Grace Evangelical Society

P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202
  • About
    • Home
    • Beliefs
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
  • Resources
    • Grace in Focus Blog
    • Grace in Focus International Blogs
    • Grace in Focus Radio
    • Grace in Focus Magazine
    • Free eBooks
    • Journal of the GES
    • Book Reviews
    • Partners in Grace Newsletter
    • Audio Messages
    • Videos
    • Email Subscription
    • Bookstore
    • Online Tracts
  • Store
    • Main Page
    • On Sale
    • Return Policy
    • Your Cart
    • Your Account
  • Events
  • Connect
    • Contact Us
    • Free Grace Church and Bible Study Tracker
    • Free Grace Jobs
    • Ministry Links
  • Donate
    • One Time Donation
    • Monthly Donation
    • Your Account
  • Search
Home
→
Grace in Focus Articles
September 1, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Grace in Focus Articles

By Shawn Lazar

Do you know how to pray? Are you making progress in your prayer life? Do you find that your prayers have become repetitive, dry, and boring?

I find I need help to pray.

Do you?

Martin Luther’s barber once asked for advice on how to pray to God. So Luther wrote him a letter explaining his simple method. Taking my cue from Luther, let me share with you five elements of a simple way to pray.

First, read a Biblical prayer out loud. The Psalms are the Bible’s prayerbook. If you want to learn what a spiritually mature prayer looks like, read the Psalms. Or read the Lord’s Prayer. Faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Rom 10:17)—it doesn’t matter if you’re hearing your own voice, so read the prayer out loud.

Second, learn from it. As you read it, ask God to show you what He wants to teach you in each section of the prayer. If you pray, “Thy kingdom come,” what does that mean? What kingdom? When is it coming? What is it like? Ask God to teach you. And be proactive. Search out Bible teachers who can explain the Psalm or prayer to you.

Third, give thanks to God. For each truth revealed in the prayer or Psalm, especially if it relates to God’s character, give thanks. If you read, “The works of the Lord are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them” (Ps 111:2), then praise Him for all His works. Give thanks for creation, for life, and for loving relationships.

Fourth, confess your sins. When you pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10), you cannot help but think of all the times you failed to do God’s will. So confess your sins as you pray.

Fifth, improvise. As you read a prayer, let it inspire you. For example, as you pray out loud, “Lead us not into temptation…” (Matt 6:13) you might think of a particular temptation or trial you or someone you love is going through. Pray about that temptation. Let words or verses of a Biblical prayer inspire your own prayer to God.

If I were to add a sixth element it would be this: practice. Talk to your Father about anything and everything. A good way to pray better is to pray often.

____________________

Shawn Lazar is the Editor of Grace in Focus magazine. He is the pastor of Gateway Baptist’s Faith Fellowship in Denton, TX.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Shawn_L

by Shawn Lazar

Shawn Lazar (BTh, McGill; MA, VU Amsterdam) was the Editor of Grace in Focus magazine and Director of Publications for Grace Evangelical Society from May 2012 through June 2022. He and his wife Abby have three children. He has written several books including: Beyond Doubt: How to Be Sure of Your Salvation and Chosen to Serve: Why Divine Election Is to Service, Not to Eternal Life.

Cart

Recently Added

February 8, 2023

How Do We Explain Passages that Seem to Indicate Repentance Is Needed for the Acquiring of Eternal Salvation?

Welcome to Grace in Focus radio. Today, Bob Wilkin and Ken Yates are answering a question about repentance and what is necessary for Eternal Salvation....
February 8, 2023

Can I Dance and Still Be Saved?

Recently, I taught a Sunday school class at a Baptist church in the town of Aldama, Mexico. It’s about a four-hour drive south of El...
February 7, 2023

If You Throw Away or Abandon Your Faith, How Can You Still Be Saved?

Welcome to Grace in Focus radio. Today, Bob Wilkin and Ken Yates answer a question about “falling away from the faith.” What is the meaning...

Grace in Focus Radio

All Episodes

Listen to Stitcher

Listen on Spotify

Grace In Focus Magazine

Grace In Focus is sent to subscribers in the United States free of charge.

Subscribe for Free

The primary source of Grace Evangelical Society's funding is through charitable contributions. GES uses all contributions and proceeds from the sales of our resources to further the gospel of grace in the United States and abroad.

Donate

Bookstore Specials

  • Inerrancy for Dummies $7.95 $5.00
  • Here Walks My Enemy: The Story of Luis (Hardcover) $13.95 $5.00
  • Grace in Eclipse: A Study in Eternal Rewards (Second Edition) $15.00 $8.00
  • Grudem Against Grace: A Defense of Free Grace Theology $15.00 $10.00
  • The Journey of Faith $15.00 $9.00
Grace Evangelical Society

(940) 270-8827 / ges@faithalone.org

4851 S I-35E Suite 203, Corinth, TX 76210
P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube