In Luke 11:1, after observing Jesus in prayer, one of His disciples asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” That simple request tells us a lot about prayer! It’s something you learn, something you grow in, something you practice. It’s not a given. It’s not automatic. You begin with the basics and build on it and grow in it and continue for a lifetime. Much like learning to ride a bicycle. You start with a tricycle, you move to training wheels, and after a few falls and bumps, you find yourself peddling away on two wheels!

Today is the first in a series of 7 posts designed to give us some practical tips and helps and encouragement for growing in our prayer lives this year. Prayer, like any other spiritual discipline, needs to be learned, exampled, taught, encouraged, prioritized, etc. We have a heavenly Father. He is watching and listening. So let’s be praying!

As with any subject matter, reading a good book is always helpful. It is the same with prayer. Reading sound, solid works on prayer helps to guide us scripturally, give us examples and tools, and motivate us to pray. While there are many good books on prayer, here are 4 “Ms” to get us started: