God gave humans a unique gift—the ability to communicate with him and to express their feelings to him by means of prayer. The prophet David prayed: “O Hearer of prayer, to you people of all sorts will come.” (Psalm 65:2) But how can we pray in order to be heard and blessed by God?

Your personal prayers allow you to pour out your heart before God—to convey your true feelings. (Psalm 62:8) The Almighty cherishes sincere prayers from the heart.

Although God has many titles, he has only one personal name. “I am Jehovah. That is my name.” (Isaiah 42:8) The name Jehovah appears some 7,000 times in the Holy Scriptures. Many prophets addressed God by his personal name. Abraham said: “Jehovah, please, . . . let me go on speaking [with you].” (Genesis 18:30) We too should use God’s name, Jehovah, when we pray.

God understands our thoughts and feelings no matter what language we speak. His Word assures us: “God is not partial, but in every nation the man who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”—Acts 10:34, 35.

However, to be blessed by God, we need to do more than pray. In the following articles, we will examine what we need to do.