According to the Pew Research Center, fifty-five percent of people in the United States claim to pray every day. Sixteen percent claim to pray weekly. For the majority of people, regular prayer is something we aspire to do. The Bible instructs us to pray regularly. In fact, it tells us to pray without ceasing.

If so many people are praying every day and God wants us to pray all the time, why does it often feel like we are so bad at it? There may be multiple answers to this question. However, one solution rises above the rest.

The top reason we are bad at prayer is pride. Prayer, by definition, is an act of humility. We are talking to God about the needs and circumstances of our lives. The very act of talking to God has several humility-producing ramifications.

1. We admit God is there. For some of us, this may be a hard thing to realize. But it is true, nonetheless. God is there.
2. We admit we're not God. We don't have the strength, power, wisdom, or ability to take care of the needs and circumstances in our life.
3. We declare we need God. When we pray, we are stating we need God. We need him to work on our behalf. Even when we're thanking Him after the fact, we are still acknowledging our dependence upon him.

If you're struggling with prayer, perhaps the first place to start is by confessing your pride and self-reliance to God. He is longing for you to turn to him. Humble yourself, admit your weakness and sin, and ask for forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

After humbling ourselves, prayer can still be a challenge. Adopting these five tips can help you improve your prayer life.

It is easy to get distracted from prayer. The kids are running around, work is beckoning, your stomach is growling, and the dog next door won't stop barking. Having a prayer list helps us when the inevitable distractions occur. A prayer list helps us remember to pray for that friend or colleague who shared something at lunch, and you promised–"I'll pray for you." Prayer lists allow us to keep track of how God answers our prayers.

Prayer List Options

• Blank Piece of Paper–Not fancy, but it's cheap and effective. Just don't lose it.
• Prayer Journal–Write out your prayers and discussions with God. You can see how God changes you and your prayers over time.
• Prayer Guide–Find a prayer guide in Scripture (i.e., The Lord's Prayer: Matthew 6:5-15) or use one prepared by a church or ministry you respect. You can download Branch Life's "Pray First" prayer guide here.
• Apps–Technology provides some fantastic resources to help us, even with our prayers. Using a notes organization app like Evernote can be very helpful. Several prayer apps are available for mobile devices. Some from Branch Life are using Echo. Most mobile apps can push notifications to remind you to pray throughout the day.

Being part of a team provides routine, accountability, and camaraderie. Teams are resourced to perform at their peak. Prayer teams can give some of these same advantages. We are better together!

Prayer Team Options

• Church Sponsored Team–Your church likely has at least one prayer team. There may be teams at your church who pray for missionaries, the sick, community needs, and more. At Branch Life, we have an online group of people who pray once a week for Branch Life and the Pottstown communities. If you're not already part of this team, please join now. We also have a Sunday Prayer team that prays before, during, and after our Sunday Worship Experiences. You can discover more about that team here.
• Your Small Group–Groups of believers that meet regularly make great prayer teams. You may be part of a neighborhood group, a women's or men's group, or a service team. Each of these can and should feature prayer.
• Online–Missionaries are always looking for prayer team members. Social networks like Facebook have prayer groups you can join. Find groups committed to Jesus and the Bible and pray, pray, pray!

More specific than a group. Find one or more people who you can pray with regularly. Don't just ask one another about prayer or prayer requests. Get together in-person or electronically and pray. Even in Jesus' most intense time of prayer right before his crucifixion, he asked a few men to pray with him.

Pray With Your Family

If your married or have kids, you have built-in prayer partners.

• Pray with your kids–Use bedtime to pray with your kids. Ask them to pray, talking about what they're thankful for, and what concerns them. Then you do likewise.
• Pray with your spouse–Spend 10 minutes or more praying together each day.

Many people in Scripture had a special place where they often prayed. Daniel prayed three times a day at his window while facing Jerusalem. Jesus often retreated to a mountain or garden. The patriarchs of the Old Testament marked places of personal interaction with God by leaving stone monuments so they could return and remember in the future.

Having a quiet, private place to prayer can help you be more focused while talking with God.

Possible Prayer Places

• Your favorite chair
• A home office or spare room
• The porch or deck
• A closet

Saying thank you to God forces us to remember the point of prayer. There is a danger that prayer can become more about us than about God. Saying "thank you" more than "please help me" in your prayers will transform your prayer life. How many things can you thank God for today?

The discipline of fasting was not initially designed to be a weight-loss technique. Fasting, the intentional skipping of meals, is designed to highlight our dependence upon God and need to pray for his help. Each time the hunger pangs hit, we pause and ask God for strength rather than getting hangry.

When you are facing a significant life event or desiring a stronger connection with Christ, add purposeful, spiritual fasting to your routine.

Hopefully, improving your prayer life is a lifelong pursuit. These five tips will help you take the next step towards more consistent and meaningful conversations with God. Start small and grow. God is waiting to hear from you.