Prayer

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Prayer

The addressing and petitioning of God. Prayer to a god or gods is a feature of many, if not all, religions, but here attention will be restricted to the biblical teaching and some of its implications. A classic definition of Christian prayer is “an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgement of his mercies” (Westminster Shorter Catechism). Christian prayer is the end product of a long process of change and development in God’s relation to men, as a survey of the biblical data shows.

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Prayer in the OT

Abraham’s prayer for Sodom and Gomorrah (Gn 18) is a striking combination of boldness and persistence, and a recognition of his own smallness and inferiority compared to God

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible The Elements of Prayer

Although prayer is, typically, an unself-conscious activity in which the person praying devotes himself to God, it is possible to distinguish various elements in prayer

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Difficulties in Prayer

In attempting to answer the first question it is necessary to bear in mind that prayer is not to be thought of in mechanical terms. Prayer involves a personal relationship with God. So the reason why God answers one prayer and not another has nothing to do with volume or length of prayers in themselves. Because prayer involves a personal relationship with God, sincerity and unaffectedness in that relationship are of paramount importance. As already noted, there must be no hypocrisy or mere formalism in prayer. Length of prayer may be an indication of strength of desire, or it may not. Scripture contains examples of both long and short prayers.

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Difficulties in Prayer

. The only warrant for praying at all is that God commands it and desires it, and the only warrant for praying for some particular thing rather than for some other thing is that God wills it, or may will it

The only warrant for praying at all is that God commands it and desires it, and the only warrant for praying for some particular thing rather than for some other thing is that God wills it, or may will it

Lexham Theological Wordbook Prayer

Prayer

Prayer is intentional communication with God and can be spoken or written. It is often petitionary in nature, though it may take many other forms, as well. Both the OT and the NT assume that God hears and responds to the prayers of his people.

Dictionary of Bible Themes 8602 prayer

prayer

Fellowship with God through Jesus Christ, expressed in adoration, thanksgiving and intercession, through which believers draw near to God and learn more of his will for their lives. Scripture stresses the vital role of the Holy Spirit in stimulating and guiding prayer.

Dictionary of Bible Themes 8607 prayer, God’s promises concerning

prayer, God’s promises concerning

God promises to hear and respond to the prayers of his people, when they pray in the name of his Son and according to his will.

God expects his people to make requests of him in prayer

Mt 7:7-11 pp Lk 11:9-13 See also Mt 21:22

God promises to answer prayer in the name of Jesus Christ

Jn 14:13-14; 15:7 See also Jn 15:16; 16:23-24

God promises to respond to the prayers of his people in times of need

Ps 91:14-16 See also Ps 50:14-15

God promises to hear the prayers of the oppressed

Ps 10:17 See also Ex 22:22-23,26-27; Ps 102:19-20; Isa 41:17

God promises to hear the prayers of the truly penitent

2Ch 7:14 See also Eze 36:37; Zec 10:6; 13:8-9

God promises to hear the prayers of his obedient people

1Jn 3:22

The need in prayer to have confidence in God’s promises

Mk 11:24; 1Jn 5:14 See also Mt 18:19

Praise, Confession, Thanksgiving, Petition / Intercession

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible The Elements of Prayer

. Although prayer is, typically, an unself-conscious activity in which the person praying devotes himself to God, it is possible to distinguish various elements in prayer

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible The Elements of Prayer

Praise involves the recognition of who God is and what he does. It is “giving God the glory,” not in the sense of adding to his glory, which would be impossible, but of willingly (and where appropriate, publicly) recognizing God as God. Typical expressions of such praise are to be found in the psalms (Ps 148; 150). When the recognition of God’s goodness is in respect of what he has done for the one who prays, or for others, then the prayer is one of thanksgiving

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible The Elements of Prayer

Confession of sin recognizes the holiness of God and his supreme moral authority, together with the personal responsibility of the one making the confession. Confession thus involves the vindicating or justifying of God, and an explicit and unreserved recognition of sin, both as it takes its rise in sinful motives and dispositions, and as it finds outward expression.

Abraham’s prayer for Sodom and Gomorrah () is a striking combination of boldness and persistence, and a recognition of his own smallness and inferiority compared to God

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible The Elements of Prayer

Petition can be thought of as it concerns the one praying, and also as it concerns others, when it is intercession. Scripture never regards prayer for oneself as sinful or ethically improper, as can be seen from the pattern of prayer given in the Lord’s Prayer. Prayer for others is an obvious expression of love for one’s neighbor which is fundamental to biblical ethics.

The New International Version Chapter 18

22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. r 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

26 The LORD said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

Interceding in a negative situation, that it may turn around and become better.

English Standard Version Chapter 6

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

10 Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread,

12 and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

. The only warrant for praying at all is that God commands it and desires it, and the only warrant for praying for some particular thing rather than for some other thing is that God wills it, or may will it

Scripture stresses the importance of prayer

ESVRejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Judgment comes on those who do not pray

ESVPour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name!

Prayers should be expressed simply

ESV“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Prayer should not be ostentatious

ESV“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you

Physical positions for prayer

Sitting while praying

ESVThen King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?

Kneeling while praying

ESVAnd he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed,

Standing while praying

Lying prostrate while praying

Praying with arms outstretched

Praying with hands raised

ESVI desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;

Prayer can be offered at any time

Praying several times a day

Praying early in the morning

ESVAnd rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.

Praying all night

ESVIn these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.

Prayer is not confined to any single place

ESVJesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Praying inside a building

Praying outside a building

Prayer may be accompanied by fasting

ESVWhile they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

Sodom and Gomorrah - Abraham

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Prayer in the OT

Abraham’s prayer for Sodom and Gomorrah () is a striking combination of boldness and persistence, and a recognition of his own smallness and inferiority compared to God

The New International Version Chapter 18

22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. r 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

26 The LORD said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

The New International Version Chapter 18

32 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”

33 When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

ESVAnd he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

ESVTherefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

; –13See also ; ; ; ; ;

ESVAnd he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

ESVpraying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints

ESVAnd Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip on the sinew of the thigh.

ESV“So I lay prostrate before the Lord for these forty days and forty nights, because the Lord had said he would destroy you. And I prayed to the Lord, ‘O Lord God, do not destroy your people and your heritage, whom you have redeemed through your greatness, whom you have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Do not regard the stubbornness of this people, or their wickedness or their sin, lest the land from which you brought us say, “Because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land that he promised them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.” For they are your people and your heritage, whom you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched arm.’

ESVShe was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”

Dictionary of Bible Themes 8617 prayer, advice for effective

prayer, advice for effective

Scripture provides guidance concerning what attitudes and actions are appropriate for effective prayer. It also identifies a number of motives which are likely to lead to prayers being unanswered.

Hindrances to prayer

Sin Isa 59:2 See also Ps 66:18; Jer 14:10-12; La 3:42-44; Mic 3:4

Disobedience Zec 7:13 See also Dt 1:43-45; Pr 1:28-31

Selfishness Jas 4:3

Injustice Isa 1:15-17 See also Pr 21:13; Isa 58:1-7

Lack of faith Jas 1:6-7

Qualities that lead to effective prayer

Humility Lk 18:9-14 See also 2Sa 7:18; 2Ch 7:14; Ps 51:16-17; Isa 57:15; Mt 8:8 pp Lk 7:6

Obedience 1Jn 3:21-22 See also 1Sa 15:22; Jer 7:22-23

Righteousness Pr 15:29 See also 1Ki 3:11-12; Ps 34:15

Single-mindedness Jer 29:13 See also Dt 4:29; 1Ch 28:9

Faith Mt 21:21-22 pp Mk 11:22-24 See also Mt 7:7-11 pp Lk 11:9-13; Mt 8:5-13 pp Lk 7:1-10; Mt 15:21-28 pp Mk 7:24-30; Jn 14:12-14

Special Place

Special time

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Prayer

The addressing and petitioning of God. Prayer to a god or gods is a feature of many, if not all, religions, but here attention will be restricted to the biblical teaching and some of its implications. A classic definition of Christian prayer is “an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgement of his mercies” (Westminster Shorter Catechism). Christian prayer is the end product of a long process of change and development in God’s relation to men, as a survey of the biblical data shows.

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Prayer in the OT

Abraham’s prayer for Sodom and Gomorrah (Gn 18) is a striking combination of boldness and persistence, and a recognition of his own smallness and inferiority compared to God

Music

Prayer journal

The New International Version Chapter 18

22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. r 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

26 The LORD said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

Prayer room/spot

Special Bible, pen, journal

Prayer jar, to pray for/ answered

Prayer apps, community, reminder

Have time and space to do it without interuption

Be open minded

Listen to music

Lots of books/ videos on prayer

The New International Version Chapter 18

32 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”

33 When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible The Elements of Prayer

. Although prayer is, typically, an unself-conscious activity in which the person praying devotes himself to God, it is possible to distinguish various elements in prayer

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible The Elements of Prayer

Praise involves the recognition of who God is and what he does. It is “giving God the glory,” not in the sense of adding to his glory, which would be impossible, but of willingly (and where appropriate, publicly) recognizing God as God. Typical expressions of such praise are to be found in the psalms (Ps 148; 150). When the recognition of God’s goodness is in respect of what he has done for the one who prays, or for others, then the prayer is one of thanksgiving

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible The Elements of Prayer

Confession of sin recognizes the holiness of God and his supreme moral authority, together with the personal responsibility of the one making the confession. Confession thus involves the vindicating or justifying of God, and an explicit and unreserved recognition of sin, both as it takes its rise in sinful motives and dispositions, and as it finds outward expression.

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible The Elements of Prayer

Petition can be thought of as it concerns the one praying, and also as it concerns others, when it is intercession. Scripture never regards prayer for oneself as sinful or ethically improper, as can be seen from the pattern of prayer given in the Lord’s Prayer. Prayer for others is an obvious expression of love for one’s neighbor which is fundamental to biblical ethics.

Interceding in a negative situation, that it may turn around and become better.

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Difficulties in Prayer

In attempting to answer the first question it is necessary to bear in mind that prayer is not to be thought of in mechanical terms. Prayer involves a personal relationship with God. So the reason why God answers one prayer and not another has nothing to do with volume or length of prayers in themselves. Because prayer involves a personal relationship with God, sincerity and unaffectedness in that relationship are of paramount importance. As already noted, there must be no hypocrisy or mere formalism in prayer. Length of prayer may be an indication of strength of desire, or it may not. Scripture contains examples of both long and short prayers.

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Difficulties in Prayer

. The only warrant for praying at all is that God commands it and desires it, and the only warrant for praying for some particular thing rather than for some other thing is that God wills it, or may will it

Prayer

1) What is Prayer?

2) How do we pray?

Elements of Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer

Practicalities of prayer

3) Biblical examples

Jesus Christ’s prayer life with his Father

It is possible to approach God in prayer because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice

Prayer reflects a longing after God

Jesus Christ taught his disciples to persist in prayer

Paul exhorted the churches to practise persistent prayer

Jacob persists in wrestling with God

Moses persists in interceding for Israel

Hannah persistently asks for a son

4) Advice For Prayer