The spiritual life is sustained through constant communication with God and prayer is the means by which this communication is established. Prayer is indispensable! It is like the oxygen we breathe in to keep life going.

One will begin to feel empty and unfulfilled when prayerlessness begins to set in. It will be hard to live a victorious Christian life when one is not praying. The flesh will dominate, sin will set in and Satan will have a field day when a Christian is prayerless.

Many Christians struggle to pray and when they do, they are unsure if their prayers get to God. The disciples of Jesus had a similar experience of prayerlessness. They became so frustrated that they cried to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray!” Luke 11:1.

This struggle raises a very pertinent question, How do we pray? How can one pray effectively and consistently? The following are some tips for learning how to pray and pray efficiently.

• Trust the Holy Spirit. This is the most important factor in learning to pray and developing an effective prayer life. Prayer is spiritual and it would take the Holy Spirit for us to do it the right way. Most of the time, we try to impress God with sweet words instead of depending on the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:26 says, “Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” So, trust the Holy Spirit each time you kneel to pray.

• Use the Name of Jesus Christ. The name of Jesus Christ is the authentic signature recognized in heaven that makes our prayer acceptable before God. Jesus said, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” John 14:13-14.

• Give yourself to meditation in the word of God. Meditation, not just reading, the word of God has so many impacts on your prayer life. First, it shows you the will of God. This will prevent you from wasting your time asking God to do what is not in His will. In addition, the word of God adds fuel to your prayer. As you meditate in the word, you will begin to get prayer prompts that keep you praying. The more word you have absorbed during meditation, the more words you have to bring to God’s presence. Many believers find it difficult to stay in the prayer place because at some point they have nothing to say again. It will become different when you become a person who is given to meditation.

• Maintain a Specific Prayer time and Place if Possible. There is power in sticking to a specific place and time when it comes to prayer. It has a way of helping you stay consistent. You will be forced to keep your appointment with God if you have made a promise to meet Him regularly at a particular place and time. Jesus Christ had this lifestyle while He was on Earth. He often resorts to lonely places to pray Luke 5:16. One such place was Gethsemane where He was arrested.

• Keep a Prayer Journal/List: Keeping a prayer journal or a prayer list will go a long way in helping you maintain the discipline of praying. By keeping a prayer journal, you can easily find people and issues you need to pray about when none is coming to mind in the prayer place. Also, your prayer journal will help you remember and track the record of God’s faithfulness in answering your prayers.

Just like anything in life, if we commit daily to the discipline of prayer, we will soon overcome our inability to pray and also fulfil the commandment to pray without ceasing, 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

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