The Meaning Of Prayer
Now we may come to the first lesson of prayerâthe meaning of prayer. May I ask you, brothers and sisters, what is prayer? What is prayer all about? What is the meaning of prayer? Many people, upon hearing the term prayer, immediately think that it means man coming before God to make supplication. Because man is in want and needs material supply, or is sick and needs healing, or has other problems and needs some solution, he goes before God asking Him to supply his needs, heal his sickness, and solve his problems. Men consider these as prayers. Apparently, there are examples of such prayers in the Bible. For example, the widow in Luke 18 continually went to the judge asking him to avenge her of her grievance. However, brothers and sisters, please remember that this is not the proper meaning of prayer as it is revealed in the Bible. We dare not say that such a definition is wrong, but it is too superficial and lacks both depth and accuracy. If we desire to know what real prayer is today, we must clearly realize that it is not man merely making supplications before God for his own needs.
Things You Should Know About Prayer In The Bible
This article is one of many informative articles in Joe Carters 9 Things You Should Know series.
Do you know how many prayers are mentioned in the Bible ? Heres the answer to that question and other things you should know about the prayer in the Bible.
1. There are 650 prayers listed in the Bible.
2. There are approximately 450 recorded answers to prayer in the Bible.
3. The first time prayer is mentioned in the Bible is Genesis 4:26 .
4. The Bible records Jesus praying 25 different times during his earthly ministry.
5. In the Bible, Paul mentions prayer , 41 times.
6. Although prayer can be done from any bodily position, the Bible lists five specific postures: Sitting , standing , kneeling , with ones face to the ground , and with hands lifted up .
7. In Jesus model for how his disciples should pray , he provides five areas of focus: That Gods name be honored the focus on his everlasting glory that Gods kingdom come the focus on his eternal will that Gods provision is given the focus on our present that Gods forgiveness is granted the focus on our past that Gods deliverance will be provided the focus on our future.
8. The Bible lists at least nine main types of prayer: prayer of faith , prayer of agreement , prayer of request , prayer of thanksgiving , prayer of worship , prayer of consecration , prayer of intercession , prayer of imprecation , and praying in the Spirit .
S Of Prayer Taught In The Lords Prayer
1. Address Gods rightful place as the Father2. Worship and praise God for who He is and all that He has done3. Acknowledge that it is Gods will and plans are in control and not our own4. Ask God for the things that we need5. Confess our sins and repent6. Request protection and help in overcoming sin and Satan’s attacks on us
As you read this Scripture, let it soak into your heart and begin to talk to God honestly and openly. He created you, loves you, and wants to hear from you! Use the Lord’s Prayer as a way to walk through communicating with God!
Strengthen your prayer life with this free PDF Discerning the Voice of God: A 30 Day Prayer Challenge
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Prayer In The Hebrew Bible
Prayer in the Hebrew Bible is an evolving means of interacting with God, most frequently through a spontaneous, individual, unorganized form of petitioning and/or thanking. Standardized prayer such as is done today is non-existent. However, beginning in Deuteronomy, the Bible lays the groundwork for organized prayer including basic liturgical guidelines, and by the Bible’s later books, prayer has evolved to a more standardized form, although still radically different from the form practiced by modern Jews.
Individual prayer is described by the Tanakh two ways. The first of these is when prayer is described as occurring, and a result is achieved, but no further information regarding a person’s prayer is given. In these instances, such as with Isaac,Moses,Samuel, and Job, the act of praying is a method of changing a situation for the better. The second way in which prayer is depicted is through fully fleshed out episodes of prayer, where a person’s prayer is related in full. Many famous biblical personalities have such a prayer, including every major character from Hannah to Hezekiah.
A Prayer Of Thankfulness To God
Why would we pray this prayer ? The idea is to ask Our Father to help and his blessing. It is intended to express gratitude for what has been given and to request further love and kindness for our lives.
This prayer is meant to be said daily and is generally prayed before meals and even during church services to ask that the Lord continue to exert his control and his goodwill on our lives.
The prayer shows that the Lord is the one who is truly in control of our lives and is the one who provides any type of meaning for that life.
Discover The Lord’s Prayer Bracelet to remind you to be thankful to God.
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Give Me The Courage To Change The Things I Can
Be on your guard stand firm in the faith be men of courage be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13 NIV.
I love how direct Paul is in his instructions. Be on guard against spiritual dangers , stand firmly on your faith in Christ, be ready to face difficulties , and summon up the strength of Christ.
I just sat up a little taller in my chair.
We can look around and see things we would like to change in this world. Everyone has things theyd like to change about themselves and their lives. Jesus prepares us for change by giving us the strength and courage to push forward and change the things we can for His good.
Five Scriptures That Will Re
Prayer is one of the most intimate ways to connect with God, one of the most powerful spiritual warfare tools, and for me, the clearest way God demonstrates his love. But whats amazing is after more than 15 years of being a Christian, Im still learning so many principles about prayer that I never realized. Sometimes we either treat prayer too lightly, or pray about half the things, half of the time we should. Its easy to forget or take for granted the sheer awesomeness of being able to talk to God, but here are some scriptures some Ive recently re-discovered that reinforce the power of prayer.
James 1:6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind
Philippians 4:6 Don’t worry about anything instead, pray about everything
James 5:16 The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective
Matt. 18:20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always pray without ceasing in everything give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
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Examples Of Answered Prayers In The Bible
- GODHow can we know theres a God? Answer
- What if the cosmos is all that there is? Answer
- If God made everything, who made God? Answer
- Is Jesus Christ God? Answer
- ACCURACYHow do we know the Bible is true? Answer
- INERRANCYWhen we say that the Bible is the Word of God, does that imply that it is completely accurate, or does it contain insignificant inaccuracies in details of history and science? Answer
- INFALLIBILITYHow can the Bible be infallible if it is written by fallible humans? Answer
- SUFFERINGWhat about the issue of suffering? Doesnt this prove that there is no God and that we are on our own? Answer
- Why does God allow innocent people to suffer? Answer
Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
If you read other commentary on the Lords Prayer, the verse give us this day our daily bread is often interpreted in many different ways.
In Exodus 16:4 God tells Moses that each morning bread will rain down from heaven to feed the children of Israel who are hungry. They are to only collect as much bread as they need for that day and keep none of it for the next day. This is the daily bread Jesus is referring to.
I believe the real meaning of this verse is that we must always rely on God to provide for us. As we grow spiritually, we do not become independent and no longer need God to provide for us. As we grow closer to God we actually need him more than ever.
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Know To Whom You Are Speaking
Prayer is a conversation with God, and every conversation begins by addressing the person to whom you are speaking by name. Jesus begins with Our Father in heaven. He focuses on a distinct person the Heavenly Father with whom he has a personal relationship. We share the same right to call God Father, and there are times when we need to talk with our Abba Father, Daddy God. But God is three distinct persons in One: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
I find it helpful in my prayer times to focus on which of the Holy Trinity I need to talk to. Often I talk to Jesus, the friend who is closer than a brother and the Savior of my soul. Other times I cry out to the Holy Spirit, who fills and empowers me to do the tasks Father God has called me to do. Having a distinct sense of who I am speaking to helps me formulate what I want to say and how I want to say it.
What Does The Bible Tell Us About Effective Prayer
While we can speculate and debate about what constitutes effective prayer, the Bible does give much insight. If there is one topic mentioned in the Bible plenty, prayer is that topic. Scripture gives many descriptions of people praying to God, along with a plethora of examples. Jesus, Paul, Abraham, many Biblical figures served as examples for believers today. By observing these examples and what the Bible explicitly says about prayer, we can strengthen our communication with God.
Key #1 of Effective Prayer – Pray Honestly
Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up you understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest you are aware of all my ways.
God observes us throughout our entire lives. He knows where we are at any given time, what were doing, even why. Nothing we do is hidden from God, and neither is anything we pray about. So much of the Bible indicates Gods sovereignty over our lives. When we apply that to our prayers, we know we can be open and honest. There is no need to hold back when we have committed grievous sins. He knows. There is no need to hold back when someone has direly wronged us. God knows.
When we approach God with an honest attitude, we will likely find ourselves praying more openly and frequently. Well know and believe that God cares.
Key #2 of Effective Prayer – Pray Constantly
Key #3 of Effective Prayer – Pray Trustingly
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Other Words Translated Or Associated With Pray And Prayer
One word is , which is a “petition.” It’s not used very much, but in the scriptures, we most often see it here and there in the phrase “prayers and petitions,” showing that they are different root concepts .
In that passage of James, we see , , , and . I’ll highlight them below :
“Is anyone suffering evil among you? Let him pray . Is anyone cheerful? Let him play music. Is anyone infirm among you? Let him call to him the elders of the , and let them pray over him, rubbing him with olive oil in the name of the Lord. And the vow of faith will be saving the faltering and the Lord will be rousing him up, and, if he should have done sins, it will be forgiven him. Then confess shortcoming-effects to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The operative petition of the just is availing much. Elijah was a man of like emotions with us, and he prays in prayer for it not to rain, and it does not rain on the land three years and six months. And again he prays , and heaven gives a shower and the earth germinates her fruit.”
There are some other words of interest, sometimes translated “pray” or “prayer,” especially in modern English translations.
is a verb that means to plead on behalf of or intercede. It occurs in 6 places , 5 of those 6 in connection with God, 4 of those 5 in connection with the new covenant, of which 2 places are Jesus interceding for us and 2 places are the Spirit interceding for us .
I Prayer Is The Mutual Contact Between Man And God
Prayer is not just man contacting God it is the mutual contact between man and God. This matter of the contact between God and man is a very great subject in the Bible. We have often said that the purpose of manâs living is to be Godâs vessel. In the universe God is manâs content, and man is Godâs container. Without man, God has no place to put HimselfâHe becomes a homeless God. I do not understand why this is so, but I know that it is a fact. In the universe Godâs greatest need is man. God as an entity in Himself is complete, but as far as His operation in the universe is concerned, He still needs man to fulfill that operation.
We all must be very careful in understanding this word, for it can stir up vehement arguments in theology. I do not mean that God is incomplete and that He needs man to make Him complete. What I mean is that God in Himself is perfectly complete, but without man He is not complete in the universe according to His plan. Oh, brothers and sisters, this matter is too glorious.
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Why Should I Pray
Prayer develops our relationship with God. If we never speak to our spouse or never listen to anything our spouse might have to say to us, our marriage relationship will quickly deteriorate. It is the same way with God. Prayercommunicating with Godhelps us grow closer and more intimately connected with God.
I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure, just as gold and silver are refined and purified by fire. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’ “
But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted!
The Lord instructed us to pray. One of the simplest reasons to spend time in prayer is because the Lord taught us to pray. Obedience to God is a natural by-product of discipleship.
“Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!”
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
A Prayer To Say Daily
The Lords Prayer or the Our Father is one of the Bible verses that most people have heard of before.
Even those who wouldnt consider themselves to be Christian have likely heard it.
And for those who are Christian, this daily prayer is the one that you use when youre ready to thank the Lord for anything that has happened in your life.
This prayer is one of love, blessings, happiness, and gratitude and its definitely something that you should be using yourself when you feel the Lord has done for you.
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How Can Prayer Be Real
As pastors and commentators note, a pattern of prayer can be noticed in Scripture: typically, prayer is considered to be lifted to the Father, mediated through the Son, and offered in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus offered His prayer to the Father we follow His example. Jesus teaches us to pray by starting with the expression: Our Father in heaven . As Jesus communion with the Father was frequent, on-going, near, and open, so we find that the Sons Father is ours, who have become children of God. We have the ear of the God of heaven. We approach this Person.
Each time we approach the Father, we declare our belief in the gospel. For, we could only find ourselves in His audience through the Son. The writer of Hebrews tells us that we can find, through Christ, the throne of grace in prayer , rather than the throne of judgment. We find this home before God confidently because we step near on the ground of Christs work that has enabled our cleansingand through the reality of the present intercession of Christ for us . The Son renders the prayer of fallen men and women acceptable before God.