Denny answers:
Praise and thank God, confess sin, and ask Him for His help.
Some people like to memorize and recite prayers. That is okay - if they really mean the words they say. In the Bible, Jesus says not to "babble on" repeating the same prayers again and again.
Praise and thank God for the good things He is doing. Be honest with Him, confessing sin, because He already knows everything about you. He loves hearing your prayers and wants to give you answers, even if they're not always the answers you expect. God speaks to you through His Word, the Bible. Make sure you read the Bible, so you can hear what He has to say!
Pray for the things you and other people need. For example, you might ask God to help you remember things you're learning in school or to help your friend's dad find a job. You might ask God to help you get along with your brother or to forgive a bully. You should ask God to keep you strong against doing sinful, wrong things. Pray for God's help to do the right things that help you become more like Jesus. Ask that God's plan happen - even if that plan isn't what you expect. Jesus always wanted God's plan or will to be done, even when God's will was that Jesus die. Jesus took the punishment for sinners by dying on the cross. You must trust Jesus in order to be made right with God. You can only pray to God through Jesus.
Bible Truth
- "[Jesus] kneeled down and prayed, 'Father, if you are willing, take away this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want'" (Luke 22:41b-42).
- "When you are praying, if you are angry with someone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins" (Mark 11:25, NCV).
- "And this is the boldness we have in God's presence: that if we ask God for anything that agrees with what he wants, he hears us. If we know he hears us every time we ask him, we know we have what we ask from him" (1 John 5:14-15, NCV).
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