Prayer is a powerful weapon that can cut through the enemy’s vilest plans. As believers, Jesus is our role model when it comes to praying heaven down to earth. The one thing that Jesus’ disciples asked him was to teach them “how to pray,” which means they saw him praying very often and attributed the success of his public ministry to those private prayers!
To help you get started, I have compiled a list of 25+ tips to pray like Jesus. I have broken down the Lord’s prayer(Matthew 6:9-13) into seven subsections with tips to nail each of them as you learn to pray like Jesus.
So, dive in and be blessed!
Our Father in Heaven, Holy Be Your Name…
1. Know whom you are meeting
The reverent, awe-inspiring fear of God is essential, especially when praying like Jesus. Prayer is you meeting the Creator, the most powerful being who is, was, and will ever be. He holds the winds in His hands, and the skies are His playground. He deserves all honor, glory, and praise, now and forever.
2. Know who you are!
But you are not meeting the Creator as a slave. He is your Abba, your Daddy God, and by the blood of Jesus, you have the right to stand boldly in His presence. Only when you remember whom you are meeting will you remember who you are- a child of God who isn’t pleading or begging for mercy but claiming what has been made yours in Christ.
3. Seek His presence, not His audience
Now that you have set aside time for Daddy God (because He is always close and ever available for His children), your role is to hear. Period. Many of us feel we need to tell God what’s up with our lives as if He’s been on vacation without the slightest clue of what we’ve been up to. Well, spoiler alert! He knows the very last thought on your mind even before you thought it. He knows what you have been through, and He’s glad you came to Him (at last!)
4. Surrender it all with raised hands!
I never knew the concept of praying with raised hands until I went to Bible School. For the first two decades of my life, I saw others (and did the same myself) praying with folded hands. The gesture confused me then cause my brain couldn’t process the apparent irrationality of being a child of God yet praying with folded hands as if begging our Father to do something.
With all due respect to others praying with folded hands, I was delighted when our leaders at Bible school asked us to raise our hands in worship! It was so uplifting and comforting as I released myself into the powerful arms of Daddy God with nothing to hold back! And we were not the first ones to do it!
Exodus 17 narrates the story of Israelites battling with the Amalekites. Moses lifted up his hands throughout the battle, knowing that only Jehohav Nissi (God is our banner) could give them victory. His raised hands were a sign of complete surrender, and every time we lift up our hands in prayer, we proclaim His authority and complete control over our lives.
5. Don’t sweat it!
The beauty of praying like Jesus is that there are no set formulas to getting the desired results. You bask in the presence of God, open your heart to Him, and walk out refreshed and renewed like never before. While you wait on Him, He renews your youth like that of an eagle and increases your strength. There’s no labor except the labor of entering into His rest.
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done on Earth as in Heaven
6. Base your prayers on His word
His word is His will and His promise for your life. It is like the deed of inheritance that spells out every small and mighty blessing you are entitled to as a child of God. So, whether you are praying for finances, healing or strength, base your prayers on what He says about your situation in His word, the Bible.
Question: Do I need to memorize the Bible word for word?
Yes and no! The Bible is “God-breathed”; every word is inspired by the Holy Spirit. In the old testament, God asked the Israelites to meditate on His word day and night, to place them right before their eyes (Joshua 1:8). And the people followed it religiously, for as God said, their success depended on it. Things are different when it comes to Jesus because the Helper that Jesus promised His disciples brings everything to their memory (John 14:26).
We, the new creation in Christ, have this Helper living inside us. The Holy Spirit makes the scriptures alive. He reminds us of what we have already read the moment we need it. I have experienced this countless times. On the days of my greatest despair, when I didn’t even have the strength nor willingness to open my Bible and read through, my inner witness would lean on His Spirit and remind me of bible verses I may have read months ago!
7. Seek His will above all
Even in His final hours, Jesus sought the Father’s will above all. If you want to pray like Jesus, note this down- you are there to seek His will and not impose your own. Prayer doesn’t change God’s mind; it aligns your mind to His plans for your life. There will be times when you won’t understand why He is letting things act out a certain way. Trust in Him with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, and He will make your paths straight! (Proverbs 3:5)
8. Pray with boldness
The knowledge of His identity and His Father’s will made Jesus a powerful prayer-er. He knew who He was- the son of God, and He knew His Father’s will- even on the cross. Jesus prayed with complete faith in His Father’s ability to bring to completion what He has already promised.
- Knowing the scriptures helps you pray His promises over your life.
- Knowing your identity as a child of God gives you the boldness and faith to pray mountain-moving prayers.
- Knowing His will ( as seen in His word and by your witness) prepares you to receive the results with grace.
Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
9. Pray for that moment, that hour, that day!
You don’t have to hold hour-long committee meetings with God. Most of us think we need to come up with a five-page list of ‘to-be done’ and ‘to-be received’. Instead, your prayer can be something as simple as: “Abba, give me wisdom for this assignment,” “Teach me how to answer this person with love,” “Surround me with the right company,” “Lead me to the right place at the right time.”
Remember, you are talking to your Father, who yearns for your company, and simple ‘now and here’ prayers are a great way of acknowledging His sovereignty in your life.
10. Draw from Him again and again
Can you survive on a day’s bread for the entire month? No! Neither can you stay strong in His word with yesterday’s prayer. Prayer is not a habit; it’s a lifestyle, and there is no such thing as a non-praying Christian.
Hours before sunrise, Jesus would seek a solitary place to rendezvous with Abba, knowing that He needed His Father to stand the madness of the day (Mark 1:35).
With multitudes of people pouring in from all sides of Galilee, how could the Savior feed the hungry without being filled Himself? When you pray like Jesus, drawing from Abba, again and again, you multiply bread and fishes, feeding and blessing all around you.
11. See the unlimited in the limited, the extra in the ordinary
We often look at the natural and base our expectations on what is tangible and easily perceivable. The key to your breakthrough lies in seeing beyond what meets the eyes and knowing for sure that He who created the universe is capable of providing for your needs, no matter how ridiculously impossible they may seem at the moment.
Testimony: My dad went through several financial setbacks throughout my college. My savings account never had more than 1000 bucks left each month after all the expenses had been paid off. What’s more, I was attending college and preparing for Chartered Accountancy simultaneously, so I couldn’t get a part-time job. And yet, God provided for my needs.
I wasn’t even a believer at that time, just a namesake Christian, yet when I prayed and based my prayers on His promises, He took care of me. Perhaps it wasn’t my prayers being answered, but rather of my parents- all I know is that “Nothing is impossible if you believe.”(Matthew 17:19-20)
12. Keep it simple
Jesus was a no-pomp man for the greater part of His life. The first 30 years of an anonymous living had laid the foundation of strong prayer life, a consistent seeking of God’s presence that lacked the flash and noise of other religious leaders and teachers. His instructions were simple: “ Go to your room, shut the door, pray to your father..do not use vain repetitions…For your Father knows the things, you have need of before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6:6-8)
But if the Father already knows what we need, why should we pray? As pointed out earlier, prayer is you communing with your heavenly Father, acknowledging His complete control over your life, and standing in faith over His promises. The work has already been finished; through prayer, you claim His finished work and enter into His rest.
Forgive Us Our Sins, as We Forgive Those Who Sin Against Us
13. Let go of bitterness
A lot is lost when we stay bitter and resentful towards others for their intentional or unintentional wrongdoings. Forgiveness is a virtue too difficult to learn and embrace. Yet the Holy Spirit empowers us to love others (Romans 5:5) and let go of grievances that may otherwise hinder the anointing over our lives.
14. Bless your enemies, pray for them
When facing opposition, you must remember who you are actually wrestling against. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)
The enemy can even use those closest to you to distract you from your God-given destiny. But the thing is, even if they make life hell for you, the word of God requires “ to bless those who curse you”(Luke 6:28).
Is that even humanly possible? No, but with the Spirit of God, yes! I know that it’s easier said than done, for even I myself struggle with resentment and forgiveness- yet I know that little by little, God is changing me into the image of His son Jesus Christ. And even though I may not be the most forgiving human on earth right now, I will be there one day, by the grace of God and the death-defeating resurrection power of Jesus Christ.
Just trust the process instead of condemning yourself for every hateful thought, and little by little, you will find yourself being molded into the very image of Christ.
15. Know that you are His righteousness
Condemnation is the number one weapon that the enemy uses to push us away from our inheritance in Christ. How can someone dirty, self-indulgent, a storehouse of evil habits and tendencies be part of the body of Christ?
The truth is all our righteous acts are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) and not even one of us is worthy of the kingdom of God in our own human strength. All of us have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
The good news is there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1). He has imparted His own righteousness to you and me, and we no longer boast of our goodness but are clothed in the robe of His righteousness (Isaiah 61:10), which no sin can taint.
16. Acknowledge that His blood has made you clean
The blood of the lamb speaks better things over you and me. Jesus is the mediator of a new and eternal covenant sealed in His blood that imparts unimpeachable righteousness and promises eternal life and inheritance to all who believe in Him and accept Him as the Savior. Acknowledge what the blood of Jesus has done for you, and you will see your situation take a 360-turn.
Do Not Bring Us to the Test, but Deliver Us from the Evil One
17. Pray for endurance
Before you even pray about your situation, you need to pray for endurance. Consider this situation: You have been praying for healing for months on end, with no respite. Does that mean you are not healed? or that your prayers are in vain? Pastor Steven Furtick, Elevation Church, once said, “the resistance is always fiercest on the borderline of breakthrough.”
What if you are just minutes away from your miracle? Will you still give up?
18. Be spirit-led, not flesh-driven
It’s common to let our rational mind take our while praying, refusing to listen to what God has to say about your circumstances. Being spirit-led saves you from many unwanted battles with an unrenewed mind, which can do no good to none.
Your flesh may be screaming at God for quick results, and yet His time and purpose will prevail. Being in His will and aligning your spirit with His will make your paths straight as you trust Him to lead you through the deepest valleys, and besides still, refreshing waters of grace (Psalm 23: 2-4).
19. Discern and stand against evil, rooted in His word
Like an old dog with no new tricks, Satan implements the same strateges over and over again, personalized to our unique desires and peeves, all aimed at earning our disobedience to God. “ Did God really say….”is how he always begins his trap of catching the unawares (Genesis 3:1). Soon, you will be having a full-blown conversation with Satan, drifted miles away from the will of God.
But the good news is, he knows new tricks (2 Corinthians 2:11) and every time he tries to steal, kill or destroy- the Holy Spirit that dwells in you will remind you of God’s word over his lies.The sheep listen to the shepherd’s voice, a stranger’s voice they will not follow (John 10:4-5).
The more time you spend in the presence of the shepherd, the more familiar you become with His voice and His words, thus being able to discern and stand against the evil one.
For Yours Is the Kingdom, the Power, and Glory, Forever and Ever…
20. Be expectant before and after prayer
The key to praying effective prayers is to hold on long after you have prayed for your situation or that of others. At times, your desired results may take ages to manifest. In some cases, it may even get worse, but your part is to stay strong in faith and remember that God will make all things work together out for your good, for He loves you! ( Romans 8:28)
21. Be grateful for what is yet to come
As cliché as it may seem, yesterday’s prayers need today’s praise. We do not wait for the answers to manifest before giving thanks. I learned this lesson from a dear friend when we were on a 21-day prayer and fasting plan and were praying for specific situations every day.
On day 4, I prayed for a full-time job and repeated the same on day 5. My friend gently reminded me that once we have made a specific prayer request, we hold on to it and thank God for the results, even when we can’t see it.
Why? Because Faith is the evidence of things hoped for, the substance of those not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
It’s your faith that’s moving the spiritual realm and bringing into existence things that didn’t exist. When you keep making the same prayer request, again and again, it’s a sign that you didn’t have the faith to pull through in the first place, and such a person should expect to get nothing!(James 1:7-8)
22. Claim your inheritance in Christ
As a child of God, you are a joint heir with Christ, sharing in His sufferings and glory alike! Many interpret this as a life of lack, extreme poverty, sickness and hopelessness, equating their fate to that of Christ on the cross.
What one fails to understand is that the cross of Christ is a finished work. “Tetelestai” (It is finished) is what the Savior called out as He gave up His Spirit on the cross (John 19:30).
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes, we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5)
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)
Know what Christ has done for you to claim what is rightfully yours. He came to give us abundant life; it’s our turn to receive it.
23. Be seated with Him and reign in life
The Christian life is a life of exceeding joy and unshakeable peace, rooted and rested on the word of God. There will be troubles, but that we have received from Jesus, a peace that surpasses all knowledge and understanding is what guards our hearts and minds, no matter what comes our way (Philippians 4:7).
We who believe in Jesus are already seated with Him in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), far above all powers and principalities that lie defeated under the foot of our Savior (Ephesians 1:22). Christ has done it all!
Amen! (So Be It)
For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. (2 Corinthians 1:20)
24. Count on His faithfulness
Jesus is faithful, even when we are not (2 Timothy 2:13). Delays are never denials, and even if it takes 4 days to raise Lazarus (John 11:17), Jesus will do it. He is a faithful friend and the only mediator between us and God (1Timothy 2:5). When we pray in His name, we can count on Him to do what’s the best for us, for no other man gave His life as a ransom for the sins of many, except Jesus.
25. Remember there are no perfect prayers, only His perfect will
If you miss the mark while trying to pray like Jesus, no worries! Our prayers may be deficient, but His will is perfect. Like a father knows what is best for his children, our Heavenly Father is wiser and stronger than all the fathers ever born. Even if the results are not the same as expected, know that He has something perfect in store for you.
For He is the God of restoration, He will always give you more than you ask for so that you have abundance to bless others as well!
26. Pray in tongues
Praying in tongues is one of the greatest gifts ever given to spirit-baptized believers. When you believe in Jesus and accept Him as your Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in you (1 Corinthians 6:19). But when you are baptized in the Holy Ghost, you are clothed with His power to be bold witnesses to others around you (Acts 1:8). And the best part about praying in tongues? You can do it for hours and hours and hours and never run out of words!
He who speaks in tongues doesn’t speak to men, but to God, for no one understands him. however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries (1 Corinthians 14:2).
When you pray in tongues, you pray out the perfect will of God. You can never miss the mark when you pray in this heavenly language.
On Your Marks, Get Set, Pray!
The importance of prayer in the life of a believer can never be overemphasized. I pray that this article blesses you as you set out on this journey of knowing Him and experiencing His resurrection power through spirit-filled prayers.
Feel free to write back and let me know your thoughts on how we can make our prayer lives powerful and effective, bringing down Our Father’s kingdom everywhere we go.
May His grace and truth lead you on His paths of peace and righteousness.
In Jesus’ name, Amen!
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