Lord, Teach Us to Pray

No, not the “Lord’s Prayer,” but the format for any good prayer—especially a spiritual warfare prayer. Here are a couple examples to help you in your personalized format.

May’s Awakening, Day 1

Lord God Almighty, shaper and ruler of all creatures, we pray that by your great mercy and by the token of the holy cross you will guide us to your will. Make our minds steadfast, strengthen us against temptation, and keep us from all unrighteousness. Shield us against our enemies, seen and unseen. Teach us to inwardly love you before all things with a clean mind and a clean body. For you are our Maker and Redeemer, our help and comfort, our trust and hope, for ever.

 —King Alfred 

O merciful God, fill our hearts, we pray, with the graces of your Holy Spirit; with love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control. O Lord, in confidence of your great mercy and goodness to all who truly repent and resolve to do better, I most humbly implore the grace and assistance of the Holy Spirit to enable me to become every day better.

Grant me the wisdom and understanding to know my duty, and the heart and will to do it.

Endue me, O Lord, with the true fear and love of you, and with a prudent zeal for your glory.

Increase in me the graces of charity and meekness, of truth and justice, of humility and patience, and a firmness of spirit to bear every condition with constancy of mind.

 —King William III

“This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6:9–13 NIV 

            One way to approach any prayer is to put it into a format similar to writing a letter. If you know the basic parts and order, it is easy to modify accordingly as you go, depending on the need and circumstances. There is no “right” formula or method, other than being sincere and from the heart, and spontaneity is wonderful, as well as being as specific as you can in your requests, or if you’re not sure about how to pray—praying for God’s good and perfect will is always perfect.

            Begin by respectfully addressing God the Father (your letter salutation), however suits you or the situation best—as God, Lord, or Heavenly Father. You may want to acknowledge and thank Him for who He is, what He’s done, and all He’s going to do. A bit of praise and worship is always a good thing. You may want to also address Jesus Christ as Savior and thank Him for His sacrifice on the Cross, His forgiveness of your every sin, and everlasting life with Him. Furthermore, you may want to address the Holy Spirit with submission of self and in deference in all things to His leading, guidance, and direction, and your obedience and willingness to follow.

            Next, in the body of your letter/prayer, bring forth each request and concern for others first and then for yourself.  Use names and as much information as the Spirit leads you to bring forth. Claim God’s Word and His promises and incorporate as much Scripture in your prayer as you can. Praying back to God, His Word, is always powerful and effective for every circumstance. If you are engaging in spiritual warfare, this would be a good place to put the enemy at bay. However, please note that sometimes in spiritual warfare if the oppression of evil is severe, you may want to actually make these statements first. Command, do not just say or ask, Satan and all the evil forces to cease and desist in all activity in your realm, cancel in the name of Jesus all influence and authority they may be wielding, and rebuke the enemy and command him and all evil influences with him to flee. You have the authority to do that by the authority of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit within you. Invite the Holy Spirit to have free reign and control and invoke the name of Jesus in His power and authority. Pray in the Spirit if you are able. Speak as a general in command of your army—spiritual warfare is just that—war, not wimpy, and lives are at stake.

            For your closing, a final blessing and thanksgiving and giving God all the glory with acknowledgement that He certainly will answer your prayer with His perfect will—in His holy and precious name, amen (so be it). Hopefully, this has been helpful as a basic guide, realizing that all parts will not always be needed and are easily modified accordingly, and remember, you should be in a constant conversation with God all throughout the day.