"But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Matthew 6:6

Many people pray with a quiet worry in the back of their minds: "Am I doing this right?" Some are afraid of using the wrong words. Others feel they need a special posture, a sacred place, or memorized prayers before God will listen.

The disciples had the same question. After watching Jesus pray, one of them asked, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). The good news is that Jesus answered, and the rest of Scripture fills in that answer. If you are just starting out, it also helps to read how to build a daily prayer habit, because praying well and praying consistently go together.

Below: what it means to pray correctly, eight biblical principles with the verses behind them, the place of the Lord's Prayer, the most common mistakes, the role of the Holy Spirit, a simple step-by-step guide, and an honest word for when the answer is slow to come.

What Does It Mean to Pray Correctly?

Praying correctly is not about getting a formula right. It is talking to God the way He Himself taught us: with sincerity, humility, and faith, in Jesus' name, in line with His will, and with a heart at peace with others.

The Bible does not require one single posture. People pray standing (Mark 11:25), kneeling (Daniel 6:10), or face down on the ground (Matthew 26:39). Hannah prayed without a sound: "only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard" (1 Samuel 1:13). Nehemiah prayed a split-second prayer in front of the king, between a question and his answer: "So I prayed to the God of heaven" (Nehemiah 2:4).

In other words, the outward form is free. What Scripture looks at is the heart. "The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth" (Psalm 145:18). The key word is "truth": God is looking for honest prayer, not perfect prayer.

What the Bible Teaches About How to Pray: 8 Principles

The principles below bring together Jesus' teaching in the Gospels and the apostles' teaching in the letters. Each one includes its key verse and what it means in context. Together, they answer the disciples' question: how do we pray in a way that pleases God?

1

Matthew 6:7-8 — sincerely, without empty phrases

"And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."

What it teachesJesus is not banning repeated requests. He Himself prayed the same words three times in Gethsemane. What He corrects is the idea that many words can "force" God to listen. Prayer does not inform God or win Him over by volume. It is a child talking to a Father who already knows the need.
2

Luke 18:13 — with humility

"But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'"

What it teachesIn the parable, the Pharisee prayed a long prayer about his own virtues. The tax collector prayed one short sentence asking for mercy. Jesus concluded that it was the tax collector who "went down to his house justified" (Luke 18:14). Praying correctly starts with recognizing who God is and who we are.
3

Mark 11:24 — with faith

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

What it teachesFaith here is not a technique for getting things out of God. It is trusting that He hears and acts. Jesus said this beside the withered fig tree, to show that prayer rests on God's power, not on the strength of the person praying. This verse needs to be read together with principle 5, about God's will.
4

John 14:13 — in Jesus' name

"Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

What it teachesPraying "in Jesus' name" is not a password you add at the end. It means coming to God trusting in what Jesus has done, not in our own merit. It also means asking for what Jesus would ask for, so that the Father is glorified. That is why Scripture says we can "with confidence draw near to the throne of grace" (Hebrews 4:16).
5

1 John 5:14 — according to God's will

"And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us."

What it teachesThis is the balance to Mark 11:24. Faith trusts God, not a guarantee of getting exactly what we asked for. Praying according to God's will means asking freely, but ending the way Jesus taught in the Lord's Prayer: "your will be done" (Matthew 6:10). The better we know His Word, the more our requests start to look like His will.
6

Philippians 4:6 — with thanksgiving, about everything

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

What it teachesNo subject is too small for prayer: "in everything." And every request comes with gratitude for what God has already done. The promise in the next verse is not that everything will turn out the way we want, but that "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts" (Philippians 4:7).
7

Romans 8:26 — with the help of the Holy Spirit

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."

What it teachesPaul admits what every Christian feels: "we do not know what to pray for as we ought." Praying correctly does not depend on knowing everything. When words run out, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. That takes away the pressure to perform and gives prayer back its simplicity.
8

Luke 18:1 — with perseverance

"And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart."

What it teachesThe parable of the persistent widow does not teach that God is a reluctant judge. It teaches that the Father is far better than the judge in the story, and that is exactly why it is worth continuing to pray. Perseverance is not repeating empty words. It is refusing to stop trusting while the answer has not yet come.

Read together, these eight principles paint a clear picture. Correct prayer is sincere (Matthew 6:7-8) and humble (Luke 18:13). It trusts God (Mark 11:24), rests on Jesus (John 14:13), and submits to the Father's will (1 John 5:14). It gives thanks in everything (Philippians 4:6), relies on the Spirit's help (Romans 8:26), and does not give up (Luke 18:1).

Notice that none of these principles is about magic words, a required hour, or body posture. All of them are about the heart. And a model for the heart is exactly what Jesus gave when the disciples asked Him to teach them to pray.

The Lord's Prayer: the Model Jesus Left Us

Jesus' answer to "teach us to pray" was the Lord's Prayer: "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'" (Matthew 6:9-10). The rest of the prayer asks for daily bread, forgiveness, and protection from evil.

The order teaches a lot. God comes first: His name, His kingdom, and His will. Our needs come after. The Lord's Prayer can be prayed word for word, but it works even better as an outline for our own words. The article What was the prayer of Jesus? looks at this model in detail, along with His prayer in Gethsemane and in John 17.

Common Prayer Mistakes, According to the Bible

Scripture is also clear about what gets in the way of prayer. Knowing these mistakes is not a reason to be afraid. It is an invitation to adjust the heart.

  • Praying to be seen. Jesus warned against those who "love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others" (Matthew 6:5). Public prayer is not wrong, but vanity empties it of value.
  • Asking with the wrong motives. "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions" (James 4:3). God is not a vending machine for our wishes.
  • Holding on to resentment. "And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses" (Mark 11:25). If that feels impossible right now, the guide on how to forgive someone who deeply hurt you can help.
  • Deliberately hiding sin. "If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened" (Psalm 66:18). The psalm is about knowingly holding on to sin, not about struggling against it. For those who confess, the promise is different: "he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins" (1 John 1:9).
  • Praying only in emergencies. Paul wrote, "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). That does not mean staying on your knees all day, but living in ongoing conversation with God, as the article on what it means to pray without ceasing explains.

The Holy Spirit and Prayer

Christian prayer is not a solo effort. Paul tells believers to keep "praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication" (Ephesians 6:18). That means the Holy Spirit takes part in our prayer: He reminds us of God's promises, gives direction to our requests, and intercedes when our words run out (Romans 8:26).

In practice, praying in the Spirit means starting by asking God to guide the prayer itself. It means making room for silence and being willing to change the request halfway through. To understand Him better, read who is the Holy Spirit. To see how that sensitivity carries into everyday life, read how to discern God's voice in daily life.

Step by Step: How to Pray Correctly Today

  • Set aside a place and a few minutes

    Matthew 6:6 speaks of going into your room and shutting the door. It can be a bedroom, a parked car, or a corner of the house. What matters is removing distractions for a few minutes.

  • Start with God, not with requests

    "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!" (Psalm 100:4). Tell God who He is to you and thank Him for something specific before asking for anything, just as the Lord's Prayer does.

  • Confess and release forgiveness

    Bring what weighs on your conscience (1 John 1:9) and hand over to God the person who hurt you (Mark 11:25). The guide on how to ask God for forgiveness shows how to do this without crippling guilt.

  • Ask clearly, for yourself and for others

    Philippians 4:6 says to bring your requests "in everything." Include other people, as 1 Timothy 2:1 urges. The intercessory prayer guide helps you pray for others with more focus.

  • Surrender the outcome and be still

    End with "your will be done" (Matthew 6:10), in Jesus' name. Then stay quiet for a minute. Prayer is also listening, not just talking.

What If Prayer Seems to Go Unanswered?

Even when you pray the right way, there will be days when heaven seems silent. The Bible does not hide this. It is full of psalms from people who asked, "How long?" A slow answer does not prove you prayed wrongly. Often God answers "no" or "not yet," and both of those answers are also care.

The promise still stands: "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known" (Jeremiah 33:3). If you are in that season, the article how to keep faith when prayer goes unanswered was written for exactly this moment.

Quick Summary

  • 🙏Definition: praying correctly means talking to God the way He taught, not following a required formula, posture, or place
  • 📖8 principles: sincerity (Matthew 6:7-8), humility (Luke 18:13), faith (Mark 11:24), Jesus' name (John 14:13), God's will (1 John 5:14), thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6), the Spirit's help (Romans 8:26), and perseverance (Luke 18:1)
  • 🗝️Model: the Lord's Prayer puts God first and our needs second (Matthew 6:9-13)
  • ⚠️Mistakes to avoid: praying to be seen, asking with selfish motives, holding on to resentment, and deliberately hiding sin
  • ✅In practice: set aside a place, start with God, confess and forgive, ask clearly, and surrender the outcome

Related questions you might have:

What Was the Prayer of Jesus? What Does "Pray Without Ceasing" Mean? How to Keep Faith When Prayer Goes Unanswered

Keep reading about prayer and life in the Spirit:

How to Build a Daily Prayer Habit Morning Prayer: A Complete Guide Prayer and Fasting How to Cultivate Intimacy With God in the Busyness of Daily Life