I’ve always been drawn to the underdog—to the person who doesn’t believe they’re worthy of God’s best. But I didn’t realize that helping people believe in themselves would become the central calling of my life until a moment twenty-five years ago that I’ll never forget.

I was a young student pastor in my first job at a church. One Sunday morning, I was told the senior pastor wanted to see me. I walked into his office to find two dozen of our students gathered there. I quickly realized I was the only one who didn’t know what this meeting was about. The pastor began calling out some of the struggles these students were facing. One student had been using drugs, another student was sleeping with her boyfriend, and another had missed too many church services. The pastor’s intention, I believe now, was to help these teenagers take their faith seriously. But as each struggle was shared out loud in front of the group, I felt a knot tighten in my stomach. These were hurting kids. Kids who needed grace and guidance. Kids, I loved.

When the pastor finished, he turned to me and said, “Micah, you will lead a prayer meeting every morning at 6:00 am for the next three months, and every student here will attend.” His goal was good. He wanted them to pray so they could refocus their life and pursue God, but in that moment, it felt like prayer had become a punishment. So we showed up. For three months, we prayed. But once our time ended. I handed in my resignation, and I left that role with two deep convictions: people need grace, and people need help praying. That’s why I wrote this book.

Prayer is one of the most essential parts of the Christian life—and yet, for many of us, it’s also one of the hardest. If we’re honest, we often feel stuck before we even begin. You want to pray. You know you should pray. But when you muster the courage to try, you struggle to feel good at it. That’s why prayer is called a spiritual discipline. It takes practice.  But if prayer is so vital, why is it so hard?

Maybe we feel too busy. Life moves fast. There’s always something else to do—something that feels more urgent. We tell ourselves we’ll pray later, but later turns into tomorrow, and tomorrow turns into next week. Before we know it, days have passed without a single quiet moment with God.

Or maybe we feel unworthy. We think, “Why would God want to hear from me? I’m not spiritual enough. I don’t even know what to say.” So we avoid prayer, not because we don’t care, but because we feel inadequate or intimidated. 

Then there’s the simple fact that we’re constantly distracted by our phones and our thoughts. Sitting in silence before God can feel unnatural, even uncomfortable. It takes effort to quiet our minds, to turn off the noise, and to listen.

If you can relate to any of these challenges, you’re not alone. Even Jesus’ disciples struggled to pray. That’s why one day, they came to Him and asked him, “Teach us how to pray.” In response, Jesus didn’t focus on techniques or advice; instead, he gave them simple words to say:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
For yours is the kingdom and the power 
and the glory forever. 
Amen.

Jesus believed that this prayer—the Lord’s Prayer—was the best way for His disciples to learn to pray. So that’s what we’re going to use to help us learn how to pray, too.

How To Use This Book?

This is a simple book because I believe prayer should be simple. I’ve broken the Lord’s prayer into 10 phrases. Each chapter focuses on one phrase. You will learn what it means, why it’s important, and most importantly, how to pray it. I’ve also included some of my favorite inspirational stories about prayer. It’s a great reminder that Christians have been praying for thousands of years, my requests and struggles are nothing new.

You can use this book however you want, but I recommend reading one chapter each day. When you’re finished, you will have prayed 10 days in a row. The goal is not to finish, it’s to experience the Lord’s prayer—word by word, line by line—until it becomes part of how you see and speak to God every day.

So, let me encourage you to pick a time and place to read and pray each day. If you miss a day, don’t start over—just start again. And remember this: there are no perfect prayers, only honest ones. The Lord already knows what you need and what you want. So what you say is much less important than simply showing up. There will be times when your mind wanders. There will be days when you feel nothing. You may stumble over your words or not even know what to say. That’s okay. C. S. Lewis reminds us that “what seem our worst prayers may really be, in God’s eyes, our best.” 

The Lord’s Prayer is short enough to memorize in a few minutes—and deep enough to pray for the rest of your life. So whether you’re just learning to pray, getting back into the habit, or simply looking to refresh your spiritual life, this book is for you. Let’s begin.