with you, the best thing I can tell you at this point is to just do it. Just talk to God! That's prayer. Just pray. As you go for it, I want to give you three simple thoughts.
First, set aside some time to pray. Of course dialogue between you and God is something that can and should take place through out your entire day, however I've found there's no better way to start my day and prioritize God than setting aside some specific time each day to meet with my Creator. My Heavenly Father. If you think about it, it's a staggering privilege we have! When we set aside time specifically to meet with God we're developing the ability to put God before everything else and to seek Him first before doing anything else.
Sometimes people say to me, "Aaron, I just can't find the time to pray. I'm too busy. I have too many responsibilities." If you read through the gospels in the New Testament you'll find that it's actually quite surprising the amount of time Jesus dedicated to prayer. He was never too busy to meet with His Father. In fact, as Jesus' life became more hectic and whenever He faced monumental decisions or tasks we find Him alone in prayer (See Luke 5:15-16).
Second, be conversational in your prayer. Sometimes we get upset because God does not respond to our requests in prayer immediately. Think about it though, if you only ever talked to your friends, spouse, children, parents, etc...when you needed something, how deep would that relationship be? If we're honest with ourselves, we'd admit that it wouldn't be that deep. God wants intimacy! Don't just ask God for things. Talk to God about everything! Tell Him how you feel whether positive or negative. Express your doubts and frustrations. Be silent for awhile. Listen. But be consistent in just doing it! Make requests, sure! But make an effort to know Him rather than to use Him as some cosmic genie.
Finally, do some personal study on prayer: As I mentioned earlier, the Bible has a lot to say about prayer. Below you'll find some great passages to get you started. But seriously, JUST DO IT! JUST PRAY!
Matthew 7:7-11; 18:19-20; John 16:24; Romans 8:26-27; Ephesians 6:10-20