How to pray: a simple guide from the Bible
To pray, talk to God as your Father, honestly and in your own words. You can pray anywhere in Singapore, at any time, in any language. Jesus gave a pattern in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13):
- Praise God
- Ask for his will to be done
- Ask for what you need today
- Ask forgiveness as you forgive others
- Ask him to keep you from evil
An easy pattern to remember: ACTS
For each letter, a prayer from the Bible you can pray as it stands.
Adoration
Praise God for who he is.
Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.
Jeremiah 32:17 (ESV) 
Confession
Admit what you did wrong.
God, be merciful to me, a sinner!
Luke 18:13 (ESV) 
Thanksgiving
Thank him for what he has given.
And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.
1 Chronicles 29:13 (ESV) 
Supplication
Ask for what you and others need.
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!
Psalm 143:10 (ESV)
How to pray, step by step
Five simple steps, in your own words.
To pray step by step, follow the pattern Jesus gave: speak to God as Father, put him first, ask plainly for what you need, say sorry and forgive, then close in Jesus’ name and listen. There is no secret technique. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1), he gave them a pattern, not a script. Five steps:
- Speak to God. Start with “Father”, “Heavenly Father” or “Lord Jesus”. It reminds you who you are talking to.
- Put God first. Praise him, and ask for his will before your own list.
- Ask plainly. For what you need today, in your own words. English, Mandarin, Hokkien, Malay, Tamil or Singlish: God understands every one.
- Say sorry, and forgive. Name what you did wrong, and let go of the grudge you hold against someone.
- Close in Jesus’ name, then listen. End with “in Jesus’ name, Amen” (John 14:13-14), then stay quiet for a minute. Prayer is not over when you stop talking.
The pattern Jesus gave begins like this:
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
It goes on to ask for our daily bread, for forgiveness as we forgive others, and to be kept from temptation and from evil (Matthew 6:11-13).
Why pray?
Hand God what you cannot carry.
Because God invites you to know him, and knowing someone takes conversation. In Singapore we are trained to rely on ourselves: PSLE, NS, career, CPF, the flat. Prayer is where you admit you are not in control, and hand God what you cannot carry.
- To know God, not just about him. Many of us grew up in church or went to mission schools and know the facts. Prayer turns them into friendship (John 15:15).
- To hand over worry. Work, school and family can weigh heavy, and God says what to do with it.
- To say sorry and be made clean (1 John 1:9): for harsh words at work, impatience with parents, things done in secret.
- To love others. Your family, your colleagues, your cell group, the migrant worker who built your block, the nation on National Day (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
A prayer to borrow when you are carrying too much:
Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.
What to pray for
Needs, wisdom, the sick, even your enemies.
Pray for what you need today, for wisdom, for forgiveness, for the sick, for those in authority, and even for your enemies. The ACTS pattern (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) gives each prayer its shape. What the Bible tells us to pray for:
- Daily needs: food, work, health (Matthew 6:11)
- Wisdom for decisions: school, career, a home (James 1:5)
- Forgiveness, and the grace to forgive others (Matthew 6:12)
- Protection from temptation (Matthew 6:13)
- Those in authority: the Government, MPs, employers (1 Timothy 2:1-2)
- The sick and the suffering (James 5:14-16)
- Workers for the harvest: missionaries, pastors, and your own witness at work (Luke 10:2)
- The persecuted church in our region (Hebrews 13:3)
- Your enemies, and those who hurt you (Matthew 5:44)
Stuck for words? Pray the prayers people in the Bible prayed, word for word.
When to pray, in a Singapore day
Waking up, the MRT, meals and bedtime.
Pray at fixed times, so the habit survives a ten-hour workday. Daniel prayed three times a day, even under threat (Daniel 6:10); Jesus rose before dawn to pray (Mark 1:35). You don’t need an hour. You need to keep at it.
- When you wake, before you check your phone: thank God for the day and hand it to him (Psalm 143:8).
- On the MRT or bus: pray for your colleagues by name, and for the strangers around you.
- Before meals: at the hawker centre, the office pantry or the family table, a short thanks. It is also a quiet witness.
- At lunch, five minutes: say sorry for the morning and ask for strength for the afternoon.
- After dinner: pray with your spouse and children, and for your parents.
- Before you sleep: look back on the day, thank him, and let go of the worries (Psalm 4:8).
- On Sunday: pray with your church and your cell group.
Seasons to pray more: exams (PSLE, O and A Levels, university), NS enlistment, a job search, Chinese New Year with the family, National Day, illness at home, and Lent or Advent if your church keeps them.
On the train, pray this blessing silently over the people around you:
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
Where to pray in Singapore
At home, in a park, on the MRT, at work.
You can pray anywhere in Singapore: God does not live in a building (Acts 17:24). But in a crowded city a quiet spot helps, and you have to look for one.
- At home: a corner of the bedroom, the corridor at dawn, the kitchen before the family wakes. Jesus said to go into your room and shut the door (Matthew 6:6).
- In a park: the Botanic Gardens, MacRitchie, East Coast Park, Fort Canning, the Southern Ridges, Bedok Reservoir, Punggol Waterway. Walk and pray.
- On your commute: close your eyes on the MRT. Nobody will notice.
- At work: a stairwell, a meeting room before a hard conversation, a silent prayer before you answer a difficult email.
- In a church on a weekday: some keep their sanctuary open for quiet prayer. Check the church’s page for its hours.
- With others: your cell group, a prayer meeting, a campus fellowship (NUS, NTU, SMU, the polytechnics), a Christian fellowship at work, a school chapel.
- On your phone: the pray.sg Telegram channel, home of Davidson, our bot, with a prayer every morning.
Find a church or a prayer meeting near you in the church directory.
How to pray for someone
Ask them first, then pray Scripture.
To pray for someone, ask them first what they’d like you to pray for. Some people want prayer for healing, some for sleep, some for the people caring for them. Asking first keeps the prayer about them.
If you’re not sure what to say, borrow words Scripture already gives us. Every prayer on this page shows its reference when you open it, so you can look it up.
The LORD sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.
What the Bible says about it:
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
A short, honest prayer is enough. A few days later, send a message to ask how they are and offer to pray again.
