Scriptures: 

Matthew 6:5-13

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

10 your kingdom come,

your will be done,

    on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts,

    as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation,

    but deliver us from the evil one.’

Luke 18:9-14

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Jesus implies we should pray regularly - You can pray in your room, on your own or while you're on the move, going about your day. It doesn't have to be a big prayer that covers all bases, although when you get the chance it is good to slow down and spend time collecting your thoughts and presenting them to the Lord.

When we pray we should pray with relationship - The beginning of the prayer Jesus models for us He encourages us to address God as our heavenly Father. Jesus wants us to know that our relationship with God is at the heart of why we pray, and we should approach Him from this relationship, the one of a loving Father who cares for us and wants to be actively involved in our life.

We can pray asking for what we need - God cares about the needs in our life and it’s ok to ask for support. In fact Jesus encourages us to bring these needs and lay them before Him. This is to help us see the Lord as our provider, developing our ability to trust and rely on Him while also showing us that God does actually care about us, He sees our need and wants to help us all we need to do is come to Him. Our needs can look like: loneliness, fear, anxiety, problems in friendships or family, stress, shame, discouragement or help with changing negative patterns of behaviour. 

Words don’t matter but posture does - The last take away we get from the final scripture is that you can come as you are. God isn’t looking for a perfect person but He is looking for honest ones. Jesus encourages vulnerability in us because when we are honest with ourselves and before God it allows Him to meet us where we are at, show that He loves us regardless of our mess and enables Him to restore us. 

Who is Jesus to you? How do you relate with God through prayer? 

What is it you are needing God for? What area of your life do you need God to show up in or in the lives of those around you?

How are you needing God’s support? Is there something that you're needing God to develop you in?

What is the posture of your heart as you approach the Lord? Are you being your honest and true self or is there room for more vulnerability? 

Spend time now talking to your heavenly Father. When you pray, try starting with simple thanks. You don’t need fancy words—just be honest and personal. You can even do this in your head if you don’t feel comfortable saying it allowed. Here’s a way to think about it:

If you see others around you in need of prayer and you feel comfortable to pray for them, ask them if they want prayer. If they would like prayer, you can ask them if they feel okay with you placing a hand on their shoulder. In these moments you can ask God what to pray and listen to where He might be prompting you. If you are unsure what to pray, you can always pray a blessing and a prayer of encouragement over them. 

If you are needing wisdom, guidance or directions, pray that He will show you these things then seek them out. Open the word and read through the Proverbs, or stories from the Old Testament, read through Jesus teachings in the gospels or through the letters of the new testament. Choose one to read, let the Holy Spirit Guide you in this and then consider how you can incorporate these teachings into how you live, act and behave.

Don’t do it alone, talk about these things with your friends, ask them any questions you have and hear what they have to say. Doing life and faith with others is how we sharpen ourselves, we never grow out of needing this.