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It usually happens at night. The house is quiet, something is weighing on you, and a thought shows up: maybe I should pray. Then a second thought right behind it: but I don’t know how. Do you close your eyes? Do you need special words? Is there a right way to start, and would God even want to hear from someone who hasn’t done this in a while, or ever?
Here’s something that might help. The first people to ask Jesus how to pray were his closest friends, people who had walked with him for a long time. And his answer was shorter and more ordinary than most people expect. It even included a story about a man knocking on a neighbor’s door at midnight, asking for bread.
The question came from watching, not from a class
Luke tells us exactly when the question came up: “And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1).
Notice the timing. The disciple asked right after watching Jesus pray. Seeing Jesus talk with God made him want that too. So if you feel behind, wanting to pray and not knowing how isn’t a sign you’re doing faith wrong. It’s exactly where the disciples stood.
How to pray to God: the answer Jesus actually gave
Jesus didn’t hand them a technique. He handed them a short prayer. Here it is, word for word, in the King James Version:
“When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” (Luke 11:2-4)
You can pray those exact words. You can also use them as a shape your own words can follow:
- Start by calling God “Father.” Not a title you have to earn. The first word Jesus gave his friends was a family word.
- Say what you want to be true. “Thy will be done” is simply saying: I want what’s good and right to happen here, not just what I want.
- Ask for today’s bread. Notice it says “day by day.” You’re not asked to solve your whole life. Just today. Rent, a hard phone call, a doctor’s appointment, patience with your kids. Small is welcome.
- Clear the air both ways. Ask to be forgiven, and let go of what others owe you. The two sit side by side in the same sentence.
- Ask for help with what’s ahead. “Lead us not into temptation” is an honest admission that you can’t see everything coming, and you’d like help.
That’s it. No special posture is required. (If you’ve wondered about that, we looked closely at the positions the Gospels record in how did Jesus pray, and there’s no single required pose.)
You don’t need more words
In Matthew’s account of the same teaching, Jesus says something that takes a lot of pressure off: “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (Matthew 6:7). Then he gives the reason: “your Father knoweth what things ye have need of” (Matthew 6:8).
Prayer isn’t how you inform God of things God doesn’t know, and it isn’t a speech that has to be long or polished enough to count. It’s closer to a child telling a parent what the parent already sees on their face. The talking is for the relationship, not the information.
The gold nugget: the story about the midnight knock
Right after the prayer, Jesus told a story. Most people skip it, but it may be the most helpful part of the answer.
“Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.” (Luke 11:5-8)
The man at the door doesn’t prepare a speech or wait for a better time. He shows up at the worst hour with an empty cupboard and a plain request: I need bread, and I don’t have any.
And here is the detail almost everyone reads past. The old English word “importunity” is translating a Greek word, anaideia. It’s built from the word for shame with a “no” in front of it. It literally means something like shamelessness. It shows up only this one time in the whole New Testament. Bible scholars still debate whose shamelessness Jesus meant, the man knocking or the neighbor inside who doesn’t want to be shamed by refusing. Either way, the story is plain about what the knocker did not do. He did not act embarrassed about needing help.
That’s the posture Jesus put right next to “how to pray.” Not polished. Just honest enough to knock. And the story runs from smaller to bigger: if a grumpy neighbor will still get up at midnight, how much more the Father who already knows what you need.
Then Jesus finished with the line many people know by heart: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Luke 11:9).
What this could look like tomorrow morning
Here’s a simple way to try it, no experience needed:
- Pick one quiet spot and a few minutes. A kitchen chair with your coffee works fine.
- Start with “Father.” Then say, out loud or in your head, what’s actually on your mind.
- Ask for just today’s bread. Name one real need for this day.
- Let go of one thing. A grudge, a regret, a mistake. Ask to be forgiven, and forgive.
- Stop when you’re done. Short counts. You’re not being graded.
If your mind wanders, come back. If you fall asleep, that’s not a failure either (see is it a sin to fall asleep while praying).
What changes first is usually the morning itself. The day starts with a conversation instead of your phone. The worry you woke up with has somewhere to go. And slowly, prayer stops feeling like a test and starts feeling like talking to someone who was already listening.
Why prayer gets easier when you know who you’re talking to
Go back to Luke 11:1 once more. The disciple asked after watching Jesus. That’s how most of us learn to pray too: by spending time around Jesus, hearing how he talked and watching how he treated people. It’s the same thing we found in how to get closer to God: the closeness grows from time spent, not from getting the method right.
That’s the idea behind 30 Days Walking with Jesus, a beginner-friendly plan that walks through the life of Jesus in the Gospels one day at a time, in under 10 minutes a day. Each day has a devotional video under 60 seconds and a full-chapter audio reading. There’s also a complete PDF study guide with journal prompts (a good place to write down the “today’s bread” you’re asking for) and five quick-reference scripture guides.
You’d be doing what that first disciple did: watching Jesus up close, day after day, until praying to God feels natural.
And it’s free. No payment, no card, no expiration, no upsell. The words of Jesus shouldn’t sit behind a paywall. You get instant access on any device, and it’s yours to keep.
Questions People Are Asking
Q: How do I pray to God if I’ve never prayed before?
A: Start simply. Jesus taught his friends to begin by calling God “Father,” then to ask for what they needed that day, to ask for forgiveness and forgive others, and to ask for help with what’s ahead (Luke 11:2-4). Use those words or your own. No special words or posture are required.
Q: Is there a right way to pray to God?
A: When Jesus was asked how to pray, he gave a short model prayer, not a strict method. He also warned against thinking you’ll be heard for using lots of words, because God already knows what you need (Matthew 6:7-8). Sitting, kneeling or standing are all fine.
Q: What does “importunity” mean in Luke 11:8?
A: “Importunity” is the King James word in Jesus’s story of a man who knocks on a friend’s door at midnight to borrow bread. It translates the Greek word anaideia, which means something like shamelessness, and it appears only once in the New Testament. Scholars debate whose shamelessness is meant, but the story pictures prayer as asking plainly for what you need, without embarrassment.
Q: How long should a prayer to God be?
A: There’s no required length. The prayer Jesus taught in Luke 11:2-4 is short, and he said people aren’t heard because of how much they say (Matthew 6:7). A few honest sentences in the morning is a real prayer.
Q: How can I make praying to God a daily habit?
A: Pick one regular time and place, like a kitchen chair with your morning coffee, and keep it short so it’s easy to return to. Pairing prayer with reading about Jesus helps too, because the disciples asked how to pray after watching Jesus pray. A free plan like 30 Days Walking with Jesus walks through the Gospels one day at a time in under 10 minutes a day.
