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Daily She Pursues

Daily She Pursues

Pursuing the One who first pursued me

Home | Spiritual Growth | Try This Surprisingly Easy Prayer Technique

Try This Surprisingly Easy Prayer Technique

February 1, 2020 | by Shanté Grossett O'Neal Spiritual Growth

I’m sure you know that prayer is important for our lives as Christians. But, let’s be real. It’s not always easy to pray and we don’t always want to do it. Prayer can be an even bigger challenge when we don’t know how to pray. In some circles, prayer seems almost like a Christian competition of who’s more holy, spiritual, and more connected to God. It can seem impossible when we hold ourselves to other people’s standards. Thankfully, that’s not what prayer is about. So, if it isn’t, then what is prayer? Why do we need it and how should we be praying? I’ll walk you through a few things I’ve learned that really changed everything for me.

What is prayer?

Prayer is simply talking with God. It can involve praise and adoration, thanksgiving, petition, repentance, and intercession. 

Why is it important to pray?

There are many good reasons to pray. Here are a few of them.

Direct line of communication

It’s important to pray because prayer is our direct line of communication with God. The Bible says that God hears us when we pray (1 John 5:14). In fact, he doesn’t just hear us he wants to hear from us. 

Think about it, would you call someone your friend if you don’t communicate with them? So, how can you call God a friend if you don’t communicate with him?

Aligns our hearts with God’s

Prayer aligns our heart with God’s heart. It helps us to desire his will. Our hearts need to be continuously renewed and transformed so that we become more like Jesus. If we’re not praying, our hearts can’t be renewed. 

Strengthens our faith

Prayer also strengthens our faith.  When we see our prayers answered, it strengthens our faith in who God is. Even if our prayers are not answered how we would like them to be, we still grow in our faith. 

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Teaches us to be persistent

Prayer teaches us about the power of persistence. Sometimes, we end up praying about one thing for weeks, months, and even years. We learn persistence and patience as we wait for God to answer our prayer. 

Is there a right way to pray?

Is there a right way to pray? Yes and no. I say no because there aren’t any rules and regulations for how your prayer should sound, where you should pray, or even how long you should be praying for. However, I would say yes because there is a way to pray that shows respect and brings honor to God. Ultimately, God is most concerned with our heart. 

Prayer can be a quick whisper or a long conversation. It depends on the circumstances. 

On the cross, Jesus cried out seven phrases before he died. Those phrases count as prayer even though they don’t follow the format we’re used to. They were quick prayers of agony and an honest expression of pain to God. Sometimes, we can only pray a quick prayer asking for help. Once again, God is concerned with the genuineness of our heart. If our heart is genuine, he hears us. (Ps 51:17) 

However, Jesus did teach us a method for prayer. It’s known as the Lord’s Prayer. 

What Jesus taught about prayer

Pray then like this:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Matthew 6:9-13

Jesus taught us to pray following the format of the Lord’s prayer. This does not mean we have to pray these exact words. They are simply a guideline for how we should pray. Following this guideline, I’ll breakdown helpful steps you can follow when praying. 

What are the steps for praying?

1. Adoration and praise

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 

First, praise God for who he is. If you’re not sure what to say, read through the Psalms. There are countless praises you can use in your prayer. You could even start off with a song. Many worship songs offer praise to God. Also be sure to express thanksgiving to God as well. As always, make sure that your heart is in it and that it doesn’t become a vain routine of going through the motions. 

2. Recognize God’s will and sovereignty

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 

Next, recognize God’s will. We’re humans and sometimes we tend to pray for what we want even if it goes against his will. Acknowledge God’s will so that as you pray for your needs and desires to be met, he guides your heart to pray for his will to be done instead of yours. Essentially, in this step you are surrendering and allowing God to confirm your heart to his. 

3. Express your needs and don’t forget to pray for others

Give us this day our daily bread

Now, you can ask for what you need. Be open before God since he already knows everything about you. There isn’t anything too big or too small for you to ask. The answer could be “yes,” or it might be “no” but you’ll never know unless you ask. Don’t forget to pray for others in this step too.

4. Repent and ask for forgiveness

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Repentance doesn’t just happen once, we should practice it all the time. No, it’s not because we fear some hidden sin that we’re going to be punished for. Instead, we repent because God is constantly convicting our hearts of truth. We repent in humility, acknowledging that there’s still growth that needs to be done in our hearts. There are still things that we’re clinging to that we need to turn from in order to embrace what God wants to do in our lives. Of course, if we have knowingly sinned, we can repent and ask forgiveness for what we have done. Finally, we should also forgive others. 

5. Ask God to keep you from temptation

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 

In this step, ask God to keep you from temptation and protect you from the plans of the enemy. We don’t keep ourselves from falling into traps by trying to do it all on our own. God is the one who keeps us from falling. If we want him to do that for us, we should ask. 

6. Close with praise and adoration

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

The English Standard Version does not include this last line of the Lord’s prayer but the King James Version does. I want to mention that it’s important to close out with praise and adoration. This step is the only one that’s repeated. Perhaps that could mean it’s the most important. So, while you should be doing all the other things I mentioned, let praise and adoration be your focus. Praise when you begin and praise when you close out. 

Why pray if God already knows everything about us?

This is a question that many people wrestle with. We wrestle with the idea of sovereignty and free will and how it relates to prayer. While I am not an expert on this, here’s what I can tell you. 

Even though God knows everything about us and everything that will happen in the future, he still wants to hear from us. It’s like a parent who knows what’s wrong with their child, but still wants him or her to trust them enough to share. When you tell God what you need or what’s going on in your life, you open yourself up to receiving comfort from him.

Next, even though God is sovereign, human beings still have free will to choose. God is not a dictator, he’s a Father. Throughout the Bible, we see God constantly giving human beings choices. In the garden, he gave Adam and Eve a choice of whether or not to obey or disobey. Then, he gave Abraham a choice to follow him or not. He gave Israel countless choices to repent or keep living in their sinful ways. Finally, he gives us a choice to accept him and be saved or reject him and inherit eternal damnation. 

We pray so that God’s will can be accomplished in our lives.

We pray so that God’s will can be accomplished in our lives. There are doors in our lives that cannot be opened unless we knock, things that we cannot receive unless we ask, and blessings we cannot find unless we seek. While God wants to give us these things, he won’t ever force us to have them if we aren’t willing to ask and receive. 

Finally, we all know that prayer changes things but have you considered that it also changes us? God won’t always answer prayers the way we want him to. Sometimes the answer will be no. But, each time we pray, we are transformed and we grow closer to God. 

What prayer is NOT

So, you know a little about what prayer is and why it’s important. I also wanted to share what prayer is not about.

  • A popularity contest
  • A way to gain attention
  • A way to force God’s hand
  • Vain Repetition
  • Meditation
  • Magic

Prayer is a genuine conversation with God. It’s not so that you can gain popularity among your church community and it’s not a way to gain attention or make yourself look better than everyone else. It’s not a way to force God’s hand to do something you want. You can’t do that. It’s not just repeating the same words over and over again. It’s not meditation. And it’s definitely not magic. God is not our personal genie. We serve him, not the other way around. 

Prayer is beautiful, it’s incredible, and it’s amazing. We need to be praying every single day. The Bible says “without ceasing.” That means that you can constantly whisper words of adoration, thanksgiving, intercession, repentance, and petition to God all throughout your day. He’s always listening and he’s never busy. He longs to hear from you. 

Creative ways to pray

  • Praying the scriptures – praying the scriptures is simply choosing a short passage of scripture, breaking it down, and praying for the things mentioned in the scripture over your life. 
  • Journaling your prayers – if you like to write, you can journal your prayers. Prayer journaling is great because you can look back on what you wrote and see how your prayers have been answered.
  • Praying with a group – you can pray with a group and assign each person a topic to pray for. 
  • Praying for others on the street – finally, you can whisper short prayers over people that you meet on the street, at work, or in other day to day encounters.


Prayer is essential for our lives as Christians. It’s not as hard as it seems if we have the right tools in place. It might feel awkward sometimes and you won’t always know what to say but keep praying. It has more to do with honesty and a genuine heart than it has to do with eloquent and fancy words. As you continue to pray, it’ll get easier. Don’t stop praying, no matter what. 

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February 1, 2020 · 5 Comments

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Comments

  1. Akiriat Brenda Monica says

    June 13, 2023 at 3:00 am

    Good morning, am Brenda from Uganda, this was so helpful to me for a personal growth in God’s kingdom. Thank you so much, may God bless you

    Reply
  2. Cindy Nguyen says

    July 22, 2023 at 4:51 pm

    God is so good. I honestly didn’t know if I was praying correctly and after reading this blog, it gave me reassurance God hears me, no matter what. Now I want to praise him more. Thank you for breaking down Jesus’s prayer and sharing details. I appreciate you!

    Reply
  3. Faith Phebe Uzoma says

    August 10, 2023 at 12:27 pm

    Thank you so much. It was really helpful

    Reply
  4. Kathy Fletcher says

    August 23, 2023 at 1:40 pm

    Thank you for this! I have been walking with the Lord by His grace for over 50 years but I am still learning about prayer! So thankful for His patience in teaching us and providing just what we need – just when we need it.😊

    Reply
    • Shanté Grossett O'Neal says

      August 27, 2023 at 5:39 pm

      You’re very welcome, Kathy!

      Reply

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Hi there! I’m Shanté, the founder of Daily She Pursues. I am passionate about teaching women how to pursue the heart of God by studying his word, spending time in prayer, and committing to a daily walk with the Lord! I am currently working on a Master’s Degree in Biblical Studies and some of my favorite things include tea, journaling, art museums, essential oils, and thrift shopping. Read More…

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by Shanté Grossett O’Neal | Christian Blog
This Thursday 9/14 at 8 AM EST, I have the opportu This Thursday 9/14 at 8 AM EST, I have the opportunity to speak with Liv Dooley (@candidliv), Christian Author, Bible Teacher, and Podcaster, about the Imprecatory Psalms. We're going to be diving into what they are and what Christians should know about praying these psalms. 

If you've ever wondered about these psalms, please join us on Instagram Live on Thursday. 

All you'll need to do is log into the app on Thursday at 8 AM and go to @dailyshepursues. There will be a notification that we are Live and you'll be able to click and join.

Looking forward to having this conversation with Liv!
Prayer is one of the ways in which we connect with Prayer is one of the ways in which we connect with and hear from God. Yet, approaching God in prayer can feel daunting. 

The good news is that Jesus taught us how to pray. 

Consider applying the Lord’s Prayer as you structure your prayer time. 

Swipe to see how! ➡️
Some thoughts on why we struggle to cultivate a re Some thoughts on why we struggle to cultivate a relationship with God, and God’s response to us when we do. ♥️

#christianblog #christianwomen #christianwriters #devotionalforwomen #christianwomencommunity #womenwholovejesus #womenoffaith #womenofGod #lampandlight #christiancommunity #biblestudy #shereadstruth #jesusfollower❤️ #dailydevotional #dailydevotionsforwomen #christianwriting #christianministries #christianministry #womensministries #womenintheology #readingthegospels #readingscripture #womenreadingscripture
Thomas often gets a bad rap in church history. He’s forever known as “doubting Thomas.” I find that humorous because Thomas did what most of us would have done in the situation. He wanted to see for himself that Jesus had truly resurrected from the grave.

Jesus was kind to Thomas. He paid a visit to the house Thomas and the other disciples were in, and he showed Thomas the scars in his hands and in his side. 

In John 20:27, Jesus says, “Stop doubting and believe.” 

I imagine that his voice was kind and tender. After showing Thomas the evidence, he invited him to believe.

Doubting doesn’t make you a bad Christian. Doubting is human, and like Thomas, God meets us in our doubt. He does not scoff at us or turn us away, he simply reminds us of the truth. 

Isn’t that such a beautiful thing?

—— 

On another note, I’m now offering copies of The 12 Week Jesus Bible Study via dailyshepursues.com. I just got 20 new copies this week, if you want one, they’re available at the link in my bio! 

#christianblog #christianwomen #christianwriters #devotionalforwomen #christianwomencommunity #womenwholovejesus #womenoffaith #womenofGod #lampandlight #christiancommunity #biblestudy #shereadstruth #jesusfollower❤️ #dailydevotional #dailydevotionsforwomen #christianwriting #christianministries #christianministry #womensministries #womenintheology #readingthegospels #readingscripture #womenreadingscripture
I’m still figuring out how to keep plants alive. I’m still figuring out how to keep plants alive. I love them but they don’t always love me. 😅

The other day, my mom advised me to prune away the dead and wilted flowers of my Kalanchoe plant. It had been doing okay for a while but lately, it began to not look so great. 

Of course, this reminded me of how God is with us as Christians. Pruning is an important part of our sanctification process. 

Jesus tells us that God prunes us so that we can bear more fruit. Ultimately, without pruning, our spiritual lives wither and eventually die. If this happens, how can we abide in Christ?

Pruning can be painful, but God doesn’t prune us to harm us — he does it for our growth. He loves us. And the pruning won’t last forever, this is only a season. 
 

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Some thoughts on unmet needs and desires because I Some thoughts on unmet needs and desires because I know what it feels like, and I know so many people are dealing with this right now. ♥️

Swipe to read.

P.S. — one of the weeks in my 12 week devotional is devoted to this topic so if you struggle in this area, I’d recommend checking it out. The link is in my bio. 

P.P.S — when I say unmet needs, I am referring to things that are really important and feel like ultimate needs. I believe that God does supply all of our needs (but not necessarily the things we feel are needs). 

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