I grew up in what I would call a “part-time Christian” home.  We went to church every Sunday until I was around four.  After that, we prayed, “Now I lay me down to sleep,” every night before bed, but only attended church on Easter Sunday.

My mother had a gigantic bible by her bed.  As a child, I would lay on my mother’s bed and thumb through her Bible, looking at the pictures and tracing the maps.

When I chose to go to church on my own as an adult, I realized that I had no clue how to really pray. I had so many questions and concerns about how to get started. I wondered if was I doing it right, if I had to say specific words, or if I should get down on my knees. It was awkward and I felt uncertain.

One day, a 15-year-old stood up in church and talked about a mission trip she had recently taken. I wondered why they asked her to speak until I heard her story. She had a relationship with God, but during that trip, she felt so alone. No one around her spoke her language. One day on a walk, she picked up her phone and started talking to God, as though she had His personal phone number. She spent hours and hours a day talking to Him on her cell phone as she walked to wherever she needed to go.  She explained that these regular phone call prayer times drew her closer to God.  She also found that she didn’t feel so alone anymore.

As I listened to her talk about her conversations with God, I realized that there is no hard and fast rule about how to pray.  First, I started out praying silently. Later, I started writing out my prayers in a journal. Now I pray out loud.

When I feel like the situation has hit rock bottom, I write a letter to God. There is something about putting pen to paper that gives me a sense of peace and freedom. It’s almost like the minute my pen hits the paper, despair goes away.

I recently went to a Singles Ministry at church where I met an amazing lady. She taught a class on creating a visual prayer board.  She handed out tri-fold display boards to all of us. She explained that we should begin by writing our prayers on post-it notes and putting them on the left side of the poster.  We should move the post-it notes to the middle section when we feel that our prayers were being worked on or are “in progress.”  Finally, when prayers have been answered, she said that we should move the post-it note to the right side of the poster board. This idea was so valuable to me!  For people who use this visual method to record their prayers, they can consistently pray for the same requests and see how God is responding in their life.

If you are reading this, and you find yourself to be lost like I was, confused and unsure about how to pray, just start somewhere!  You are not doing it wrong.  The more you talk to God, the easier it will get.  If you already pray but feel the need to change up your style, I hope this inspires you to find a method that satisfies your soul.

Whether you talk to God in whispers, tears, on a cell phone call, write your requests in a prayer journal  or on post-it notes on a display board, find a method that works for you.  God is always there to listen to you and read your written prayers.

Real People, Real Stories, Real God®