Prayer

A group of Salvationists bow their heads in prayer
Prayer at a youth revival meeting in Indonesia

Prayer is simply talking with God. It is spending time with someone who loves you.

In time, we can learn to move through this life in one long, extended conversation with God. In constant connection. Talking to God. And your God talking to you.

There is no right or wrong way to pray.

We can pray at any time, in any place, about anything that is on our mind.

We don’t have to be in church, use special words or close our eyes if we don’t want to.

All that really matters is that we come before God with our whole hearts, as honestly and consistently as we can.

The life-changing and the seemingly insignificant, the personal and the public, in celebration and in heartbreak. God wants us to share it all with him.

He is listening and he wants to hear from us.

Prayer is a response to a loving God who always sees you and is always reaching out to you with his love and grace. He longs to walk and talk with you, to grow deeper in relationship with you.

How do I pray?

There is no right or wrong way to pray. Just talk to God – in your own words, tell him what’s on your mind, how you are feeling, what you are grateful for or what you need help with. If helpful, you can also pray using the words of others.

Resources and tools to help you pray

Will I always get what I ask for?

God always listens to us when we pray – and he always responds. He may answer our prayers with a ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘wait, not yet’. Sometimes, the answer may not be what we want or expect, but he never leaves a prayer unanswered. God wants what is best for us and his wisdom far exceeds our own. With this knowledge, we must trust that his answers to our prayers are the best possible solution.

What does the Bible say about prayer?

The Bible contains many examples of prayer and plenty of encouragement to pray.

  • Pray without ceasing – Romans 12:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:17
  • Pray about everything – Philippians 4:6-7
  • Pray with faith – Mark 11:24
  • Pray privately and with sincerity – Matthew 6:5-8

In Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-4, we find the prayer Jesus taught his first disciples – a prayer we now know as the Lord’s prayer.

‘Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and for ever.
Amen.’

How can we pray for you?

Share a request for prayer with The Salvation Army International Headquarters team.

Prayer requests submitted via this form will be shared with staff members at The Salvation Army's International Headquarters for the purpose of prayer.  

By submitting a request via this form, you give consent for your request to be shared in this way.

Please note: if you choose to share your personal details with us, these will not be shared publicly. 

Prayer focus