How to…

Pray

IN its simplest form, prayer is a conversation between you and God. It’s no different from a conversation between friends, or between a child and a parent. Prayer is not formulaic. It’s OK to use normal language. God can cope with anything we say to him. If you read the Book of Psalms in the Bible, those conversations with God are brutally honest. They talk about pain, suffering and challenges as well as the good things of life. Finding a space to be alone is a good way to start praying. Questions to begin with might be:

‘Dear God, are you real? Can you hear me?’ Some people like to talk to God out loud, while others pray in their heads. Some people find it helpful to write their prayers down or to paint them. However we pray, God will hear us. Personally, I find that if I’m praying silently, it’s harder to focus, because my mind wanders off. Speaking my prayers out loud helps me to stay present.

The biggest response to our prayers is God’s presence. We might want God to come in and lift us out of our situations, but often he parachutes in, saying: ‘I’m here with you.’

Be Still: A Simple Guide to Quiet Times by Brian Heasley is published by SPCK

Brian was speaking to Claire Brine

There are three answers that God tends to give when we pray. The first is ‘yes’, where what we ask for happens. The second is ‘no’ – our prayer isn’t answered how we’d like it to be. And the third is ‘wait’. Waiting isn’t always easy in our culture of immediacy, but prayer teaches us to persevere. Prayer is important to maintain our relationship with God. The only way we can sustain any kind of relationship is through communication, so for Christians to talk to God is crucial. Jesus prayed – and he was the Son of God! Prayer is laced throughout the Bible. Prayer also reminds us that we are not alone. We remember that there is a Creator behind creation. We pray because we know that God listens.