“Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray'” (Luke 11:1).

In the movie, Gravity, Sandra Bullock’s character drifts through space, stranded and alone. Weeping, she asks the empty shuttle, “Will you say a prayer for me? Or is it too late? I mean, I’d say one for myself, but I’ve never prayed in my life, so … Nobody ever taught me how…” How tragic to come to our greatest moment of need without knowing God, or how to come near him and ask for help. Jesus wants his disciples trained in prayer (Luke 12:1-2). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught us to pray with reverence, submission, dependence, and forgiveness in our hearts (Matt. 6:5-15). Here are six more guiding principles for prayer.

1. Pray without Ceasing

The Apostle Paul urged, “Pray without ceasing give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thes. 5:17-18). Praying “at all times” (Eph. 6:18) doesn’t mean we spend every moment in prayer. But no part of our lives should lack prayer.

Learn to fill your moments with directed thought and prayer.

People in the Bible prayed surrounded by unbelievers in a prison (Acts 16:25), alone on a mountain (Matt. 14:23), hidden in a closet (Matt. 6:6), with others in a house (Acts 12:12), and shipwrecked on an island (Acts 27:35). They had dedicated prayer times (Dan. 6:10, Acts 3:1), prolonged prayer sessions (Luke 6:12), prayers before meals (Matt. 15:36), spontaneous prayers for help (Neh. 2:1-5) and thanksgiving (Matt. 11:25-26), silent prayers (1 Sam. 1:10-13) and loud cries (Acts 7:60). They prayed at morning, noon, evening, midnight, and beyond (Ps. 55:17; Ps. 5:1, 119:62, Mark 1:35, 1 Sam. 5:11). Many today fill every “blank space” with distraction. Learn to fill your moments with directed thought and prayer.

2. Pray without Doubting

“But let him ask in faith with no doubting for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-8). To “ask in faith” doesn’t mean we’re sure of the outcome but that we’re confident in God’s generous providence as he hears (James 1:5, 17; 4:15). 

3. Pray without Coveting

“You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:2-3). James writes to people who want what they don’t have and covet what they can’t get. Rather than praying from their need for God, they pray for their own indulgence (“to spend on your passions”). Recognize who God is and surrender to Him (James 4:7), THEN draw near (James 4:8) and “ask” your requests (James 4:2).

4. Pray in the Spirit

How is the Holy Spirit involved in our prayers? We pray “in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 20, cf. Eph. 6:18) when we are led (Rom. 8:14) and helped (Rom. 8:26) by the Spirit. God’s Spirit lives in Christians (1 Cor. 6:19), leading us with his Word (Eph. 6:17, 2 Pet. 1:21), strengthening (Eph. 3:17) and changing us (Gal. 5:22-23) as he pours God’s love into our hearts (Rom. 5:5). Jesus called God, “Abba” in prayer (Mark 14:36) — an intimate Aramaic word for Father. In two powerful, parallel passages, we learn that the Spirit cries out “Abba! Father!” from our hearts (Gal. 4:6) and we cry “Abba! Father!” by the Spirit (Rom. 8:15). A paragraph later, Paul adds, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom. 8:26-27). I don’t always know “what to pray” but praise God that his Spirit “intercedes … with groanings too deep for words” (Rom. 8:26).

5. Pray in Jesus’ Name

“In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:23-24; cf. 14:13,14; 15:16). Not only do we make requests in his name, we give thanks “to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:20). Or, put another way, “giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17).

For those who know him and act in his name — “by faith in his name” — his name is mighty.

To pray in Jesus’ name is to pray by him, sent under his authority (Acts 4:7; cf. Esther 8:8) and through Him, our mediator (1 Tim. 2:5), our way (John 14:6), our High Priest (Heb. 4:14-16). We can’t pray in his name without praying “according to his will” (1 John 5:14). The main point isn’t to end prayers with “in Jesus’ name” — it’s not a magical incantation empowering our prayers (cf. Acts 19:11-16) nor an “empty” repetition (Matt. 6:7). Yet declaring that we pray in Jesus’ name is a meaningful, Scriptural practice. Though we don’t perform signs as the apostles did, it’s noteworthy that they often spoke the words, “in the name of Jesus” (Acts 3:6) when they acted “through” and “by” his name (Acts 4:10, 30). For those who know him and act in his name — “by faith in his name” (Acts 3:16) — his name is mighty (Acts 4:12).

6. ‘Amen’ Only If You Understand

“What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say ‘Amen’ to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying?” (1 Cor. 14:15-16). “Amen” says, “Yes!” (2 Cor. 1:20), “truly” (John 5:19), expressing the “truth” (Isa. 65:16; cf. Rev. 3:14). It’s a heavy word we should never speak unless we mean it (cf. Deut. 27:15ff). It’s a fitting, Scriptural ending to words of worship (Eph. 3:21), concluding Books 1-4 of Psalms (Ps. 41:13; 72:19; 89:52; 106:48). Like ancient Jews and early Christians, we say, “amen” to agree with worship and thanksgiving in the assembly (Neh. 8:6; 1 Cor. 14:15-16).