One thing that can stop someone from praying to the Lord is that think they don’t know how to pray. After all, when we pray, who do we pray to? We pray to God, the Creator of everything. How, then, do we pray to the Creator of everything? Some people get nervous when they meet celebrities; how can they talk to God?

Jesus’ disciples asked him how to pray, and if you’re interested in his response, you can read about it here in Matthew 6:9-13. However, I won’t discuss it other than to say it’s one way to pray. It’s a model of prayer. However, prayer is a conversation with God, and God is a person. We were created in His image. Before I get any further into how to pray, let’s look at some people in the Bible and examine how they spoke to the Lord to determine what prayer looks like in action.

Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

Matthew 20:30 (NIV)

These two blind men saw the Lord and shouted their prayers to him. They did acknowledge him as Lord and the Son of David, but that acknowledgment didn’t change how they approached him. These men needed healing and didn’t mess around with formalities. What happened to them? Jesus healed them both, and they followed him.

“It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

Mark 9:22 (NIV)

This man went to Jesus for help, but he wasn’t there. Jesus was up on the mountain, so the disciples tried to help the man. When they failed, the man asked Jesus. Yet, he questioned whether or not Jesus could do anything. Note that when the man first spoke to Jesus in verse 17, he did call Jesus “Teacher” or “Master” as a sign of respect. What happened here? Jesus healed the man’s son.

A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

Matthew 15:22 (NIV)

This woman cried out, which is anything but calm and quiet, and asked Jesus to heal her daughter. At first, Jesus ignored her and then refused to heal her daughter. However, he healed her after she displayed faith that Jesus could and should heal her daughter. Note that this Gentile woman acknowledged who Jesus was.

A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Matthew 8:2 (NIV)

This leper humbly presented himself before Jesus and asked that he heal him. If it was Jesus’ will. What happened? Jesus healed the man.

“Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

Matthew 8:6 (NIV)

In this verse, a Roman Centurion (Gentile) asked Jesus to heal his servant. When Jesus got up to go to the man’s house to heal his servant, the Centurion told him that he didn’t have to go anywhere and that all he had to do was say the word, and his servant would be healed. The man acknowledged Jesus’ identity by calling him “Lord.” Furthermore, the Centurion also stated that he wasn’t worthy of Jesus for him to enter his home. What happened here? Jesus was amazed at the man’s great faith and healed his servant.

Here are five instances where people asked the Lord for help, and he helped them. These are only five occasions in the New Testament. There are more. Now, let’s consider King David and one of his prayers. However, instead of looking at one of David’s psalms, which might be a little formulaic, let’s zoom in on a “private” conversation or at least the beginning of one.

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:

“Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!

2 Samuel 7:18-19 (NIV)

Some Bibles indicate that this is the start of prayer, but not all of them. However, they all include this verse.

“Lord Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.”

2 Samuel 7:27 (NIV)

Therefore, if we didn’t realize that David was praying, we see it now because every Bible translation tells us he was praying. Consider why we might not have understood that David was praying. It’s because David approached God as a person and spoke to him as he would a person. Of course, David acknowledged God and his holiness while admitting his lowly position, but this was said in the conversation framework.

When we talk to God, he already knows what we will say and need. God knows us. Completely. There is nothing God doesn’t know about us. It’s essential to understand this concept. When we approach God, if we are Christians, we can do so with freedom and confidence because we know Jesus. Although we might not know what we will say before we talk to the Lord, we should say what’s on our hearts. Even if what’s on our hearts is messy and disgusting and doesn’t seem “right.”

When we go to God as Christians, God sees us through the shed blood of his Son, whom he sent to die for our sins and the world’s sins. God cannot look upon sin, so he looks at us through Jesus. We, on our own, are sinful, and our “best” words and intentions are still unholy to a God who is Holy. Still, God loves us.

When we talk to God in what we call “prayer,” we should still be respectful. God is God, after all. We wouldn’t go to any human and ask them for help or try and have a conversation with them and not be respectful. If we did, that conversation wouldn’t last very long. We should also be ourselves because, like I said, God already knows who we are.

Therefore, if you know how to converse, you know how to pray. Just remember to be respectful and be yourself.

If you don’t know God, then know that God knows you and loves you. God doesn’t want anyone to perish but for everyone to come to repentance so they can spend eternity with him. If you would like to know God and be saved from your sins, then pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation:

Lord Jesus, forgive me for all my sins. I sincerely repent from my ways. Wash me in your blood and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I believe you died on the cross and were buried, and God the Father raised you from the dead on the third day. Right now, Lord Jesus, I open the door to my heart and receive you into my heart as my Lord and personal Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment, and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.

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