Talk It Up

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

PHILIPPIANS 4:6

WHY DO WE PRAY TO GOD? It’s how we talk to him. It’s how we tell him about the good things and bad things that are happening. It’s how we say we’re sorry for things we’ve done and how we ask for his forgiveness. Prayer is like having God’s phone number. He hears our words, knows our hearts, and responds to us. Prayer doesn’t have a lot of rules, either. You can pray with your eyes open or closed. You can pray out loud or silently. You can pray with your hands together or with them by your sides.

Prayer is a conversation between you and God. It’s a time when you can openly tell him the things that are on your mind, thank him, and ask him for help and forgiveness. Prayer is powerful, and it’s one of the most important ways we stay close to God. He wants to hear from us. Our prayers focus our hearts and minds on him. That’s one of the reasons we’ve included a prayer at the end of each devotion in this book!

One great way to get in the habit of praying is to choose a time of day and always pray at that time, like before bed, when you read this book, or in the morning on the way to school. Once you get in the habit of praying at that time, it’s easier to talk to God more, even all the time. We can pray anytime, anywhere, any day.

DO

At the bottom of this page, write a simple prayer to God.

PRAY

Dear God,

Thank you for wanting to hear from me. Thank you for listening to my prayers. Remind me that I can pray to you anytime, anywhere. Amen.

READ

Matthew 6:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:17