You have what it takes
to grow in Christ and help others do the same.
Prayer 101
Table of Contents
Introduction: What is Prayer?…….…….…….…….…….……………………………………….…….3
Prayer: Where Do You Begin?.……………...........……………………………………………………4
Create a Prayer Habit………..……….....................................................……………………….……6
Different Prayer Practices………………………………………..………………………………..………..8
How Prayer Can Change Your Life………………………………..…...……………………….....10
Praying With and For Others.………………………........................……………………....….....12
Our Prayer for You………………………………….……………………………………………………………..14
Additional Resources…………………………………………………………………………………….…....15
Prayer 101 2
What is Prayer?
Deepening your relationship with someone often requires quality time and a growing exchange of thoughts,
feelings, experiences, and stories.
Now put this in the context of your relationship with God. Deepening your relationship with Him requires
quality time and a growing exchange, which defines and describes prayer.
We see prayer throughout the Bible — from Genesis through Revelation. Here are just a few examples of
prayer in Scripture:
• Adam and Eve talked regularly with God while walking in the Garden of Eden. Their story also involves
the first confession to God after disobeying His direction to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil (Genesis 3:8-13).
• The Book of Psalms was used by God’s people as a worshipful prayer guide. David, the writer of many
psalms, shows us how we can be honest with God about what we’re experiencing and feeling. He
didn’t hold back his perspective or opinions with God. He poured out his heart to the Lord. Prayer
doesn’t require eloquence or performance.
“Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies —
make your way straight before me.
Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongues they tell lies” Psalm 5:8-9 (NIV).
• When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, He emphasized addressing God as Father, asking for what
was needed that day, confessing sin, and asking for the Father’s guidance. Here’s the prayer Jesus
taught the disciples:
“Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation” Luke 11:2-4 (NIV).
• In Revelation, we see how valuable prayer is to God. The prayers of believers are described as being held
in bowls, collected before God in heaven.
“He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it,
the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and
they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people” Revelation 5:7-8 (NIV).
In The Navigators Prayer 101 eBook, we’ll explore prayer and offer next steps to deepen your relationship with
God and your relationships with others as you pray for and with them. Here are a few topics we’ll cover:
• When it comes to prayer, where do you begin? How do you pray?
• How can you make prayer a daily habit?
• What happens when you pray? Does prayer really change anything?
• What does it look like to pray with a small group or community? How can I invite a friend to pray with me?
We pray this eBook will grow your prayer life and inspire you to share what you’re learning from God
with others.
Blessings,
The Navigators
Prayer 101 3
Prayer: Where Do You Begin?
Do you ever wonder how to pray? Even Jesus’ disciples wondered that!
Similar to how you have many different types of conversations with those you’re in relationship
with, there are also many different types of prayer. Here is one easy-to-remember method
based on how Jesus taught His disciples using the word “pray” as an acrostic.
How to Pray Using the P-R-A-Y Method
These four aspects of prayer based on the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) can provide a
structure and flow for your prayer life. Approach them like dance steps rather than
hard-and-fast rules to infuse freshness into your prayers.
Pause Jesus said, “When you pray, . . .”
To start we must stop. To move forward we must pause. This is the first step: put down your
wish list and wait. Sit quietly. “Be still and know that I am God.” Become fully present in place
and time so that your scattered senses can recenter themselves on God’s eternal presence.
Stillness and silence prepare your mind and prime your heart to pray from a place of greater
peace, faith, and adoration. In fact, these are themselves important forms of prayer.
Rejoice “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name.”
The Lord’s Prayer begins with an invitation to adoration. Having paused to be still at the start of
a prayer time, the most natural and appropriate response to God’s presence is reverence.
Try not to skip this bit. Hallowing the Father’s name is the most important and enjoyable
dimension of prayer. Linger here, rejoicing in God’s blessings before asking for more.
Prayer 101 4
Ask “Your kingdom come, Your will be done. . . . Give us today our daily bread.”
Prayer means many things to many people, but at its simplest and most immediate, it means
asking God for help. It’s a soldier begging for courage, a mother alone in a hospital chapel. The
Lord’s Prayer invites us to ask God for everything from “daily bread” to the “kingdom come,” for
ourselves (petition) and for others (intercession).
Yield
“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into
temptation but deliver us from evil. . . . Amen.”
The final step in the dance of prayer is surrender. It’s a clenched fist slowly opening; an athlete
lowering into an ice bath; a field of California poppies turning to the sun. We yield to God’s
presence “on earth as in heaven” through contemplative prayer and by listening to His Word,
which is “our daily bread.”
We yield to God’s holiness through confession and reconciliation, praying, “Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.”
And we yield to His power in spiritual warfare, asking our Father to “deliver us from evil.” It’s
by surrendering to God that we overcome, by emptying ourselves that we are filled, and by
offering our lives in prayer that our lives themselves become a prayer — the Lord’s Prayer
— in the end.
Content adapted from How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People by Pete Greig. Copyright © 2019.
Used by permission of NavPress, represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries.
Navigators Top Resources for Beginning Prayer:
PRAY: Pause, Rejoice, Ask, Yield
The Prayer Hand: Five Essential Aspects of Prayer
Prayers for Strength: Lifesaving Truths from God
How to Pray When You’re Not Sure Where to Start
Prayer 101 5
Create a Prayer Habit
Like any relationship, creating a deep and strong connection with the Lord through prayer
requires quality time. We often get distracted by the world around us — by technology,
responsibilities, and other relationships — and sometimes we blink and realize we have not
had significant time with the Lord for some time.
This is why it is so important to form prayer habits in our daily lives. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says,
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus for you” (NIV).
Prayer is meant to be a constant and daily practice in our lives, having a dialogue with our
Creator “without ceasing.” Here are some ways you can create a prayer habit.
Set Time Aside
One of the best disciplines you can create around prayer is dedicating a certain time to pray
every day. Whether you set aside time to pray in the mornings as you start your day or pray for
10 minutes each night before you fall asleep, it can help to dedicate a specific time of your day
to prayer that you can always return to, no matter how busy your season of life.
You can even make time to pray during activities you do every day. For example, you can give
your time in the car on your daily commute to the Lord, turning off your music or podcast
to talk with Him during your drive. You can also create moments for prayer during walks,
workouts, or chores.
The key is to choose a time or activity and dedicate it to the Lord, making sure to spend time
with Him frequently.
Prayer 101 6
Start a Prayer Journal
Writing down your prayers can be a powerful way to engage with God, sharing your praises
and requests with Him. Plus, as you continue forward in your faith journey, it can be valuable to
look back and read through the thoughts and prayers that brought you where you are today,
revealing how the Lord has already been faithful in your life.
Here are five steps to get started with your prayer journal, adapted from the Organizing a
Prayer Journal resource.
Set a pattern:
Decide how and when you will use your prayer journal. Do you require the discipline of writing
in it at a fixed time in a regular place, or the freedom of using it whenever? The key element is
purposefulness.
Record praise and intercession:
Keep two running lists: thank you notes to God and requests to bring before Him. Leave space
for answers and write them in, tracking your petitions and praises to see how the Lord
responds to your prayers.
Include personal worship:
Reserve a special page for permanent prayer items and praise, such as prayers for Christ’s love
for others or for mercy and salvation, giving the glory always to God.
Store treasures:
Collect prayer “gems.” For example, if a sermon expands your understanding of prayer, note
the helpful points. Keep a list of prayer techniques that will break you out of ruts.
Incorporate “Stones of Remembrance”:
Look back and look forward. Prepare your heart for prayer by reviewing the previous day’s or
week’s journal entries, or devote a time to talk to God about your recent prayer life. Mark
signposts several times a year to set aside a journal page for reflection on the impact of prayer
in your relationship with God.
Adapted from Pray! magazine, Issue #2, 1997. Written by Bradley Baurian. Used by permission from NavPress.
Navigators Top Resources for Creating a Prayer Habit:
Praying the Names and Attributes of God
31 Days of Prayer
The Prayer Hand: Five Essential Aspects of Prayer
Prayer 101 7
Different Prayer Practices
How you spend time with those you’re in a relationship with may look different each time.
Some moments may be thrilling, like hanging out and screaming together while riding a roller
coaster. Or you may have deeper conversations around a certain topic or trying to solve a
problem. Then there are the unique times with those you’re closest to, like riding in the car
together in silence, where simply being together is enough.
Prayer with God is similar. Sometimes the conversations and time together will be absolutely
thrilling, focused on a particular topic, or even simply being in each other’s presence. Here are
seven prayer practices to deepen your prayer life.
7 Ways to Pray: Time-Tested Practices for Encountering God
We’re always a single word or step away from a conversation with God. And yet taking that
step or saying that word can sometimes feel confounding or daunting. These seven ways to
pray draw from the deep well of Christian history to make a prayer practice in our crazy,
bustling, wearying times.
1. Praying with the Bible
There are different ways to use your Bible in your prayer time. You can personalize Scripture by
putting your own name into a verse. For example, “Amy, my peace I leave with you … Amy, do
not let your heart be troubled” John 14:27. Try writing out a prayer from the Bible, adapting it
into your own words. Or write the words of Scripture into a poem, just using the key words.
2. Praying through the Bible
Lectio divina is Latin for sacred reading. The practice of going repeatedly through a short
section of Scripture has been used for more than a thousand years. There are four steps —
reading, meditating, praying, and contemplating. Each time you go through the Bible passage,
take time to pause, notice, and interact with the Holy Spirit.
Prayer 101 8
3. Practicing the Presence of God
Practicing the presence of God can be done anywhere and at any time. It’s simply calling to
mind that God dwells within us through His Spirit and His Son. Being aware of God in our daily
lives takes intentionality. Welcome Jesus into whatever you are doing. You might want to set a
timer at various intervals to remind yourself to call to mind the presence of Jesus.
4. Hearing God
Our Bibles burst with God speaking to His children, from Genesis to Revelation. One well-loved
example of God’s communication is with young Samuel in 1 Samuel 3. Samuel needed help
from Eli, at first, to understand God. As we practice listening prayer, we can test what we hear
from God with three helps: Scripture, impressions of the Holy Spirit, and circumstances.
5. Praying with Lament
Our prayer book in the Bible — the Psalms — bursts with songs of lament, not only those
written by individuals, but also for corporate worship. The psalmists cry out to God, asking and
even demanding that He help them. The psalmists often move through their lament in four
stages: address, complaint, request, and expression of trust. Follow this pattern to pen your
own prayer of lament.
6. Praying Imaginatively
Praying imaginatively involves opening our hearts and minds to receive from God in a different
way. We do so asking the Holy Spirit to guide and guard us. Imaginative prayer involves
entering into a biblical narrative and interacting with the characters in the story, including
Jesus or God the Father. Some people do this visually, as if they are in a film. For others, it
might be more of a journaling experience.
7. Praying the Examen
Ignatius, founder of the Jesuit order of priests, practiced a five-step process called the examen:
give thanks, ask, review, repent, and renew. The regular practice of the examen can free us
from the effects of unconfessed sin. With this exercise we can also become more sensitive to
discerning God’s voice and moving forward with Him as we reject our sinful desires.
Adapted from 7 Ways to Pray: Time-Tested Practices for Encountering God. Copyright 2021 by Amy Boucher Pye. Published by NavPress.
Used with permission. All rights reserved. Learn more about the book at navpress.com.
Navigators Top Resources for Different Prayer Practices:
Seeking Answers Through Fasting and Prayer
7 Ways to Pray: Time-Tested Practices for Encountering God
“Fuel” Your Relationship with God: 4 Ideas for Prayer and Fasting
Prayer 101 9
An Encouraging Story on How Prayer Can Change Your Life.
Dennis and Brock meet for
Bible and breakfast.
Brock was in trouble, so Dennis felt moved to pray.
The two had been friends since high school, but in college Brock started to pursue a lifestyle
of heavy partying. Dennis started to pray for Brock every day, that he would find what he was
searching for in Christ and come to know God’s love and salvation. Despite his prayers, Brock
continued to show no interest in Jesus.
10 years later, Dennis received a random phone call from Brock.
“I’ve got something to tell you — do you have a minute?” Brock said.
“I became a Christian today! I just gave my life to Jesus.
Would you consider discipling me?”
Dennis’s eyes filled with tears. He prayed for Brock every day of those 10 years, asking God to
change Brock’s heart. And now, Brock had surrendered his life to the Lord!
What changed in Brock’s heart? A Christian woman had a “profound impact” on him while
they dated, and finally, the appeal of his lifestyle grew thin. He had just returned from a
weekend of partying in Chicago with his friends when he sat in his apartment, deeply
reflecting on his life.
“I realized it was futile, empty,” Brock says. “It wasn’t what I wanted. I came to the end of myself.”
He asked God for forgiveness and to come into his life. He wanted to follow Jesus and knew
who to ask for help — Dennis.
Now, God has transformed Brock from the inside out, and he is a “completely different person.”
He now leads a Bible study and helps with Dennis’s ministry to international students. It blows
him away that Dennis prayed for him faithfully for so many years, and now he is encouraged to
be persistent in praying for others.
Prayer 101 10
The Life-Changing Impact of Prayer
As seen in Dennis and Brock’s story, prayer is powerful. It can not only transform your life,
inviting God to work in your heart and change you from within. It can also transform the lives
of others, asking the Lord to impact the spiritual growth of family and friends.
Prayer invites us into a personal relationship with Jesus. And through close and intimate
relationship with Him, we can see how the Lord works meaningfully in us. Having a prayerful
relationship with Jesus can impact our ideas, beliefs, feelings, habits, and social relationships.
By inviting the Holy Spirit and Christ into your heart through prayer, you can discover a sure
path forward to becoming who you were always meant to be.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Since we live by the Spirit, let
us keep in step with the Spirit” Galatians 5:22-23, 25 (NIV).
Prayer can help us gain perspective on our circumstances and who we are through God’s
eyes — not our own. In open conversations with the Lord, we can share our trials and praises
honestly with the One who fully knows us, mess and all.
Through prayer, we can reflect on how God is currently moving in our lives, see the impact and
change he’s already worked in through our past, and open our hands for Him to lead
our future.
Navigators Top Prayer Resources :
The Power of Persistent Prayer
Power of Prayer: Deepening Relationships in Seattle’s Multicultural Community
An Answer to Years of Prayer: Discipleship in an Oral Culture
Persevering Prayer Reveals God’s Generosity
Prayer 101 11
Praying With and For Others
While it’s important to grow your personal prayer life, there is something powerful about
praying with and for other people. Praying with others is like having a conversation with
your Heavenly Father alongside your brothers and sisters. Praying for someone is talking to
your Heavenly Father about another’s specific need, asking Him to intervene in their life as a
provider, comforter, healer, guide, and more.
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” James 5:16 (NIV).
Grow Your Confidence as Someone Who Prays With Others
Do you lack confidence when it comes to praying with other people? Praying with someone
is as simple as inviting them to join your conversation with God. Remember, the conversation
you’re having is focused toward God, not the other person. Here are three small steps you can
take to grow confidence in praying with and for another person:
• Ask a friend if they have a few moments so you could pray with and for them.
• Trust the Holy Spirit to guide your words, and share with God what’s on your heart for
the person you’re praying for. After you pray, the other person may jump in and pray, too.
Whatever the experience, your invitation to pray with and for them is sure to encourage
their day!
• After praying with someone for the first time, invite them to pray again at a specific time
in the future.
Prayer 101 12
Praying in Community
The beauty of praying with others is that there are multiple expressions of what this could look
like. Throughout various cultures, praying in community can mean different things. Try these
unique ways to pray together, exploring how they deepen your relationship with God and the
body of Christ.
• Praying Simultaneously: This prayer involves a group praying together out loud at the
same time. Sometimes the prayer is focused on a specific topic, but other times it’s more
open-ended. This type of prayer has been called “Prayers in Concert” or known as Tongsung
Kido in Korean. Praying out loud simultaneously is a beautiful experience giving freedom
to your prayers. You don’t have to worry about “messing up” because everyone is focused
on pouring their hearts out to God, not listening to each other. God experiences “prayers in
concert” all the time and from peoples all across the world. He hears each one and knows
exactly how to respond — that’s powerful!
• Praying With Your Body: There isn’t one specific posture for prayer, even when you’re in
a group. Praying with your body could mean kneeling, lying face down, lifting your arms,
or praying while walking — allowing the Holy Spirit to guide your steps as you pray over
certain locations and peoples. Praying together with your body may mean each person has
a different prayer posture, even changing postures during an extended time of prayer.
• Waiting in Prayer Together: Sometimes we don’t always know what to pray, and as we
join together with others, it may be best to wait together. We ultimately know the Holy
Spirit is praying even when we don’t have words (Romans 8:26). However, sometimes as
you wait together for the Lord to lead, He will lead your group to certain Scriptures, possibly
images, and even specific ways to pray.
• Praying Scripture: What better way to pray with others and connect with God than
praying His Word? In this type of prayer, there may be spontaneous readings of Scriptures
out loud, using them as a foundation for prayer. These types of prayers can include
adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication.
Navigators Top Resources for Praying With and For Others:
Praying Through Your Neighborhood
5 Ideas for Making Time to Pray for Your Children
Praying for Military Spouses and Families
10 Prayers for Public Schools
4 Ways You Can Pray for College Campuses
Prayer 101 13
Our Prayer For You
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” Colossians 4:2 (NIV).
Whether you are experienced with prayer or are trying it for the first time, our hope is that our
Prayer 101 eBook will help you to devote yourself to prayer, grow in Christ, and help others do
the same.
We pray that you now feel confident as you embark on your prayer journey, and that you feel
inspired to create a daily habit of prayer as you deepen your relationship with the Lord. Not
only can prayer impact and transform your life, but it can also be an opportunity to walk in
community with others as you pray over their needs and lives.
Are you excited about what you’re learning and how you’re growing through prayer? Share this
eBook with a friend and invite them to pray with you.
Want more practical tips and insights to inspire your prayer life? Continue to the next page for
additional prayer resources to spark further growth.
Prayer 101 14
Continue growing in your faith with
these discipleship resources:
Praying the Names & Attributes of God:
A 30-Day Prayer Guide
Are you looking to grow in prayer, thrive in your conversations with God, and help
others do the same?
In this Praying the Names & Attributes of God eBook we’ll:
• Introduce a combination of 30 names and attributes of God with their
meanings and where you can find them in Scripture.
• Inspire your conversations with God through the prayer prompts related
to each name.
• Provide a practical and printable 30-day prayer calendar which includes
the names and attributes of God, the Scriptures, and a prayer prompt.
This calendar is something you can print and even share with f riends.
Imagine what could happen as you intentionally focus 30 days on building your
relationship with God and your conversations with Him. Watch to see how this
simple practice changes you and impacts those you disciple.
Get access to the Praying the Names & Attributes of God: A 30-Day Prayer Guide
here: navlink.org/namesofGod
Digital Discipleship Journeys®
How do I grow in my relationship with Jesus? You’re not alone in desiring a
deeper relationship with Christ and not knowing how to take the next step.
We want to come alongside you and offer a customized FREE Digital Discipleship
Journey. This curated email series is designed to help you grow spiritually, based
on your answers to some brief questions about your walk with God.
navlink.org/disciplemaking
Growing Together: A Three-Part Guide
for Following Jesus and Bringing
Friends on the Journey
As you grow in your love for prayer, invite a friend to join you.
Growing Together: A Three-Part Guide for Following Jesus and Bringing Friends on the
Journey is a book grounded in research from Barna and The Navigators and includes:
• Practical advice on how to invest in others through our day-to-day lives
• Personal testimonies about what God has done through disciplemaking
• Questions for self-reflection and discussion with friends
Purchase your guidebook here: navlink.org/growing-together
Prayer 101 15
