Prayer is essential to a single person. Not the babbling of lifeless litanies, but a heart to heart talk with God. If prayer doesn’t bring you peace and assurance for your future relationship, maybe you are not praying the right way.

When you ask God for a life partner, do you approach Him lamenting that you are alone? Saying that if it goes on like this you will never have children… “Why did you forget me Lord? What did I do wrong, that stopped me from inheriting this promise? You would be more glorified if you would give me a husband or wife!”

These so-called prayers are long complaints that aren’t effective. When you are finished praying, you should leave happy. Convinced that you gave your fate into the hands of the Almighty, and filled with faith in His promises.

When you pray, first understand who you are talking to. The prayer given by Jesus in Matthew 6 begins with “Our Father”. Indeed you are talking to your Father, so you can approach Him with confidence. However He remains God, the King of kings over all the earth, so don’t think you can manipulate Him, control Him or criticize His work!

Even if you are angry regarding your singleness, begin your prayer by asking for forgiveness. This puts you back in a position of humility. You have been saved because you were lost, not because God wanted a new boss to constantly tell Him what to do! Repentance puts us in our proper place before God’s holiness.

Then continue with praise and gratitude for what He has already done for you. Thankfulness puts our demands in a better perspective. When we take time to thank Him, we realize that we have received more that we need. It’s like having a conversation with everybody. Isn’t it more interesting to start a conversation with compliments?

Once you are humble and grateful, you can open your heart and tell God your sorrows. Tell Him what you want, what you think you are missing. Be open. You’re not praying to inform God of your needs, He already knows them. (Matthew 6.8) You are praying to let go of your need, so that you can be free from it.

Then leave your request in His hands. Let Him decide how to respond. Take time to listen to His answer. Maybe one day He will show you a way to meet someone; perhaps another day He will rather show you what repels people and how to improve yourself… God has different ways to meet your needs. Just listen to Him.

Finish by confessing promises, declaring His greatness and supremacy over your life (Matthew 6.13). You should finish your time of prayer with faith, with a recharged hope, and a smile on your face. If you don’t feel like that, you probably didn’t pray in the right attitude.

Many Christians pray out of fear. For example, some are afraid that another religion will invade the Earth, and that Christianity will be eradicated. They pray fervently, but with anxiety. They do not pray in faith, their prayers are not positive or conquering; they are defensive or even pessimistic. This is not the right attitude in which to pray.

If we are chained by fear, it’s good to talk to God about it. But after praying, we should be free and walk with confidence. That is what prayer is for, after all!