Ephesians 6:18-20 (NIV)

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

“Pray Always” – when can you pray during the day?

“with all kinds of prayer” – what kind of prayers can we pray?

Here are a few options that have been helpful to me:

Thanksgiving Prayer

Spend part of your prayer time offering no requests, just simply open up to God and tell him what you are thankful for. There is plenty to be the thankful for.

This type of prayer is about our perspective, reminding us to find joy in the things that God has given us rather than always focusing on our problems.

Pray with Scripture

This is ofter overlooked and underestimated in American Christianity. Spend time praying with Scripture, using the words and prayers found in the Bible as a doorway into deeper prayer.

You could pray the Lord’s Prayer (Matt.6 & Luke 11)
You could pray the Psalms (Psalm 23 & 51 as an example)
You could pray the prayers that Paul offers in his letters (Eph. 3:16-21 as an example)
John 17 – Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer
One-Sentence Prayer (“Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner)

This type of prayer is about formation, shaping us in a way that helps us pray not just about what we want, but bending our wants towards what God wants.

Intercessory Prayer

This is about learning how to pray effectively for others. It is asking God to intervene on behalf of someone else.

This is what Paul asks for from the church in Ephesus in 6:19., 20.

Read Daniel CH. 9 & 10. Daniel gets a rare glimpse into the spiritual realms and what is happening when he prays.

Prayer matters and prayer makes a difference.

This type of prayer is about change and resistance, we are partnering with God to change the world and resisting the power of the enemy,

Extemporaneous Prayer

This is how most of us pray. This is conversational. This is about opening up our hearts to God and sharing with Him our joys, our struggles, our requests, our petitions, etc.

This type of prayer is about relationship, reminding us of how close God is and how He wants to hear from us.