How to pray to God every day

You don't need special words. Prayer is talking to God as a child talks to a parent who loves them. Find a quiet place, read one short passage of scripture, tell God honestly what is on your heart, ask for what you need, and say amen. Ten minutes a day is enough to start. Below is a simple shape you can keep, a prayer you can pray right now, and short daily prayers for the days most of us actually have.

What Jesus said about how to pray

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them, he didn't hand them a technique. He pointed them to a Father who is already listening.

"But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." Matthew 6:6 (WEB)

"Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need before you ask him." Matthew 6:8 (WEB)

So prayer is not about saying enough, or saying it right. God already knows. We pray because we are loved, not to earn his attention. And when you don't know what to say, you are not on your own:

"In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don’t know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can’t be uttered." Romans 8:26 (WEB)

A simple 10-minute shape for every day

Most people who drift from prayer don't lack faith. They lack a shape that fits a real morning. This is the one our daily plan uses, and you can keep it with nothing but a Bible:

• Be still (1 minute). Sit down, put the phone face down, breathe slowly. Remember that God is already here before you say a word.
• Read (2 minutes). One short passage, two to eight verses. A psalm is a good place to begin. Read it slowly, twice if you can.
• Reflect (2 minutes). Ask what the passage says, then what it might mean for today. One honest question is enough.
• Pray (4 minutes). Three short movements: thank God for something in the passage, tell him honestly what is hard, then ask for today, for yourself and for others.
• Carry (1 minute). Pick one line to take with you. Say it again at a red light or while the kettle boils.

Even Jesus made room for this. "Early in the morning, while it was still dark, he rose up and went out, and departed into a deserted place, and prayed there." Mark 1:35 (WEB). Your deserted place might be the car in the driveway or the bathroom with the door shut. That counts.

The Lord's Prayer as a pattern

Jesus gave a prayer to pray word for word, and it also works as an outline. Pray each line, then pause and put your own words underneath it.

• "Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy." Start with who God is. Thank him for one thing he has shown you of himself.
• "Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Hand over your plans for the day. Ask for his way in your home, your work, your town.
• "Give us today our daily bread." Ask plainly for what you need today: patience, money for a bill, wisdom for a conversation.
• "Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors." Name what you did wrong and receive his forgiveness. Name who hurt you and begin to let it go.
• "Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." Ask for help where you know you are weak.

The lines are from Matthew 6:9 to 6:13 in the World English Bible.

Another shape: ACTS

Many churches teach four letters: Adoration (praise God for who he is), Confession (tell him where you fell short), Thanksgiving (thank him for what he has done), Supplication (ask, for yourself and others). It covers the same ground as the Lord's Prayer and is easy to remember on a busy day. Use whichever helps you actually pray.

A prayer you can pray right now

Daily prayers for women, for the days you actually have

Many of the people who pray with us are women juggling children, work, ageing parents and their own tiredness. Prayer doesn't need a different language for that. It needs honesty. Here are short prayers for real days. Pray one, or let it start you off in your own words.

• Before the kids wake up. Lord, before the noise starts, I want to start with you. Give me patience I don't have on my own, and let my children hear kindness in my voice today.
• On a heavy work day. Father, you know the list in front of me. Give me a clear head, help me do honest work, and help me stop when the day is done.
• When you're caring for a parent. God, it is hard to watch someone I love grow weak. Give me gentleness and strength, and be near to them in ways I can't be.
• When you feel unseen. Lord, you see in secret. Thank you that nothing I do for others today is invisible to you.
• When you're exhausted. Jesus, you said, "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 (WEB). I'm coming. Help me rest in you, even for a minute.
• For your marriage or closest friendship. Father, make me quick to listen and slow to keep score. Help us love each other as you have loved us.
• At night. God, I give you what I didn't finish and what I got wrong. "In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me live in safety." Psalm 4:8 (WEB).

When you miss a day (you will)

Everyone misses days. The pull to quit comes from feeling you've failed. You haven't. God doesn't keep a streak. Pick up today, with today's passage, not the ones you skipped. A plan where each day stands on its own makes this much easier, which is why ours is built that way.

A few things that help people keep going:

• Pray at the same time and place each day, tied to something you already do (coffee, the school run, lunch).
• Keep it short. Ten honest minutes beat an hour you never start.
• Follow a shape so you never run out of words. The ACTS prayer model (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication) is the one most churches teach.
• For a full plan to make it stick, read how to have a consistent prayer life.
• Write one line down. A prayer journal lets you look back and remember. See our prayer journal prompts.
• If worry is what keeps you up, start with our prayer for anxiety and worry.

Common questions

Do I have to pray out loud?

No. Out loud, in a whisper, silently or written down are all prayer. Some people find speaking keeps their mind from wandering.

What if my mind wanders?

Notice it and come back, without scolding yourself. Reading the passage again is an easy way back in.

Does God hear short prayers?

Yes. Jesus warned against thinking we'll be heard "for their much speaking" (Matthew 6:7, WEB). A short, honest prayer is still prayer.

Do I need to end with "in Jesus' name"?

Christians often do, because Jesus is the way we come to the Father. It isn't a password. It's a way of saying we come trusting him.

Sources

Scripture: World English Bible (public domain), eBible.org. Pages read for this guide: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, "How do I pray properly?"; Cru, "How to Pray: A Step-by-Step Introduction"; Desiring God, "Prayer for Beginners".