Sometimes the problem isn't that we don't know enough about prayer — it's that we just don't do it. Here are four practical pointers that might actually help.
1. Get alone
"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen…" Matthew 6:6
When Jesus tells us to go into our room and shut the door, his main point isn't about avoiding distraction — it's about avoiding pride. Some religious people liked to pray in public so everyone could hear how "spiritual" they were. Jesus says: don't do that. Go somewhere private, where only your heavenly Father sees.
Prayer is meant to be real and relational. It's not a performance. It's communion with God when no one is watching. And when we're alone and cry out to God, we're doing so in the most intimate way possible — as children to a Father who already knows us.
2. Use a structure
Right after telling us to pray in private, Jesus gives us a model to follow:
"Our Father in heaven, your name be honoured as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." Matthew 6:9–13
This prayer is structured, thematic, expandable, and personal. It lifts our vision beyond ourselves to God's will, God's kingdom, and the needs of others. Sometimes, when I feel low or at a loss for words, I just pray this word for word — and hang on to the truth it teaches me.
A simpler pattern: T.S.P.
If you're looking for an easy way to pray, here's one I've found helpful — and have taught to kids and adults alike.
- T — Thank You. Start by thanking God for something — anything. Gratitude shifts our perspective.
- S — Sorry. Say sorry for the things you've done wrong. Confession isn't about beating ourselves up — it's about being honest and receiving forgiveness.
- P — Please. Ask God for what you need — for yourself and for others. Help, strength, healing, guidance — whatever's on your heart.
It's not a magic formula, but it gives shape to your prayers and helps you stay real and balanced.
3. Be real
One of the best tools for real, heartfelt prayer is the book of Psalms. David — shepherd, warrior, king, and poet — poured out his relationship with God in song and prayer in every season of life.
The Psalms teach us that prayer can be joyful or desperate, ordered or messy, poetic or blunt. They give us permission to feel, to be honest, to rejoice, to weep, and to worship — all in God's presence. Try praying through a psalm and letting its words guide your own.
Psalms worth starting with: 23, 51, 100, and 121.
4. Pray with others
While private prayer is vital, praying with others is also biblical — and powerful. In the book of Acts, believers prayed together in homes, in public, and as a gathered church. They prayed before decisions, during crises, and in worship.
Praying with others deepens our fellowship and unites us in purpose. It also helps us keep going when our own strength feels low.
In short
- Get alone with your heavenly Father
- Use Jesus' prayer — or T.S.P. — as a structure
- Pray the Psalms to be real and honest
- Pray with others to be strengthened and united