Prayer is a two-way conversation with God. We hear this so often that we can miss its simplicity. You listen (the best part)—and you know you are being listened to (also the best part). 

When you listen, you listen for the voice of a trusted friend and heavenly Father. When you speak, you speak freely, without fear of being misunderstood or shamed. You can’t get that anywhere else. Sometimes, other people, even people who love us dearly, can misunderstand us or leave us frustrated, but our faithful God knows us completely. Prayer brings us hope, making every prayer a prayer for strength. 

It can be tempting to sometimes treat prayer like a wishlist or another thing to check off your to-do list. But prayer is so much more than that - You can get to know God. Prayer is our opportunity to get to know the God who created us, sustains us, and loves us. And yet, when we come before God, we often present Him with a list of things we want—like a grocery list. Can you imagine if you did that to your spouse or a dear friend? What a downer! It wouldn’t feel very much like a conversation. When we talk to other trusted people in our life, we usually talk quite naturally, jumping from one topic to another, or we spend hours geeking out over the details of our favorite topic, reveling in the feeling of being understood and loved. 

That’s the kind of connection we can have with God. Sure, we can absolutely come to Him when we need something. But we don’t only pray then. Prayer is an ongoing conversation with God. A conversation that may not always change your circumstances, but that always changes you. 

Why is it so important that we talk to God daily? Or even at all? 

Not only do we get to develop our relationship and intimacy with God, but we also get to share our needs with Him. We need wisdom. We need guidance. We need comfort. We need connection to God and others. We need victory over sin. We need grace—grace to help in times of need. Good news! We are encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace—to pray boldly before God—“that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 NIV. 

Here are some other reasons why we should talk to God daily:

• Because you can! It’s pretty awesome to be able to regularly talk with the Creator of the universe.

• He promises that if we ask, we will receive, that if we seek, we will find, and that if we knock, the door will be opened to us (Matthew 7:7-8).

• He invites us to cast all our anxiety on Him (1 Peter 5:7).

• He invites us to turn our worries into prayers (Philippians 4:7).

• He invites us to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).

• He promises that we will find Him if we seek with all our hearts (Jeremiah 29:13).

• He sends His Spirit to pray through us when our words fail us (Romans 8:26-27).

We have a lot of good reasons to pray daily! 

Do you want to pray but just don’t know where to start? Does the thought of learning to pray out loud fill you with anxiety? Does even just thinking about it make your heart beat faster? You might think to yourself, I’m not very good at praying, I don’t know what to say, or my prayers are too short.

Can you relate?

Being uncomfortable praying—especially praying out loud—is really common. But did you know that praying out loud, in groups or even with a friend, can grow your faith? 

External declarations can change your internal dialogue. When we pray for things out loud, we change our internal dialogue and posture. Not to mention that praying in a community of people draws the Lord in and builds our faith. In the book of Matthew, Jesus told us there is power when we pray in groups, and there’s purpose when we make declarations out loud.

So where can you begin?

Start when you’re alone. This may seem awkward at first, so try it behind closed doors where no one is listening or when everyone else has left the house. You can even do this in the car.

Whether it’s your first time or you’re just in a prayer rut, it just takes a little practice. It gets easier and more comfortable the more you pray out loud.

Here are some cues to kick-start your prayer habit:

• 1. Use an outline for your prayer. One way to pray follows the ACTS model:

Adoration: Praise God for who He is.
Confession: Confess your sins and ask for His forgiveness.
Thanksgiving: Thank God for His protection and provision.
Supplication (an appeal to God): Make your requests known.

• 2. Read Scripture out loud.

David wrote many of the Psalms as prayers, so it’s a good place to start. Here are a few to look at: Psalm 5, Psalm 25, Psalm 30, Psalm 51, Psalm 63, Psalm 139 

• 3. Keep it short. 

We can get caught up in the length of our prayers and struggle to come up with words to fill the silence. There is no rule on how long your prayer should be. There is no benefit to babble. 

Let go of how you think you should pray and just pray like you.

• 4. Pray like you. 

God created you to communicate in a unique way. Don’t get caught up trying to say the “right” things, using “fancy” Christian terms, or praying like someone else. Prayer is meant to be a personal conversation with God—like you would have with friends, family, or a mentor. Let go of how you think you should pray and just pray like you.