It is often helpful to use a guide to help us pray. Prayer guides can help us grow our prayer life, they can help bring focus when our minds want to wander. Here are a couple of prayer guides that you may find useful. I recommend switching up between a few different prayer guides and using pen and paper to jot down your prayer needs. Then when God answers a particular need, take time to thank Him for His blessings.
The Lord’s Prayer as a Prayer Guide:
Begin with prayer & thanksgiving
Matthew 6:9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Pray for God’s will & for opportunities for ministry
Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Pray for God to provide your needs, spiritual & physical
Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread,
Ask for forgiveness, and pray for others who have mistreated you
Matthew 6:12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Pray for spiritual growth and the power of the Spirit of God to lead us and deliver us
Matthew 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
The Five Finger Prayer:
Our thumb is the biggest finger and reminds us to begin by praising God. Our pointer finger reminds us that there are always things we need to ask God to forgive us for. Our middle finger is the tallest and reminds us to pray for our leaders. Leaders of our government, our jobs, our church, our family. The ring finger reminds us to pray for our family. Our little finger is the smallest and reminds us to pray for our needs last.
Downloadable Prayer Guide