Prayer Guide

For those that are new to prayer, it can be daunting and confusing. But the main point of prayer is spending time with God, and not so much whether you do it right or wrong.

Similar to how you would grow a friendship, or grow a plant, you need to spend time and nurture that relationship. It’s not about the length of time you spend, or how fancy your words are. Just be genuine and honest with God. Bring your whole self to Him. And it’s best done with just you and God alone. Yes alone.

Sometimes it can be really hard to quiet your mind, so before praying, taking a few (like 10) deep breaths can help. Or take a page out of any meditation techniques. Also if you’re like me and find it hard to keep a routine consistently for long periods of time (i.e. 6 months+), then give yourself permission to change up the routine for different seasons and not feel bad about it.

Below are a few methods of how to pray. Here I’ve summarized it as concisely as possible, and so that it is easy to understand, and apply for everyone.

ACTS

Adoration: Share how you adore God for who He is (i.e. He is good, compassionate, loving, caring, our Saviour, etc)
Confession: Acknowledge your sins (i.e. wrongdoing) or ways that you hurt God or others
Thanksgiving: Praise God for the things you are grateful for or that He has done
Supplication: Ask God for any prayer requests that you may have for yourself, your friends, and family

SOAP

Scripture: Read a verse or section of the Bible
Observation: What do you notice about this passage?
Application: How does this apply to your life or situation today? What do you think God is trying to say to you?
Prayer: Ask God for any prayer requests that you may have for yourself, your friends, and family

SOAP is a way to study the Bible or Scripture, which integrates prayer as well

PRAY

Praise: Give thanks for what God has done
Repent: Acknowledge your sins (i.e. wrongdoing) or ways that you hurt God or others
Ask: Tell God for any prayer requests that you may have for yourself, your friends, and family
Yield: Pause and listen for what God may be saying to you