Ways to Pray: A to Z
There are many, many ways to connect with God in prayer, and below we’ve listed a few, in alphabetical order so you can easily search them.
Many of these ways to pray are explored in Practical Ideas for Praying, a booklet produced for a quiet day by St James the Less, Penicuik and St Mungo’s, West Linton. You can download Practical Ideas for Praying below.
This list is just a start, created for Thy Kingdom Come 2025, which ran from Ascension to Pentecost (29 May to 8 June 2025). We plan to add to it every few weeks, so do keep checking back. If you have any prayer ideas to include, please email dmmcadmin@dioceseofedinburgh.org.
A
Apps
Apps can be a springboard for prayer and create a structure for your prayer life. There are a number of tried-and-tested, free-of-charge mobile apps that can help you pray daily.
Pray as You Go includes music, daily Bible readings and meditations on those readings, including invitations to immerse yourself in a reading by imagining yourself as different characters within it.
Lectio 365 is based around the Lectio Divina (‘sacred reading’) idea, and includes scripture readings, meditations on scripture, and prayers. There is a daily programme of morning, midday and evening prayers.
Daily Prayer from the Church of England includes morning, evening and night prayer in text and podcast versions. The Church of England also offers Time to Pray, a more contemporary version of Common Worship in an app and podcast.
B
Breath prayers
Breath prayers are prayers of a few words that can be prayed as you breathe in and out. The Jesus Prayer can be prayed as a breath prayer. People sometimes create or adopt a particular breath prayer for a season, moving to others as their circumstances and needs change. In this video, Revd Fee Reynolds, Diocesan Advisor for Christian Life, describes to us her current breath prayer.
C
Confession
Why do we need confession? The Practical Ideas for Praying booklet says:
‘None of us is perfect, and we all can intentionally or unintentionally do things that cause others harm, or can cause harm to our own selves. We can also fail to do something; this can be detrimental to ourselves or to others.
Our God is a God of love who wishes each one of us to be the best that we can be, to fulfil our divine purpose. God invites us into a relationship, knowing that we are not perfect as Jesus was perfect. God’s grace and mercy endure for ever; God is steadfast in love.
For these reasons, we often wish to reflect on those things that we have done or failed to do, and lift the weight from our hearts and minds because we recognise that they have hindered God’s kingdom from being present in someone’s life or ours.’
The Practical Ideas for Praying booklet contains some prayers of confession that are used in church services. These might help you. Or you can say your own prayer of confession. As the booklet says: ‘Words from your heart to God are always received with love.’
D
Driving
At the BIG Day 2025 we asked people to tell us about one way they prayed. Here, a busy mum talks about grabbing a few minutes’ peace while driving.
Praying can be difficult when you have young children. Susanna Wesley, mother of John, Charles and many other children, famously would throw her apron over her head when she needed a moment to pray.
When you’re busy, it can help to remember that God is near, which means that you might only need few seconds to connect with him before you get on with your day. The ‘Indwelling God’ chapter in the Practical Ideas for Praying booklet (p. 10) includes ideas about how to practise God’s presence in this way.
E
Examen
The Examen is a way to review our life, and God’s presence with us, and many people practise it at the end of the day. The Practical Ideas for Praying booklet takes you through the steps of an Examen.
If you would prefer to be guided through the prayer, there is an example in the Pray as You Go app or try a YouTube video like this one.
F
Five-Finger Prayer
The Five-Finger Prayer is attributed to Pope Francis, and it’s an easy way to remember who to pray for. It might help to touch or hold each part of the hand as you go through the prayer.
The thumb: this is closest to you, so begin by praying for those closest – your loved ones.
Index finger: the pointing finger. Pray for those, such as teachers, doctors and priests, who teach, instruct and heal.
Middle finger: the tallest finger. Pray for leaders – people who manage the destiny of our nation and influence public opinion.
Ring finger: the weakest finger. Pray for the weakest, people facing challenges, those who are sick.
Little finger: the smallest finger. Pray for yourself having prayed for everyone else. If you do this, you’re likely to look on your own needs from a new perspective.
G
Gratitude
To express your gratitude for all you have, you can offer prayers of thanksgiving to God. The Practical Ideas for Praying booklet says of thanksgiving prayer:
‘It is always easy to rush through life, accepting as a matter of course when things go well for us. When we pray and ask for guidance from God, how often do we acknowledge and give thanks for that guidance?
‘To improve your “thanksgiving” perspective, you may wish to keep a journal and note down your blessings either as they happen or when you review your day in some quiet time. A journal can help you recall specific blessings rather than a general sense of thanksgiving. A journal can also be a great well of spiritual nourishment for when you need encouragement and times are tough.’
H
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is our helper, guide, advocate and friend. What’s more, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit ‘will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you’ (John 14:26). For these reasons and more, you may wish to start your prayer time with the simple words ‘Come, Holy Spirit’.
I
Intercession
When we intercede, we pray for other people or situations. There is some guidance on intercessory prayer in the Practical Ideas for Praying booklet (p. 24).
Sometimes we cannot find the words to pray. In these situations, we can simply ‘offer up’ a situation or a person to God – with incoherent sounds or without any words at all. The Apostle Paul says that in these situations the Holy Spirit intercedes for us (Romans 8:26).
J
Jesus Prayer
The Jesus Prayer – ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner’ –has been used for many centuries. Christians, including those in monastic communities, repeat it when they want to turn to and/or maintain focus on God throughout the day.
Some people combine the words with a movement of their breath, akin to a breath prayer. It is usual to say the words over one or two full breath cycles.
K
Kinetic prayer
Kinetic prayer is prayer while you’re in motion – it engages your whole body in prayer. In this video, Tim Hatton of Wilf’s Place, Hawick describes how he prays while out running:
Other movement options are available!
L
Lectio Divina
‘Lectio divina’ means ‘sacred reading’ and is the practice of reading a piece of scripture a number of times to allow meaning to emerge in a way that we might miss on a single reading.
In this video, Revd Dr Harriet Harris, University Chaplain and Head of the Chaplaincy Service at the University of Edinburgh, describes how she engages with the Gospels through lectio divina.
If you’d like to try lectio divina, there’s a suggested process on p. 9 of the Practical Ideas for Praying booklet.
M
Morning prayers
What’s the first thing you do when you open your eyes in the morning? For many Christians, prayer is the way they start their day. In this video, Jennifer from St Salvador’s, Stenhouse, describes her morning prayers.
N
Nature
The wonder we feel at God’s creation can be a precursor to prayer. We can feel this wonder on a walk in the countryside or in a park, or if we visit the sea.
Simply sitting quietly in a garden is a way to connect with God. If you don’t have your own garden, why not visit a garden at one of our churches? Find a church.
O
Our Father …
If you’re uncertain where to start with prayer, or even if you have years of prayer experience, the Lord’s Prayer – the prayer Jesus taught – is worth visiting, revisiting and continuing to explore. It also has the added benefit of being familiar to many of us. Pray it slowly and thoughtfully, and see what arises within you.
Here are the two versions of the Lord’s Prayer most often used in the Scottish Episcopal Church:
| Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Do not bring us to the time of trial but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen. | Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. |
The Lord’s Prayer is the theme of Thy Kingdom Come 2025. Explore the Lord’s Prayer resources on the Thy Kingdom Come website.
P
Psalms
The Psalms have been described as the Bible’s prayer book. Some are long (Psalm 119); some are short (Psalm 131). Some are very well known (Psalm 23); others are less well known (Psalm 113). As a whole, they cover a vast range of human experience and emotion – love, praise, wonder, longing, frustration, lament, even hatred.
Psalms lend themselves well to being committed to memory, and if you work on doing this with a few favourites, you will find they return to you, like hidden treasures, just when you need them.
The Practical Ideas for Praying booklet recommends psalms for different types of prayer – and especially lament, a type of prayer in which we cry out to God in pain or confusion. Around a quarter of the Psalms can be used as prayers of lament. See p. 15 for the list.
Q
Quiet place
‘Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.’ (Mark 1:35)
Many of us need to go somewhere quiet in order to pray privately on our own. In this video, Bishop John talks about going to a quiet place as one of the ways he prays.
R
Rosary
The Rosary is a set of prayers that can be prayed with beads that serve as a reminder of each element. Revd Oliver Brewer-Lennon, who features in the video, explains why the Rosary is one way he prays: ‘I pray the Rosary to slow down and pay attention. Its steady rhythm gives structure to my prayer, allowing space to reflect on Christ’s life and to bring others before God – often without needing many words. It helps me stay rooted when life feels scattered.’
Oliver produced this document to support young people to pray the rosary, or here are more ideas from the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio.
S
Stillness
‘Be still and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46). Stillness is a good way to start your prayer time, and indeed your day.
In the Practical Ideas for Praying booklet (p. 7) it says:
‘Stillness means “letting go” of any agenda, your ego, your desires and the busyness of life.
‘Often it helps to light a candle and to then focus on the candle flame, or to close your eyes and remain in this place and state of stillness for a while.
‘God may speak to you, or it may be that after this time of stillness you feel refreshed and able to see the world through God’s eyes, through Jesus’ eyes, and live a life with more love, grace and mercy as you view all people as beloved by God and born in the image of God.’
T
Together
Praying together unites us with one purpose, and also adds strength to our petitions. It can take many forms.
- You can meet with a group and pray for each other, the wider community and the world – in person or online. This could be a prayer meeting; often, it’s church!
- You can follow a prayer programme or diary, where you pray on the same day for the same things. Our Diocesan Prayer Diary is an example of this; daily apps are another.
- You can join a prayer event such as Thy Kingdom Come – a few days when you feel part of a wider, perhaps global, movement.
- You can join people online: see Zoom prayers for more information.
U
Up
‘When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?’ (Psalm 8)
Go outside on a clear night and lift your eyes to the stars. Or find a safe place to lie down and spend some time looking up. It’s hard not to feel at least some wonder at the vastness of the universe, how small you feel in comparison, and then wonder again at the fact that God loves you.
V
Visio Divina
Visio Divina (‘sacred seeing’) is a form of contemplative prayer that uses a visual prompt – the view in front of you, a painting, a photo… the Practical Ideas for Praying booklet includes a section on ‘Praying through art’ (p. 23) that you might want to explore.
Find an image. The Visual Commentary on Scripture website is full of images inspired by the Bible, but it need not be an explicitly religious image you choose.
Take a moment to be still and quiet.
Let your gaze take in the whole image. What do you notice? Colours, shapes, objects, people?
What is it that your eyes keep coming back to? Stay with that for a few minutes. What do you notice? How do you feel? What are you reminded of? What might God be saying to you? What do you want to say to God? Take as long as you want, have, or need.
Close your eyes and still yourself again. Give thanks for this time with God.
W
Worship
Prayer is an integral part of all church worship. Whenever you attend a church service there will be the opportunity to pray with others.
You can also use worship within your own personal prayer time. Hymns and worship songs are like prayers set to music – why not revisit some old, well-known hymns and really examine the words, or listen to some sacred music? There is also a wide selection of new worship music available on platforms like Spotify and YouTube if you search ‘Worship music’.
X
X marks the spot
Churches can be sanctuaries for the soul – somewhere to sit in God’s presence. If a church building isn’t open, its porch or its garden may be an accessible place for you to spend a quiet few moments with God. Find a church near you on our diocesan map, and find out more about what the diocese offers in terms of buildings and quiet spaces.
Y
Yielding
Yielding is saying to God, ‘Your will be done’. Sometimes this is uncomfortable – seeking God’s will might mean letting go of our own agenda, our own will, in a situation.
A useful way to represent this is to sit with the backs of your hands on your lap, then clench your fists, imagining your will, or your agenda in a certain area, within them. Hold it fast. Then, slowly, open up your hands. If you like, pray ‘Lord, your will be done’ as you do this.
‘Yield’ is the ‘Y’ in the PRAY model of prayer described in the Practical Ideas for Praying booklet. Read more on p. 21.
Z
Zoom prayers
If we cannot be together in one room, Zoom (or other video conferencing or live-streaming platforms) can be a good way to pray together. This works especially well for those who live somewhere remote or who are unable to leave home. Such technology also means you can connect with people right across the world.
If you’re hosting Zoom prayers, it’s a good idea to start with a prayer of approach – this could be a psalm – and post a few prayer points (perhaps in the chat function) before you launch into prayer with others. Then have a final blessing – again, based on scripture – ready for the end of the prayer session. There’s no reason why you can’t have a chat before and afterwards, too!
The Meditation Chapel is a Zoom-based centre for prayer groups of different kinds. Registering with them allows you to join various groups, from around the world, at different times of the day. St Cuthbert’s, Colinton hosts Morning Prayer on Zoom on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and St Peter’s, Galashiels, holds a Zoom Prayer Group on Monday evenings.
Or join a live stream from one of our own churches. Facebook is a good place to find them – St Leonard’s, Lasswade and St Mary’s, Dalkeith stream midweek and Sunday services; St Fillan’s, Buckstone streams Morning Prayer at 9:20am from Monday to Thursday; Old Saint Paul’s in Edinburgh live streams Morning Prayer and Mass at 8am from Monday to Friday; St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral live streams Sunday services and offers Morning and Evening Prayer on Zoom; St James the Less, Penicuik and St Mungo’s, West Linton offer Morning and Evening Prayer on Zoom, as well as other services.
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