The first part of a relationship with God is prayer. Prayer is how we communicate with God. It is a communication using our hearts. When we first come to God in a relationship with Him, we pray. We ask Him for forgiveness for our sins and we tell Him that we want to trust Him as the Lord of our lives. Sometimes we verbalize our prayers to God, but many times we think them from our compassionate hearts.

Since we now have compassionate hearts, our prayers are focused from God’s perspective. For instance, Philippians 4:6-7 says: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Christ Jesus is the manifestation of God who died on the cross for our sins and intercedes on our behalf before God.)

It would be appropriate to find a place where you can meet God for prayer on a regular basis. It should be a relatively quiet place without distractions. How often we meet with God is typically a personal habit. But wouldn’t you want to meet with someone who loves you deeply as often as possible? Meeting with Him on a daily basis is the minimum recommendation, but some people meet with Him up to three times a day. (The prophet Daniel is an example of this in Daniel 6:10.) The duration of prayer is also up to you, but it is usually a good idea to spend a few minutes with Him in the morning.

There is no specific format in praying to God. You can say to Him whatever you want. If you have concerns, share them with Him. If you are hurting, share that. Whether things are going well or not, thank Him for that, telling Him you are trusting Him no matter how things turn out – that is faith.