10 Tips For How To Pray

1 0 T I P S F O R
how topray Max Lucado
1 0 T I P S F O R
how to
pray
Max Lucado
11 0
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T II P
P S
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R how topray Max Lucado
HELLO, MY NAME IS MAX. I’M A RECOVERING PRAYER WIMP.

I DOZE OFF WHEN I PRAY. MY THOUGHTS ZIG, THEN ZAG, THEN
ZIG AGAIN. WHEN I PRAY, I THINK OF A THOUSAND THINGS
I NEED TO DO AND FORGET THE ONE THING I SET OUT TO DO:
pray
CAN YOU RELATE? IT’S NOT THAT WE DON’T PRAY AT ALL.
WE ALL PRAY SOME. ON TEARSTAINED PILLOWS WE PRAY.
IN GRAND LITURGIES WE PRAY. AT THE SIGHT OF
GEESE IN FLIGHT, WE PRAY. BUT WOULDN’T WE ALL

LIKE TO PRAY . . . MORE? BETTER? DEEPER? STRONGER?
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR SOME HELP IGNITING YOUR

PRAYER LIFE, I’VE PUT TOGETHER 10 TIPS FOR HOW TO PRAY.
THIS LIST IS NEITHER EXHAUSTIVE, NOR MEANT TO
BE CUMBERSOME. MY HOPE IS THAT THESE TIPS SIMPLY
SPARK YOUR HEARTFELT CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD.
AND ONE THING’S FOR SURE:
God will teach you how to pray.

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Start with
Prayer
When we invite God into our world, he walks in.
He brings a host of gifts: joy, patience, resilience. Anxieties
come, but they don’t stick. Fears surface and then depart.
“The Lord will hear your crying and he will comfort you.
When he hears you, he will help you” (Isa. 30:19 ncv).
We can do much after we pray. But we should do nothing
before we pray. Open the door and start with prayer.
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Fill Your Prayers

with Praise
Paul urges us to “rejoice in the Lord always!” (Phil. 4:4).
Not just on paydays, good days, or birthdays. But rejoice
in the Lord always. It’s one thing to rejoice in the Lord when
life is good, but when the odds are against you? It’s not easy,
but it is possible. Lay claim to the promise of God
in Colossians 1:17: “He is before all things, and in him
all things hold together” (niv). Rejoice in the sovereignty
of God. His throne is still occupied; his will is still perfect.

And God uses everything to accomplish his will!
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Pray Honest
Prayers
Don’t take pride in well-crafted prayers.
Don’t apologize for incoherent prayers. No games.
No cover-ups. Just be honest— honest to God.
Climb into his lap. Tell him everything that is on your heart.
Or tell him nothing at all. Just lift your heart to heaven.
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Pray Bold,
Faith—Filled
Prayers
Scripture says, “So let us come boldly to the very throne
of God and stay there to receive his mercy and to find grace
to help us in our time of need” (Heb. 4:16 tlb). Dare to pray
boldly with faith. The faith-filled prayer invites God
to be God, to be sovereign over every aspect of our lives.
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Confess
Your Sins
Tell Jesus what you did. Place your guilt on the back
of your Sin Bearer. Give it to Jesus with this request:
“Will you take this away?” Do this as often as needed.
One time, two times, ten times a day?
By all means! Hold nothing back. No sin is
too ancient or recent, too evil or insignificant.
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1 0 T I P S F O R
Pray Precise
Prayers
When the wedding ran low on wine, Mary wasn’t
content to say, “Help us, Jesus.” She was specific:
“They have no more wine” (John 2:3 niv). A specific prayer
is a serious prayer. If I say to you, “Do you mind if I come
by your house sometime?” you may not take me seriously.
But if I say, “Can I come over this Friday night? I really
need your advice.” Then you know my petition is sincere.

When we offer specific requests, God knows the same!
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Remind God of
His Promises
The Old Testament prophet Isaiah said,
“Put the Lord in remembrance of His promises,
keep not silence” (Isa. 62:6 ampc). God invites you—
yes, commands you—to remind him of his promises.
Find a promise that fits your problem, and
build your prayer around it! These prayers of faith
touch the heart of God and miracles are set in motion!
i
1 0 T I P S F O R
Pray for
Others
We have the opportunity to offer heartfelt prayers
for every person we see: the attendant at the grocery store,
the nurse in the doctor’s office. You don’t have
to tell them of your intercessory prayer. When we seek
to bless others through prayer, we are blessed.
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1 0 T I P S F O R
Let the
Holy Spirit
Pray for You
Romans 8:26–27 says, “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” (nlt). None of us pray as much as
we should, but all of us pray more than we think because

the Holy Spirit speaks for you and protects you.
He makes sure you are heard and makes sure you get home.
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1 0 T I P S F O R
Use Guided
Prayers
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray,
he gave them a prayer. Not a lecture on prayer.
Not the doctrine of prayer. He gave them
a quotable, repeatable, portable prayer. If you’re
wondering what words to pray, you can turn
to the prayers of others, as well as those found
in Scripture such as The Lord’s Prayer and the Psalms.
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1 0 T I P S F O R
SOURCES
Text adapted and excerpted from the following sources:
Lucado, Max and Andrea Lucado.

Pocket Prayers: 40 Simple Prayers that Bring Peace and Rest.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2014.
Lucado, Max.
Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World.
Lucado, Max.
Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer.
Lucado, Max.
Begin Again: Your Hope and Renewal Start Today.
Lucado, Max.
God Is With You Every Day.
Lucado, Max.
How Happiness Happens: Finding Lasting Joy
in a World of Comparison, Disappointment, and Unmet Expectations.
Lucado, Max with

Betsy St. Amant, Jennifer K. Hale, Andrea Lucado, and Mark Mynheir.
Start with Prayer: 250 Prayers for Hope and Strength.

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1 0 T I P S F O R

how topray Max Lucado

HELLO, MY NAME IS MAX. I’M A RECOVERING PRAYER WIMP.

I NEED TO DO AND FORGET THE ONE THING I SET OUT TO DO:

GEESE IN FLIGHT, WE PRAY. BUT WOULDN’T WE ALL

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR SOME HELP IGNITING YOUR

God will teach you how to pray.

He brings a host of gifts: joy, patience, resilience. Anxieties

When he hears you, he will help you” (Isa. 30:19 ncv).

We can do much after we pray. But we should do nothing

before we pray. Open the door and start with prayer.

Fill Your Prayers

Not just on paydays, good days, or birthdays. But rejoice

but it is possible. Lay claim to the promise of God

in Colossians 1:17: “He is before all things, and in him

all things hold together” (niv). Rejoice in the sovereignty

of God. His throne is still occupied; his will is still perfect.

Don’t apologize for incoherent prayers. No games.

No cover-ups. Just be honest— honest to God.

Or tell him nothing at all. Just lift your heart to heaven.

to help us in our time of need” (Heb. 4:16 tlb). Dare to pray

boldly with faith. The faith-filled prayer invites God

to be God, to be sovereign over every aspect of our lives.

of your Sin Bearer. Give it to Jesus with this request:

“Will you take this away?” Do this as often as needed.

One time, two times, ten times a day?

By all means! Hold nothing back. No sin is

too ancient or recent, too evil or insignificant.

content to say, “Help us, Jesus.” She was specific:

“They have no more wine” (John 2:3 niv). A specific prayer

is a serious prayer. If I say to you, “Do you mind if I come

by your house sometime?” you may not take me seriously.

But if I say, “Can I come over this Friday night? I really

need your advice.” Then you know my petition is sincere.

“Put the Lord in remembrance of His promises,

keep not silence” (Isa. 62:6 ampc). God invites you—

yes, commands you—to remind him of his promises.

Find a promise that fits your problem, and

build your prayer around it! These prayers of faith

touch the heart of God and miracles are set in motion!

for every person we see: the attendant at the grocery store,

the nurse in the doctor’s office. You don’t have

to tell them of your intercessory prayer. When we seek

to bless others through prayer, we are blessed.

with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony

with God’s own will” (nlt). None of us pray as much as

we should, but all of us pray more than we think because

he gave them a prayer. Not a lecture on prayer.

Not the doctrine of prayer. He gave them

a quotable, repeatable, portable prayer. If you’re

wondering what words to pray, you can turn

to the prayers of others, as well as those found

in Scripture such as The Lord’s Prayer and the Psalms.

Lucado, Max and Andrea Lucado.

Lucado, Max with

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