Do you ever experience the feeling that your prayers go no higher than the ceiling? That you are not being heard, or maybe you feel like you are not using the right words.

When I feel like that, I usually stop praying. I feel like it’s a waste of time. I reason with myself saying if God isn’t going to hear, why do I keep talking?

But as Christians, our prayers never stop at the ceiling. They soar up to the throne of God. Because when we pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us.

The Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Romans 8:26-27 (NASB)

Someone once said, “Praying is the only human endeavor where trying to do it is doing it.” To try to pray is to pray!

Even when I don’t feel like I’m praying, I am. God hears me, no matter what I’m feeling. Praying is an act of obedience, the hearing of and answering of prayer is God’s job, not mine.

So, when I don’t feel like I’m praying, I remind myself that it is just a feeling and I can change that.

Through the isolation of the recent COVID flu, I encountered a deeper connection with God and the joy of communicating with Him as my Father.

Praying through Bible verses and passages is one of the techniques I used, which has prompted me to be more committed to my Bible study. 

I would encourage you, if you feel like your prayer time is lacking, to try this technique. It’s not new, by any means, but it is simple, effective—and enjoyable! I genuinely love it, so here it is:

Take any verse of the Bible. Literally, any verse or passage (you can even use Leviticus!)

1. Read it.
2. Pray it.

Recently, I did this with Matthew 6:

1. I read verse 9, “Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.” 
2. Then I prayed, “Heavenly Father, I thank You that You have adopted me into Your family and that I now belong to You. You have made me to be a co-heir with Christ Your Son and have given me the privilege to call you Abba Father.

Then I went to verse 10:

1. I read, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
2. I prayed, “Thank You for Your promised kingdom that Jesus brought to us when He was here on earth. I ask You to help me to be alert in doing Your will, following Your way, and obeying Your word as sincerely and completely as Jesus did the work You had given to Him while He was here. 

This is the framework. Two simple steps. 

Read it. Pray it.

In doing this, you can read and pray for as long as you desire, knowing that the Father hears every word you utter.

Let me know in the comments how this works for you.

Knowing How to Pray

-be blessed!