How should Christians pray?

What prayer is

Prayer is relationship more than technique. The Psalms — the Bible's prayer book — include praise, thanks, confession, complaint, grief and anger. That range is itself a lesson: you can bring anything to God. Paul's advice is to bring everything: "in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Philippians 4:6, KJV).

The Lord's Prayer as a pattern

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, he gave them a prayer that most Christians across every tradition still say daily (Matthew 6:9–13; Luke 11:2–4). It works both as words to say and as a shape for your own prayer:

1. "Our Father which art in heaven" — begin by remembering who you are speaking to.
2. "Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done" — put God's purposes first.
3. "Give us this day our daily bread" — ask plainly for what you need today.
4. "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" — receive forgiveness and pass it on.
5. "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" — ask for protection and strength.

Simple ways to start

• ACTS: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication — a popular evangelical pattern.
• Pray a psalm: read Psalm 23 or 121 slowly and make it your own.
• The Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me" — repeated quietly, central to Orthodox spirituality.
• Morning and evening: two minutes at the start and end of the day is more sustainable than an ambitious hour.
• When you have no words: Romans 8:26 promises the Spirit "maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered". Silence is prayer too.

Where traditions differ

All Christians pray to God the Father through Christ in the Spirit. Catholic and Orthodox Christians also ask the saints and the Virgin Mary to pray for them (intercession of the saints), and use set forms such as the Rosary or the Hours; most Protestants pray directly to God only, and many favour spontaneous prayer. Our guide Prayer across the Christian traditions covers this in depth.

In Scripture

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.Philippians 4:6–7 · KJV

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.Romans 8:26 · KJV

Where the traditions differ

Each position is attributed to the tradition that holds it; we do not rank them. See the full comparison.

Context