How do you pray?

Question

I'm asking about you personally. Do you use a prayerbook? Do you make it up as you go? Do you have a checklist you that prepare? Do you pray with your kids (or if you are a kid--your parents)? How much time do you spend? Stand or get on the knees?

Thanks for all input. I like using prayerbooks but it's tough finding good Reformed Protestant prayerbooks so I'm sort of left babbling before God.

Answer 1

I usually just talk with God. I thank him for various things throughout the day. When I hear a siren I ask him to protect all involved. Whenever I look at photos of family members or think about them I ask him to protect and guide them. Sometimes I pray long prayers, but generally it’s very frequent brief prayers.

Answer 2

Chris, I'm a Baha'i, so I usually use a Baha'i prayer book. The prayers are so beautiful and they say what is in my heart. Sometimes they also ease my heart when it is troubled. I have some prayers memorized from using them so much. I don't usually make anything as formal as a checklist, but if I tell someone I will pray for them, I do. I usualy pray for my parents, my daughter, friends who are ailing, problems in my life -- just about anything. Sometimes I spend one minute, sometimes one hour -- depends on how much time I have. Sometimes I pray standing, sometimes sitting quietly, sometimes kneeling.

And if I don't have a prayerbook handy, it doesn't keep my from praying! The important thing is to pray. All the rest -- where, when, how long, which words, etc. -- is just windowdressing. What is important is in your heart.

Answer 3

Personally, I don't use a prayer book. (Never even heard of that.) I was taught to use the Lord's Prayer as an example -- you know, open with praise before addressing your needs. And I really try to be specific. My prayers are very personal, so I pray alone and silently, unless I'm in my car, where I can talk outloud and cry if I feel like it. Rarely kneel (bad knee). Honestly, unless I'm facing a serious problem, I only pray two to three times a day for never more than a minute or two per event. I am trying to up my time, having recently read: http://www.peterkreeft.com/topics/lesson-one.htm

I don't think God minds heartfelt babbling. I'm sure He's just glad to hear from us.

Answer 4

You pray from your heart. You don't need any prayer book of any kind - just pray from your heart. :D Here are some verses that may help you.

Phillipians 4:6 - Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

1 Thess. 5:17 - Pray without ceasing.

Proverbs 15:8 - The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

Answer 5

Babble on. God hears your heart, not your words. I do 'Popcorn prayers'. I pray immediately when something I think needs praying about comes into my head. They are neither long nor formal. It may be a quick prayer of thanksgiving or a cry for help or a question that is on my mind. Also I try to say a little prayer just before I nod off to sleep. As a matter of fact I just said a prayer for you as I was writing this. P.S. Try a used bookseller. If they don't have what you are looking for, they can order it through their network of other booksellers.

Answer 6

I personally don't like prayer books because I think they sound canned and I have a hard time bringing them down to personal level. I do pretty much make up my prayer as I go, but I feel bad when my mind wanders while I am praying. One thing that helps me is I journal as if I am writing a letter to God. That way my mind doesn't wander and I can stay focused. Also, it's a way to go back and remember and/or see answered prayers. I don't see anything wrong with "babbling before God," in fact, I think we should feel free to tell Him anything and everything. Like some might say, "He already knows it all; He wants to hear it from us."

Answer 7

To me, Prayer is not a textbook activity, prayer is when you open your Heart to God

I don't use prayerbooks, And I don't memorize anything or make any lists or stuff like that. When I pray, i just simply tell God in my heart what bothering me and if he can hold my hand while i'm in trial.

many people pray because they want stuff so they try to bargain with God and say stuff like "if you give me this, I will go to church everyday and devote 20% of my income towards offerings to the church....etc" but to me, that makes no sense at all, God is not a mearchant you bargain with! He is the creator, the lord, the Father! don't you think that God loves us so much that he would give you anything you wanted out of grace? your parents don't buy you clothes and feed you when you're a kid because you made a deal with them, they did it because they loved you, and think how much more God loves us.

many people also beg god to forgive them of their sins everyday, but I don't pray for that because the bible clearly states that jesus washed all our sins away and remembers them no more. why would you ask god to wash away the sin he already washed away?

I don't pray because I'm required to or because I want something, I pray when I'm alone in the shadows hoping that someone will comfort me and make peace alive once more. nobody taught me "HOW" to pray or what I have to say when i pray. positions don't matter, with or without others don't matter either, a prayer is when you want God, so you open up your heart to him and pray! A prayer means nothing if your just doing it all by textbook and don't put any heart into in. Nobody can force you or tell you to pray, because a prayer is what you have to say to God in your heart. and as long as you've used your heart, then God will hear you.

Anyway, stay cool and Peace out!

Answer 8

I don't use a prayerbook at all.
In my church, we pray following the instructions that Jesus Christ gave when he gave the example of the Lord's Prayer. That is, we take the Lord's Prayer as an example of how we should pray.

Jesus started out by addressing the Father. He then prayed about a number of issues. Jesus also instructed us to pray in His name.

Therefore, I start out by addressing the Father, sharing with Him what I'd like to share, and then closing "in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

God is our Father and he loves us. It's appropriate to share with him whatever is in our hearts. We can express thanks for the blessings that He's given us and also ask questions and ask for blessings for ourselves and others if we want to. You can think before you pray about the things you'd like to discuss and you could even make a checklist if you wanted to, but you can also think of new things while you pray, when you are inspired by the Holy Spirit. In fact, one of the things you can pray for is that you'll know what to pray for!

I usually address God using "thou" / "thee", etc. because this is the way we do it in my church. Historically these pronouns were only used for people that we had a very close relationship with, so I think it's appropriate for our close relationship with God.

Answer 9

Peace!
As far as I know all the prayer forms that you mentioned are great.
For myself, I pray the Our Father which is the most perfect prayer. I also pray spontaneously like you do. But the prayer form I like best is contemplative prayer. It is connecting your heart, mind and soul to the Lord. Some call it wordless prayer but you can also use a prayer word like love or help, etc. Jesus used this type of prayer when he went up to the mountains to pray and during that terrible agony in the garden.
God bless!

Answer 10

I pray, make up as I Go, I ask for all his righteousness, Holiness, direction, personal needs, wisdom, kinda routine but all over, I try three times a day, but I forget, but always at night, could be a long prayer to short prayer when I lay down. I forget to pray cuss I'm always talking to God and asking for stuff, and healing, so its like I'm praying all day long.