Building a Prayer Life: A Guide for New Believers

Building a consistent prayer life can feel overwhelming at first, that I can agree and acknowledge firsthand. But it’s important. One of the most important habit you will build in your life. This is a conversation with The One in whom and through whom everything was created. Even me and you. Everything that is, was created by Him and He wants to hear from us. And how do we do that? Through prayer. “Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Why Building a Prayer Life Matters

Prayer strengthens your relationship with God

Prayer is a conversation; conversations allow for deeper intimacy with a person. Prayer is a conversation for deeper intimacy with God. “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.” James 4:8.

Prayer helps you align with God’s will and purpose

You will never know what God’s plan for your life is if you don’t get into that quiet place and be still with Him. God will tell you when you intentionally take time to sit and talk with Him. This is important not only for your life, but for the lives around you. “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Consistent prayer builds faith and trust in God

When you first meet someone, you aren’t going to be very trustful of them. You don’t know their character but as you keep having conversations, you learn their character, you enjoy their company, you can trust the advice they give, you know they will have your back. It’s the same when building a relationship with God. Consistency also draws God in, it shows Him the hunger and need for His presence in your life. He honors your commitment.

Practical Steps to Building a Prayer Life

Start Small and Be Consistent

• Begin with short, focused prayers if you’re new to prayer.
• Set aside a specific time each day for prayer. This can be in the morning, evening, or on your lunch breaks.

“Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God.” Daniel 6:10

Create a Prayer Space

• Find a quiet place where you can focus without distractions. This can be a closet, in your car, or even in the bathroom.
• I would recommend having your bible and a journal with you, worship music is also an option. This will give focus for your prayer if you don’t know what to pray about.

“When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:6.

Use a Prayer Guide or Structure

You can use prayer models such as:

• ACTS: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication
• PRAY: Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield

You can also use The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) as a starting point.

I have a post which breaks down how to pray using The Lord’s Prayer called The Power and Purpose of Prayer.

Incorporate Scripture into Prayer

There is power when praying scripture. God’s word stands. It has from the beginning, and it will long after this world passes away. This power doubles down on your prayer but also it reminds you of the God you serve and how powerful He is and how able He is to do exceedingly and abundantly more than you can ask, think, or imagine. This refers to Ephesians 3:20.

• Examples of praying using scripture:
  • Need comfort? Pray Psalm 23
  • Feeling anxious? Pray Philippians 4:6-7

Keep a Prayer Journal

I cannot recommend this enough. Use a prayer journal to write down your prayers. If you are like me, sometimes my brain gets a little scrambled when I try to talk with God. Writing my prayers down helps me to lay everything out.

Also use your journal to write down prayers that God has answered, and anything He has you reflecting on. This will encourage you when you feel a lull in your prayer life or when you are feeling discouraged.

“Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.” Habakkuk 2:2

Be Honest and Vulnerable with God

Be H.O.T. with God. Humble, Open, and Transparent. God cares about every single detail of your life. The big stuff but also the tiny, microscopic things. If I could emphasize one thing in this section, it would be this: God is not scared of your emotions. You can come to God with anything. There is not a single dumb question. There is not a single struggle He doesn’t want to hear about. God already knows about it all but He wants to hear about it from you. He wants His children to come to Him, “God, I’m angry at you and this is why”, “Dad, this is frustrating me and I feel like I’m drowning” , “Holy Spirit, I’m stuck between these two things. What do you think I should do?” He wants to have conversations with you and to grow closer with you. He is your Father and you are His precious child.

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7

Overcoming Common Challenges in Prayer

Distractions

As I spoke in the previous sections, try to eliminate distractions as much as possible.

• Turn off your notifications.
  • I have a “Spend Time with Jesus” focus on my phone and it turns off all notifications and allows emergency calls only.
• Write down any thoughts that are distracting you.
• Pray out loud

Feeling Unworthy or Unheard

“And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.” 1 John 5:14. I encourage you to stand on this promise. God hears your prayers, every single one of them.

Romans 8:26-27 encourages us, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.”

Maintaining Consistency

Practical tips to create a consistent habit of prayer:

• Set reminders throughout the day
• Find an accountability partner/s
• Start a prayer group

Rewards of a Consistent Prayer Life

• Deeper Intimacy with God is the biggest reward of building a consistent prayer life. Let me reiterate: This is one of the most important habit you are going to build, along with reading your Bible.
• Peace and clarity in your decision-making. God is called The Counselor for a reason. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.” Philippians 4:6-7.Putting this scripture into practice has helped me through some dark times in my journey and I pray it does the same for you.
• Testimonies of answered prayers. Being able to see the evidence of God’s faithfulness strengthens and grows your own faith.

Encouragement

I encourage you to start small but stay committed. Use the tips in this post to help you get started and stay focused. Prayer is about building a relationship with God, not perfection.

A Prayer for You

God, I thank You for this time together. I thank You for the gift of prayer because it is genuinely a gift from You to us. I pray that this post helps them to start and build the habit of getting in that secret place with You and getting to know You. I pray that You would reveal Yourself to them in a new way! I pray that talking with You becomes an everyday, all the time thing for them and that they would learn Your voice and be sensitive to when You speak. I pray against any schemes or tactics that tries to come between their time with You. I thank You for being faithful to us and being patient with us as we learn Your voice and Your character. Encourage us to keep going when we get weary. We thank You, We love You! In Jesus’ name, amen!

Are you ready to deepen your relationship with God through prayer? Start today by setting aside just 5 minutes to talk to Him.