What do you pray about? Do you ever worry you might not be praying the “right” way? Does prayer actually do anything? Can prayer really unite us? How does prayer even work?

All of these are great questions to ask yourself today, the National Day of Prayer. We’ve prepared three posts this week to help you think through what prayer could mean in your life, and even to “practice” with a sample prayer. Just tap any one of the following that you’d like to try.

	How to ask God to speak to you. What’s on God’s mind? What does he want for you? What does he want from you? Here’s how you can find out.
	How to ask God to guide you. Let’s say that you sense that God is “speaking” to your heart. Then what? How do you act on what you feel he’s telling you?
	How to ask God for something really big. Once you start getting real in your prayers, what can you expect to happen? Can your prayers actually move the heart of God?

All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.

Isaiah 60:3

Prayer is one of the most personal ways that you can connect with God. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, if you follow Christ, you have the privilege of talking directly with your heavenly Father. You can ask God to meet your needs, share with him whatever you’re feeling, and even ask him to show you the best path for your life.

God may respond to you through his Holy Spirit, or he may reveal wisdom to you through his Word, the Bible. As you draw closer to God, you’ll begin to feel the love and compassion he has for all people… growing inside of you. You’ll also begin looking for ways that you can connect with others, including how you can share with them all that God has given you.

For many believers, this is the point in their journey where they first discover that billions of people still don’t have the Bible in their language. And, although YouVersion partner illumiNations is making great progress toward giving all people the same opportunity to experience God’s Word that we already enjoy, there’s still a long way to go.

illumiNations wrote this prayer for all of their partners. Will you pray it with us now?

God, Your Word is more precious than all I possess.
Your Scripture gives light to my path and directs my steps.
Through Your will alone, lives are transformed and minds made new.
So I now pray for all people that do not know You.
For You’ve promised that Your voice by every tribe and nation will be heard.
So equip us by Your breath to provide every heart language with Your Word.
Thank you, Lord. Amen.

Learn More

This is the third post in a 3-part series on prayer. Read the first one here and the second one here.

But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

James 1:25

Have you ever had a bad hair day?

You looked in the mirror, saw that tangled mess, and tried your best to fix it, as fast as you could, before heading out the door. But what if, instead of fixing your messy hair, you completely forgot what you looked like as soon as you walked away from the mirror? What if you couldn’t remember anything about your hair? Was it long? Short? Curly? Straight? That would be pretty unusual, right?

And yet that’s exactly what James says it’s like to listen to God’s Word and then not obey it. It’s like looking in a mirror, glancing at yourself, and walking away… and completely forgetting what you just saw.

This same thing can happen with God’s Word. We read (or listen to) the Bible, and the Holy Spirit speaks to us, convicts us, or encourages us. But if we don’t do anything with what God just revealed to us through the Bible, it will slip away. How many times have we moved on to the next thing in our schedule, without first reflecting on what God was trying to show us?

So, how can we start being intentional, and reflecting on God’s Word?

All it takes is 10 minutes. After you read the Bible, take 5: Spend 5 minutes in silence, and quietly think back on what you just read (or heard.) Then, take 5 more: Spend the next 5 minutes in prayer: thank God for His Word, and ask Him to remind you what action He wants you to take next. If you’re not sure where to start, try praying something like this:

Heavenly Father, thank You for speaking to me through Your Word. Please give me the wisdom to know what action You want me to take, and then give me the courage to actually do it. Amen.

Read James 1:22–27

This is the second post in a 3-part series on prayer. Read the first one here and the third one here.

For the word of God is alive and powerful. …

Hebrews 4:12

Whatever you’re facing right now, God’s Word has wisdom for you. In fact, like Hebrews 4:12 says, the Word of God is alive. The words in the Bible that were written more than 2,000 years ago have something profound to say about our everyday struggles today.

If you follow Christ, Romans 8:11 says that you have access to the power of the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit that rose Jesus from the dead. The same Holy Spirit that inspired Paul to write letters to churches around the world that now inspire us. The same Holy Spirit that spoke to King David as he wrote some of the Psalms.

How awesome is that? When you read the Bible, the Holy Spirit can speak to you — just as He did to the authors of the Scriptures! When you need wisdom from God’s Word, the Holy Spirit is ready to guide you. Where is the best place to start? Prayer.

Don’t let the idea of prayer intimidate you. Prayer simply means talking to God, and then listening to Him. Even Jesus prayed. And because Jesus said several times, “When you pray…,” we know that He expects us to pray, too.

The next time you open the Bible App to read (or listen to) God’s Word, take a moment to pray. If you’re not sure where to begin, here’s a good place to start:

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me a way to talk to You. As I read the Bible today, please send Your Holy Spirit to meet with me, and speak to me through Your Word. Amen.

Start a Plan on Prayer

This is the first post in a 3-part series on prayer. Read the second one here and the third one here.