When I first joined my prayer group, I couldn’t wait to pray! But it wasn’t long before my enthusiasm turned to fear and doubt. As I listened to others pray, my mind was flooded with thoughts like, I could never pray like them, my prayers aren’t as powerful as theirs, I probably sound ridiculous to everyone.

My words felt inadequate, simple, and powerless. I spent more time worrying over the right words to say than actually praying! Eventually, I became too intimidated to pray.

But Scripture offered me insight into the beauty and purpose of prayer. Prayer is one of the means we use to connect to God. It helps us grow in our relationship with God. We pray to God because we love him and we love being in his presence. But we also pray because Scripture tells us that we should never stop praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Prayer is modeled throughout Scripture. Even Jesus prayed! Prayer should be an essential part of our lives. It is a gift from God meant to draw us close to him, not keep us away.

Today, if you feel intimidated by prayer, here are three truths from God’s Word:

• God doesn’t want perfect prayers; he wants honest prayers. If you’re trying to pray like someone else, don’t. God wants you to express yourself honestly to him. He doesn’t want you to try to be perfect or to imitate someone else. He just wants you to be you. God is listening to your heart. It doesn’t matter if you have the right words; sometimes you may not have any words, but God is still there waiting to connect heart to heart. “He is near to those who call to him, who call to him with sincerity.” – Psalm 145:18 (GNT)
• The Holy Spirit helps us pray. Sometimes, when we pray, we don’t know what to say. One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to help us pray. He gives us strength when we’re weak, wisdom when we lack direction, and grace for the heavy burdens we carry. The Holy Spirit transmits God’s desires to our heart, so we pray according to God’s will. If you don’t know what to say or what to pray about, ask the Holy Spirit to guide your prayer. “In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don’t know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words. All of our thoughts are known to God. He can understand what is in the mind of the Spirit as the Spirit prays for God’s people.” – Romans 8:26-27 (CEV)
• Jesus left us a model of prayer to follow. We aren’t the only ones who struggle with prayer; even the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. And Jesus does so by sharing with them the Lord’s Prayer. It includes praise to God and petition for God’s provision, pardon, and protection. The Lord’s Prayer “Our Father in heaven: May your holy name be honored; may your Kingdom come; may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need. Forgive us the wrongs we have done, as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us. Do not bring us to hard testing, but keep us safe from the Evil One.” – Matthew 6:9-13 (GNT)