The Various Types of Prayer
Prayer is an incredibly personal experience, and as such there are many different ways to pray. Some people choose to kneel, some choose to sit, and some choose to stand. Some people pray with their eyes open, and some pray with their eyes closed. Some people pray out loud, and some people pray silently.
Petition
Petition is a type of prayer in which we ask God for something. This could be something for ourselves, like healing or strength in the midst of difficulties, or it could be for someone else, like a loved one who is going through a hard time. It could also be a prayer for things that are going on in the world around us, like an end to violence or natural disasters.
Petitionary prayers can be found in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. In the Old Testament, we see examples of petitionary prayers from people like Abraham (Genesis 15:1-6), Moses (Exodus 32:11-14), and Hannah (1 Samuel 1:27-28). In the New Testament, we see examples of petitionary prayers from Jesus Himself (Matthew 6:9-10) and from His disciples (Acts 4:24-30).
Petitionary prayers are an important part of our relationship with God. They remind us that we are not alone in this world and that He is always ready and willing to help us with whatever we may need.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a form of prayer in which we give thanks to God for all His blessings. We may give thanks for our daily bread, for our families and friends, for our health, for our homes, for our jobs, for our country, and for all the many other blessings God has given us. Thanksgiving is a time to come together with family and friends and to reflect on all the ways God has blessed us. It is also a time to express our gratitude to God for His love and care.
Worship
When we worship God, we exalt Him as supreme over all. We declare His greatness and worthiness of all praise, and we thank and praise Him for who He is and what He has done. This can be done corporately in church or individually in our personal prayer lives. Psalm 150 is a great passage that calls us to worship God with all that we are.
I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. 2 I will bless you every day; I will praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can estimate how great his greatness is! 4 One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. 5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty— and I will meditate on your wonderful works.[a] 6 People will talk about the might of your awesome acts, and I will proclaim your power. 7 They will make known to others the glorious deeds of the Lord— the majestic splendor of his righteousness. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious; he is slow to anger and abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse us,[b] nor hold our sins against us forever. 10 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.[c] 11 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him..
Intercession
In intercession, we approach God on behalf of others. We stand in the gap, taking hold of God’s promises and pleading with Him on behalf of our brothers and sisters, children, family members, government leaders, those who are lost and hurting, and even our enemies. This type of prayer is often associated with the word “intercessor.”
In Matthew 18:19-20, Jesus told His disciples: “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in My name, there I am with them.” In this passage, Jesus was teaching us the power of agreement in prayer. When we come together in agreement with other believers to pray for someone or something, He hears and answers our prayers.
Adoration
Adoration is acknowledging God as holy and worthy of all worship and praise. It is loving Him for who He is. We often mistakenly think that we should only adore God when we feel like it, but the truth is that we should daily, if not hourly, choose to adore Him whether we feel like it in the moment or not. Worship isn’t based on our emotions; it’s based on who God is. And because He is worthy, we need to make a decision to adore Him no matter what our emotions are telling us.
The best way to start training your heart to adore God more is to begin by reading about who He is in His Word, the Bible. As you read of His character and all that He has done, your heart will naturally be drawn to worship and praise Him. If you need help getting started, check out our list of 100 reasons why God deserves our worship and adoration.
The Different Approaches to Prayer
When it comes to prayer, people have different approaches. Some people pray multiple times a day, while others only pray when they feel they need to or when they are in a time of crisis. There is no right or wrong way to pray, but there are different approaches that people take. Let’s take a look at a few of the different approaches to prayer.
The “Our Father”
The Lord’s Prayer, also known as the Our Father, is the best-known prayer in Christianity. It is recited by billions of Christians around the world every day.
The Our Father is a powerful and moving prayer that has been recited by Christians for centuries. It is a beautiful expression of faith and a reminder of the loving relationship between God and His children.
When you pray the Our Father, you are aligning yourself with God’s will for your life and expressing your desire to follow His plan. This prayer can be a source of strength and comfort in times of trouble and a reminder of God’s love in times of joy.
The “Lord’s Prayer”
The “Lord’s Prayer” is a central prayer in Christianity. Its precise wording varies between different traditions, but it is almost always included in their canons of scriptures, liturgies, and catechisms.
The prayer is attributed to Jesus Christ himself in the Gospel of Matthew (6:9-13) and the Gospel of Luke (11:2-4). In the Gospel of Luke it appears as part of the teaching on how to pray rather than as an actual prayer to be said. In both accounts, after giving the text of the prayer Jesus says that when praying one should not “babble like the Gentiles” but instead pray “in secret.”
The Lord’s Prayer has also been included in some form in almost every Christian worship service for centuries. It remains a part of many Protestant and Catholic denominations’ worship today.
The “Serenity Prayer”
The “Serenity Prayer” is a prayer commonly said by many alcoholics and addicts in recovery. It is also used by some people who are not in recovery but who need help dealing with life’s difficulties. The origins of the prayer are unknown, but it is often attributed to theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. The prayer reads:
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”
The “Hail Mary”
The Hail Mary is a very popular Catholic prayer. It is traditionally said as follows:
“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”
This prayer is said in honor of the Virgin Mary, and it asks her to intercede on our behalf with her son Jesus.
The “Rosary”
The rosary is probably the best known and most popular Catholic devotion. The rosary is a set of prayers that honor the Virgin Mary. The prayers are said while holding a string of beads, called a rosary. Each bead represents a prayer, and there are five sets of ten beads, called decades. The prayers of the rosary include the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.
The Power of Prayer
Prayer is more than just a “feel good” activity. There is power in prayer. When you pray, you are tapping into something much bigger than yourself. Prayer can move mountains. It can change lives. It can even change the world.
Testimonies
Prayer can be a powerful tool to help us through tough times. Here are some testimonies from people who have experienced the power of prayer in their lives.
-I was facing a difficult situation at work and didn’t know what to do. I prayed for guidance and wisdom, and I felt like I received an answer. I knew what I needed to do, and it turned out to be the right thing.
-I was going through a tough divorce and felt like I couldn’t make it through. I prayed for strength and courage, and I felt like God lifted me up. I made it through the divorce and am now doing better than ever.
-I was diagnosed with a serious illness, and I was scared. I prayed for healing, and I believe that God healed me. I am now healthy and doing well.
Scientific Studies
A 2008 study by Harvard researchers found that people who are religious and pray regularly are more likely to enjoy better health and live longer than those who don’t. The study, which was published in the online journal PLoS ONE, tracked the health of over 4,000 people for eight years.
The researchers found that people who reported being more religious and attending religious services frequently were 36 percent less likely to die during the study period than those who were less religious. People who prayed daily were 23 percent less likely to die than those who didn’t pray at all.
There have been other studies that have reached similar conclusion. A 2006 study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior found that people who regularly attended religious services had a 36 percent lower risk of dying over a 16-year period than those who didn’t attend services.
And a 2002 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that older adults who attended religious services once a week or more were 20 percent less likely to die during a nine-year period than those who didn’t attend services.
Prayer in the Bible
Prayer is an act of communication with God. The Bible records many types of prayers and uses many different words to describe the practice. The same Greek word translated “pray” or “prayer” in English appears almost 200 times in the New Testament alone.
The Old Testament also has many references to prayer. In the New Testament, Jesus often prayed. The Gospels sometimes refer to Jesus as praying, but don’t always use the word “prayer.” For example, Matthew 14:23 says, “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.” Other times, the Gospels use a different word that is translated as “pray” or “supplication” in English (see Luke 22:44).
Prayer is an emotional experience as well as a physical one. In the Bible, people pray with their bodies as well as their voices; they stand, kneel, bow their heads, and lift their hands (1 Timothy 2:8).