[For me, this is the most difficult subject on which to speak. The ‘why is this’ is because my view about praying is probably not the typical. With that as a caution, the following is my what and how.]
To me, the beginning step is to discover my foundation, purpose regarding prayer. If I don’t start with my ‘first’ then I’m unsure of the stability of my belief and action. Therefore: first… I believe prayer is based in relationship. What is your relationship with the Lord? Is He ‘out there’, your ace in the hole when you have an emergency or crisis? Are you in the process of defining your relationship and you aren’t confident about it? WHO are you praying to? Is He not only Lord but also friend, someone you talk with as you go through your day? The nature of your relationship determines how/when/what your prayer life is. And the more your relationship grows… the more understanding you will have about prayer.
I also believe that your confidence that He listens, that you are heard, influences what you do and say regarding prayer. Do you believe that He will respond to everything you lift up? Equally important… do you believe He even cares? Or perhaps you’ll give Him the benefit of the doubt that He cares but that He can’t or won’t do anything about your concern? Those are not idle questions, they go to the core of HOW you come to prayer. Your attitude is crucial!
My advice is to discover your prayer style since there really are a number of options. I’m a ‘conversationalist’ which would make many people very uncomfortable since it is less formal and stylized. I’ve never believed that the Lord was interested in how we expressed our requests; but for others, this verges on disrespect. My ‘method’ doesn’t just bring prayer requests, though this is part and partial of the prayer time; I also talk about my day, what some of my plans are (short term as well as long), what I’ve discovered, what He would like to show/teach me in the day, etc. To be honest, I tend to converse with Him throughout the day though there is always the morning set time.
Prayer is a privilege. I noted in scripture how often Jesus went apart to talk with the Father. Goodness, if He felt the need, how much more did I also need to? It is a special time, a time for just the two of us to sit down and talk. Prayer is talking with the Lord – asking, seeking, knocking – but also listening to what I believe He is teaching me… and He is always showing me something new.
And yes, it is bringing the needs that I know to Him to ask Him to help (the person) find their way. It is reciting scripture that pertains to the issue that I am asking about. It is lifting up family, it is lifting up my upcoming decisions, it is life! There’s the prayer of agreement (Matthew 18:19), the need to come with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6), coming confidently (Hebrews 4:16) because we need, we want to be successful in praying (James 5:16). Prayer is about people and life… and it is about Him. Trying to bring honor and praise and worship to Him in the time. This only scratches the surface of prayer.
