I’ve received a lot of requests to write about praying together. In one of my previous posts I touched on how important it is to pray together but a lot of people have been wondering how to pray together on a regular basis. I understand how this can be an intimidating activity, so I’ve listed a few ways that can get you going.

Once again, it’s so important in a Christ-centered relationship to be praying together on a regular basis. Across the board, Christian couples who pray together can tell you how important it is in becoming closer to God and making Him the center of your relationship. Is it somewhat awkward at first? It definitely can be, but the rewards are great.

Once you find a quiet area where the two of you can be alone, one of the first things that you should do before you pray together is simply talk. Ask each other prayer requests, joys and concerns. I’ve found that even having a casual conversation before praying can bring up issues that would otherwise not be mentioned.  It’s important to talk before praying, but make sure that talking does not become the focus of your time together! Remember, you came together to PRAY! After you have listened to each other’s prayer requests, go to God in prayer.

I’ve listed a number of different ways that you can pray together. Some couples like to pray different ways, while others prefer to do the same thing over and over again. Either way you look at it, God just wants you to talk to Him! All the ways to pray together have no time limit. You shouldn’t be putting a time limit with God! Feel free to go as long (or as short) as you want with any of these ways. Remember, you and your boyfriend/girlfriend may not prefer exactly the same way of praying and that’s OK - just remember that you need to pray together!

Traditional Praying - The reason I call this “traditional prayer” is that this is how I grew up praying. In my family, we would often list prayer requests and then each take a turn praying. It may not be traditional to you (maybe you grew up a different way) and that’s OK! The way traditional praying is done between a couple is that one person prays, followed by the other person and then the prayer is over. I’m not going to lie - this is the way I feel most comfortable, but my fiance feels differently.

Popcorn Prayers - I’ve been to a number of retreats where this is very popular. If you feel intimidated to pray with the other person, this is a great way to go to God together. The way that Popcorn Prayer works is that you say one thing at a time and then switch to the other person. You switch back and forth until you can’t think of anything more. For example, I would pray about one thing and then my fiance would pray for one thing and we just continue back and forth. I’ve found that by praying this way you are more attentive to your surroundings and can praise God about them!

Praying Before Meals - This is a great way to incorporate God into your every day life. Don’t think that you only come together in prayer in your private life. Whether you are at home or in a restaurant, take some time and pray together before your meal. You can do this separately, or have someone say a verbal prayer for both of you (I really like the verbal prayer).

Pray if there is something that is causing stress - I’ve done this a number of times and found that it really calms me (and my fiance) down. There are a number of different things that can be causing stress, so this is something that is unique to each couple. For example, if you are about to go into the dentist office to have you wisdom teeth removed, come together as a couple and pray. Pray for the doctors, pray that your boyfriend/girlfriend is calm and any other things that you can think of. All situtations are different and therefore prayer is important because every time you pray God is listening!

This is a small list of ways that you can pray together. There are countless ways that you can go to God. If you ever doubt that God is not doing anything, relax, He’s listening! Go to God in prayer on a regular basis and you will become closer to Him.