learning to pray

Helen Wordsworth's brief course on prayer

Prayer is …listening to God and talking to Him

You can do it at any time of day or night in any place, for a few seconds or for hours.

You can say things out loud, or keep silence.

You can sing it, shout it, dance it, mime it, breathe it.

You can do it alone, or with your partner, or with a group

We can all pray because Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour, made it possible for us to communicate with God through him. 

Here are some ideas to help: 

If you are on your own:

• There are many books of prayers that can be used. 
  
• And there are daily prayer books too.
  
• Use the prayer that Jesus taught in Matthew 6, 9-13.
  
• The psalms are prayers and you can use them as such. Pray through them for yourself, and others. 
  
• Or you can use a “mantra” a prayer that can be breathed at any time of day or night.
               Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour, have mercy on me. 
  
• www.rejesus.co.uk is a wonderful resource.  It gives prayers for each day on their Spirituality section…and for each part of each day too…morning noon and night.

When you first become a Christian it can be hard to pray out loud with others. But nobody minds how faltering you are, or how coherent. So long as you are sincere.

If you are with your partner:

I suggest that you read a few verses of Scripture aloud and then take it in turns to pray aloud for your family, for the world news, for your work commitments and for each other.


If you are meeting with others to pray:

You could suggest that you all bring with you a favourite verse of a song or hymn, or a psalm and read it in prayer.

You could each start off with a sentence like: “Father God I praise you for….”and fill in something that you are grateful to God for. 

In praying for forgiveness…..
God of mercy, forgive us for ………… name a wrong thought or action. 

In praying for the world
Loving God, raise up peacemakers and bring Your peace to……..(name a country)

In praying for those who have been bereaved
Lord Jesus Christ, bring Your comfort and peace to………. (name a person)

In praying for those who are ill……
Saviour of the World, we bring ……….to you . May he/she know your healing presence. Give him/her strength and courage for this day and hope in You for the future. Give wisdom to all who care for him/her.