A CONVERSATION BETWEEN FRIENDS
(Learning How to Pray Effectively)

By Karen Zizzo

Discover your spiritual self through prayer…if you are not sure how to pray, do not despair. Just talk with God or the Higher Power that you communicate with respectfully, but openly. Talk with Him as your Father. Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father who art in Heaven….”Recognize God as a loving Father. Recognize Jesus as a Friend and a Brother. Recognize the Holy Spirit as your Comforter and Guide. The words you choose to refer to the Higher Power are personal to you and your beliefs.

PREPRARATION FOR PRAYER

A good way to begin to pray is by centering. You need to turn your attention from the outside world and its distractions to your inner being, your point of contact with the Divine. Centering is a form of preparation for prayer rather than prayer itself.

We live in a noisy world and wherever you are there is unlikely to be complete silence. Just allow the sounds to surround you, accepting that they are outside of you and pose no threat to your intention of moving within. Then let the sounds go. Allow them to fade into the background. Try to become aware of your own presence before the Divine.

Prayer is not simply saying words. God is looking for a heartfelt relationship.

To pray is to enter into a relationship with the Divine and so we can never really say that we are praying alone. As soon as we speak, God is listening and moving toward a response. Prayer is a response to the one who is encouraging us to speak, leading us in the direction in which we are intended to go. What better guide can we have than the Divine itself?

APPROACHING PRAYER

It is recommended that you begin prayer with an act of reverence. Showing respect may take the form of an action such as lighting a candle, bowing our head, kneeling or closing our eyes. Do whatever it takes to clear your mind and relax your body before you start praying.

PRAYER INTRODUCTION

Demonstrate gratitude by first thanking God for your many blessings from Him and then ask Him to forgive anything you may have said or done not in accordance with the life you would like to live. We all know when we have been at fault regarding something.

Forgive all who have offended or hurt you, which are sometimes a hard thing to do, but necessary in order to really hear from God.

PRAYER REQUESTS – FOR SELF

Then place your personal intentions before God. Talk to him about how you plan to share the blessings you have in your life and tell him what you need from Him in order to help you live your life according to the purpose He has for you on earth. Thank Him and praise Him for His answer.

Spend time also asking for His Spirit to help you to pray. Talk to the Holy Spirit. Tell Him that you want to know Him. The Holy Spirit will guide you into all the truth (John 16:13) and He will teach you how to pray. Our whole being, including our minds, should be involved in praying.

PRAYER REQUESTS – FOR OTHERS

The issues that are important to the Lord may become clear as we wait upon God and begin to express ourselves to God, opening our hearts to Him. We have to ask Him, believe he hears and will respond to us regarding our request and then be willing and feel worthy to receive our request. If we doubt, we cannot expect to receive from God. (James 1:6, 7).

Have a purpose in prayer…know what you are going to talk about. It is difficult to pray fervently without knowing what you want or desire from God. (I personally asked for the healing of my son, when he was given 3 months to live, and I was very fervent about my request, but also knew that he was in the hands of God, and I would accept His will and needed His love and help, however things turned out.)

GENERAL CHAT WITH GOD

Jesus told us to ask, seek and knock (Matthew 7:7). In asking, we must be definite. In seeking, our goal is to know God and commune with Him. In knocking, (intercession) we must understand what the Lord wants to do and pray for that understanding.

Also, learning to listen to God is an important part of prayer. This may come as a knowing or feeling deep within you where you will be given answers, comfort and peace.

PRAYER OF CLOSING

End your conversation with an expression of thanks and affirmation, such as: “Thank you for our time together today” or “Your Will be done” or “I praise You and thank You Lord, Amen.”

Measure your love for God by your desire to spend time with Him in His presence. You might want to keep a Prayer journal to record your thoughts, images, feelings and ideas that occurred to you. You may begin to see a pattern in doing this exercise, and re-reading your prayer journal can also be a beginning point for your next conversation with God.

WORDS TO REFLECT UPON

Along your spiritual journey, no words can adequately express what you owe to the Divine, so always try to express your praise in acts of love and of care toward others and the world. A simple smile can make a huge difference in a person’s day. Telling someone that you will pray for them can leave them with a renewed feeling of hope. Keep to your word and Include them in your “conversations between friends”.

Let’s work towards making our lives more peaceful which in turn will generate more peace in the world. It is timely and what God wants us to do.

Copyright Karen Zizzo 2008. All rights reserved. Karen Zizzo is an Author, Inspirational Speaker and Life Coach. Karen delivers presentations and writes books to share her knowledge and personal experiences about how to face life’s challenges and obstacles with faith, hope and love. Karen can be reached at 1-800-538-5194 or karen@karenzizzo.com.