1: Why Should We Pray?
2: Where Do We Begin?
3: How Should We Pray?
4: A Few Suggestions to Help You Pray
5: Can I say the Lord's Prayer?
6: The London Challenge
7: Praying for Christmas: The Advent Antiphons
8: Pocket Prayers
9: Praying with the Saints

1: Why Should We Pray?

Christianity is about being in relationship with God and relationships depend on communication for their survival. It has been said that, "communication is the lifeblood and heartbeat of every relationship." Any attempt at a relationship without communication is sure to fail — try to maintain a friendship without speaking or writing or in any way contacting the friend. It won't last long, will it?

• Prayer is communication with God, it builds up our friendship with God and sustains the relationship. As we spend more time in contact with him then we draw closer to God, we begin to understand him and his will. Furthermore, as we let his Holy Spirit influence our lives, we change to become more like him.
  
  
• Prayer was a vital part of Jesus' own life: in the Gospels we read about him going out early in the morning to find a quiet place to pray by himself. Both he and Paul encouraged Christians to pray.
  
  
• Prayer opens our eyes to see the world as God sees it and as we are changed by increasing contact with him and his Holy Spirit working within us, then his power for good is released in our own lives, in the church and in the world.
  
  
• Prayer strengthens us for the struggle against sin and the battle against evil.
  
  
• Prayer changes things — primarily by changing those who pray!

A Prayer to Use

Lord, without your help I cannot pray,
please pray in me and for me
that I may come to know you
and love you better,
and praise and worship you as you deserve,
Amen.

Next: 2: Where Do We Begin?