What must all Christians say when they pray?

Answer 1

Address God:We open the prayer by addressing God because he is the one we are praying to. Start by saying "Father in Heaven" or "Heavenly Father." We address Him as our Heavenly Father because He is the father of our spirits, He is our creator and the one to whom we owe everything we have, including our lives. Thank Him:After opening the prayer we tell our Father in Heaven what we are thankful for. You can start by saying, "I thank thee..." or "I am grateful for...." We show our gratitude to our Father by telling him in our prayer what we are thankful for such as our home, family, health, the earth, and other blessings. Ask Him:After thanking our Father in Heaven we can ask him for help. Some of the ways you can do this is to say:

• "I ask thee..."
• "I need..."
• "Please help me..."

We can ask him to bless us with the things we need, such as knowledge, comfort, guidance, peace, health, etc. Close in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen:We close the prayer by saying, "In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." We do this becauseJesus is our Savior, our mediator between death (physical and spiritual) and eternal life. Christ is the one who suffered and died for us that we may be able to return again to our Father's presence and He is the one we are commanded to have faith in. The Apostle John taught:

"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

"If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." (John 14: 13-14.)

We also close with saying Amen because it means we accept or agree with what's been said.

Praying in a Group:When praying with a group of people only the person saying the prayer speaks. The person praying should say the prayer in the plural such as, "We thank thee," and "We ask thee." At the end when the person says amen the rest of the group says amen as well. This shows our agreement or acceptance of what they have prayed for. Pray Always:In the Book of Mormon Christ taught the people to pray always. He said:

"Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.

"Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name;

"And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you.

"Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name" (3 Nephi 18:18-21.)

Pray with Sincerity:We also believe it is important that we pray with sincerity, meaning we think about what we're saying instead of vain repetition. In Matthew 6:7 it says, "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." Pray with Faith in Christ:It says in James 1:5-6, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." Praying in faith means having faith in Jesus Christ. Pray with Real Intent:Praying with real intent means that we are willing to do God's will. If we're asking for God's help, but we're not willing to do our part, our prayer will be in vain. In the Book of Mormon the prophet Moroni taught, "And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such" (Moroni 7: 9.)

I believe that one of the most important things we should pray for is to know the truth about God and his plan for us. Prayers can be answered in multiple ways, sometimes as feelings (through the Holy Ghost) or thoughts that come into our minds. Sometimes feelings of peace or warmth enter our hearts as we read the scriptures. Events we experience can also be answers to our prayers. Preparing ourselves for personal revelation will also help us in receiving answers to prayers.

I know God loves us and is our Father in Heaven. I have prayed and received an answer that I cannot deny the truth of his existence and love for each one of us. I know he hears and answers our prayers. I share this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Answer 2

The Lord's prayer is found in Mat 6:9-15 It was given to His disciples as a model after which they could pattern their prayers.

Our Father in heaven. Prayer should be addressed to God the Father in acknowledgment of His sovereignty over the universe.

Hallowed be Your name. We should begin our prayers with worship, ascribing praise and honor to Him who is so worthy of it.

6:10 Your kingdom come. After worship, we should pray for the advancement of God's cause, putting His interests first. Specifically, we should pray for the day when our Savior-God, the Lord Jesus Christ, will set up His kingdom on earth and reign in righteousness.

Your will be done. In this petition we acknowledge that God knows what is best and that we surrender our will to His. It also expresses a longing to see His will acknowledged throughout the world.

On earth as it is in heaven. This phrase modifies all three preceding petitions. The worship of God, the sovereign rule by God, and the performance of His will are all a reality of heaven. The prayer is that these conditions might exist on earth as they do in heaven.

6:11 Give us this day our daily bread. After putting God's interests first, we are permitted to present our own needs. This petition acknowledges our dependence on God for daily food, both spiritual and physical.

6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.This does not refer to judicial forgiveness from the penalty of sin (that forgiveness is obtained by faith in the Son of God). Rather this refers to the parental forgiveness that is necessary if fellowship with our Father is to be maintained. If believers are unwilling to forgive those who wrong them, how can they expect to be in fellowship with their Father who has freely forgiven them for their wrongdoings?

6:13 And do not lead us into temptation. God does allow His people to be tested and tried. This petition expresses a healthy distrust of one's own ability to resist temptations or to stand up under trial. It acknowledges complete dependence on the Lord for preservation.

But deliver us from the evil one. This is the prayer of all who desperately desire to be kept from sin by the power of God. It is the heart's cry for daily salvation from the power of sin and Satan in one's life.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. The last sentence of the prayer is omitted in the Roman Catholic and most modern Protestant Bibles since it is lacking in many ancient manuscripts. However, such a doxology is the perfect ending to the prayer and is in the majority of manuscripts. It should, as John Calvin writes, "not only warm our hearts to press toward the glory of God ... but also to tell us that all our prayers ... have no other foundation than God alone."

Answer 3

According to The Bible, there IS no specific 'prayer' to ask God for something.

Jesus said:"... But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him(Matthew 6:7+8 KJB).

Because of this, many feel that using memorized, repetitious prayers, over and over, is not the way to address God. God already knows what's in our hearts, and just wants us to ask HIM for it, as a child would a respected father. Adam and Eve turned away from God as their provider. WE need to turn TOWARD him, and LOOK to him as the "giver of every good + perfect gift"(James 1:17). HE is our provider and it's this dependence on Him that will save lives.

We can pray from our hearts for our needs, not according to any written prayer, and know that he will hear us, if we put His worship first(Matthew 6:26-33)(Luke 11:9-13)(1 Thessalonians 5:17)(Psalm 65:2) and follow Jesus as the Messiah, our heartfelt prayers will be heard (John 14:6)(John 16:23) (Philippians 4:6,7).

Answer 4

In my normal morning prayer( as I drive 45 min. to work) ,first i usually thank GOD for everything i have and any recent blessings, then let him know how much I love HIM, and need HIM in my life.

Then I ask him to Bless various things, such as my family, my finances, my church, pastor, etc. Then I make any specific requests I may have at the time and sometimes I have general conversations about anything I need to get off my chest, situations I am seeking his guidance in, just things that are going on in my life as if I was talking to a trusted friend..............................sometimes I have almost continuous silent pray all day long.

Remember it is supposed to be an intimate relationship.

Answer 5

Whatever they want. Prayer is a personal thing.