Cultivating Prayer Habits in 2026
With the start of the new year, like many, we want to work on creating new habits in the new year. Habits that create better versions of ourselves. One new habit you might be considering is prayer.
There are quite a few reasons to consider cultivating prayer as a new habit this year. When we look in Scripture we can see that prayer can provide more benefits for us than just directly communicating with God. Through prayer we are able to receive peace, give thanks, improve our outlook on situations, and grow in a closer relationship with God. A few examples of people that prayed in the Bible that we are going to look at are Daniel, David, and Jesus. We will examine the shared practices of these individuals and the factors that contributed to their consistent prayer lives.
In Daniel 6:10, we have the example of Daniel praying three times a day. It says that he did this every day, it was a habit. Even when he heard about the new law that was put in place that he was to pray to the king only, Daniel still went and prayed to God. In the face of adversity, Daniel still went to God and prayed. Daniel was committed to his habit of praying and talking to God even when it was outlawed.
In Matthew 5:13-24, we find Jesus had been with a large crowd of people, healing their sick and performing miracles. After the long day and the news that he had received that John the Baptist had passed away, Jesus went to a mountainside to pray. He went to this mountainside by himself to pray. He got away from the noise and out in nature to slow down and speak to God in prayer.
David created many of the psalms (similar to poems) as ways to speak of what God has done in his life, but also when he went through difficult times as a way to talk to God. When reading through some of the psalms written by David, it is almost like we are reading through a prayer journal that he kept. There were times in his life where it was easier to praise God and talk to him about how he (David) was blessed. There are also some psalms that are written where it seems more like David is crying out and begging God to help him through whatever he was facing.
Each of these examples we can find in scripture, we can see a few things that they each had in common.
They were in the habit of praying.
They talked to God in the good and bad times of life.
They would go to a quiet spot to pray.
These three practices, when combined, can be instrumental in cultivating and reinforcing a habit of prayer. When creating a new habit, we have to be consistent, not perfect. If you have a hard time remembering to pray, set an alarm on your phone to remind yourself to pray. Talking to God can be difficult at times, but go to Him in prayer when you have good or bad things going on in your life. Be like David and be truthful to God about how you feel in the moments. He can handle it. Finally try to find a quiet spot like Jesus did. Get away from the noise of life, leave your phone on the kitchen table and go pray in your room. When praying, try to have as few distractions as possible. This will help you to tune in on what God may be telling you in those moments.
If you are looking for a few more ideas on how to cultivate your prayer habits, look at the following list of ideas.
Keeping a Prayer Journal
Scheduling Time in Your Day to Pray
Set an alarm on your phone or a reminder.
Get outside and go on a prayer walk.
Get creative and make a prayer board.
Memorize Scripture
Deep Breathing Prayer
Answered Prayer Jar
Prayer Prompt Cards