Prayer is an important part of Christian faith, but are there set guidelines to prayer? For example, how long should you pray? Should you say prayers in the morning or in the evening? These are common questions that beginners or those who are new to the Christian faith may ask.
How Long Should You Pray?
Prayer is literally speaking to God, whether it’s out loud or silently. When you pray, you do so with the faith and belief that the Almighty Lord, our Heavenly Father, can hear you. He does! To put it quite simply, there are no set rules as to how long you should pray, whether you’re in a church, in a public place, gathering with friends, or you’re by yourself.
Prayer is talking to God, and in doing so, you do it in belief and with faith that He hears you. Some prayers are short, some are longer. The Old and New Testaments of the Bible are filled with prayers asking for strength, determination, bravery, and even greater faith, greater belief, and greater diligence in living up to what we believe God expects of us.
In fact, even a short prayer filled with humbleness, faith, and belief in the Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ can be to the point, powerful, and earnest. Numerous instances found in the Bible have taught us that prayers said out loud or when we’re by ourselves can be long or short. We are told in the New Testament the Jesus often prayed to God, by Himself for hours.
Does the length of the prayer have an impact on the importance of it? Not necessarily. In fact, in the New Testament book of Matthew (6:7-8) Jesus tells us, ‘But when you pray, do not use not vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.’
Does that mean that you can’t take some time communing with God? No. remember it’s not the amount of words you speak, but what you are saying to Him in your heart and spirit.
A Word About Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer
Many Christians pray numerous times a day. Some say a morning prayer and an evening prayer, and even more often. God wants us to talk to Him, and He doesn’t care what time it is. The thing with prayer though, is that it must be from the heart, not simply one blurted out without really paying attention to the words. One of the most important prayers found in the Holy Bible is the Lord’s Prayer, also given by Jesus during His Sermon On The Mount. Take the time to read it and truly understand each phrase. It’s found in the New Testament book of Matthew (6:9-13). This is an example of how Christ showed us how we should pray. It’s not a long prayer, but it says a lot doesn’t it?
When we pray, regardless of whether it’s a morning prayer, a noon prayer, an evening prayer, or one said at midnight, you can rest assured that God will hear you and that in one way or another, through faith and belief in Him, He will answer your prayer. Does that mean you’ll always get exactly what you asked for? Not necessarily.
Numerous Bible passages in both the Old and New Testaments talk about prayer, some specifically mentioning length while others provide guidance. For example:
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Old Testament book of Jeremiah, 33:3.
Here’s an example of a morning prayer given in the New Testament book of Colossians (3:17) – “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
The Most Important Thing About Prayer
The most important thing to remember about prayer is that answers that you receive from God are according to His will and not yours. This is not to say that He has closed his ears to your prayers if you don’t receive what you’ve asked for, but that He knows better than you do, what you need, as mentioned above regarding Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount.
Prayer can be a public or private communication between you and God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Pray with humbleness, gratitude, and after carefully searching your heart. When you pray, you must believe and have faith that He will hear you, whether you get an immediate answer to your prayer or not. Without faith and belief, you wouldn’t believe in the power of prayer. On the other hand, if your prayer isn’t answered in the way you wanted it to, does it mean that God isn’t there or isn’t listening to you? No.
God wants to hear from us. Yet when you pray, or when wondering how long should you pray, or how often, always remember that a humble spirit, faithful heart, and a true belief in God’s magnificent presence is required of you.
Prayers can be said for a great number of reasons, including giving thanks, blessing God’s majesty and power, gratitude for sacrificing His Son Jesus Christ for our sake, and for His creation. Praying isn’t just about asking for something for us, it’s also about offering thanks and blessings to heaven, for the Almighty God and His son Jesus for being there. For us. With us.
Your faith, regardless of whether you’re a beginner or have believed all your life, is not determined by the length of your prayers, but by their honesty, their humbleness, and in the strength of your faith and belief that your prayers will reach God’s ears, no matter when or how often you pray. So remember, it’s not how long should you pray. It’s when you pray, do so from the depths of your heart and soul.
