Types of Christian Prayers
The Bible teaches that God is the Father of all who believe in Jesus Christ and that He is a loving Father. Since God loves His children, He wants them to communicate with Him. This is the very definition of prayer – talking to God.
As God’s children, all Christians have the privilege and the right of approaching God through prayer. It is through prayer that Christians personally communicate their deepest thoughts, needs, and desires to God.
Indeed, prayer is one of the most important things that believers can do.
The topic of prayers is quite broad and cannot be tackled in a single post. In this article, we will look at the kinds or types of prayer that can be prayed by believers in Jesus Christ.
Types of Prayer in Christianity
From Scripture, there are several types of prayers:
Prayer of Confession
Even though God has forgiven Christians all of their sins, not one of them ever lives a perfect life. We all still sin; no one is exempted. These sins need to be acknowledged before God. Consequently, prayer always involves a confession of our sin.
The Lord’s Prayer which Jesus taught to His followers as a model of prayer when He gave His discourse known as the Sermon on the Mount, includes a prayer of confession.
“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name … And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:9, 12).
Likewise, the psalmist emphasized the need for confession of sin. He wrote:
“I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin” (Psalm 32:5).
When King David realized that he committed a great sin against the Lord, he prayed a prayer of confession (Psalm 51:1-4). Likewise, Daniel and Ezra realized the importance of confession, humbled themselves before the Lord, and confessed their sins as well as the sins of the nation of Israel (Daniel 9:20; Ezra 9:5-6).
One of the questions Christians often ask is: Should we pray (confess) only the sins that we remember? What about those that we do not remember? The simple answer is, we ought to pray for those sins that we do not remember.
In psalm 19:12, the psalmist asked God to cleanse him from his secret (hidden) faults – those faults that were perhaps unknown to him, or those that must have slipped through his mind.
And the Lord is loving, compassionate, and forgiving. He promised to forgive our sins when we confessed them to Him (1 John 1:9).
All of us should want to walk worthy of our high calling in Christ Jesus, and confession of sin will help us achieve that because it gets us back on to the straight and narrow way that the Lord has for each of us.
Prayer of Petition
Much of our prayer is for ourselves; this is called the prayer of petition.
And there is nothing wrong with this. In fact, James says we do not have because we do not ask (James 4:2). And at times we do not receive what we have asked for because we have the wrong motive (James 4:3).
The key to receiving what we have asked for is to ask for the things that God wants for us. Psalm 37:4-5 says, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.”
In other words, we should want things that God wants and desire for ourselves the things that God desires for us.
Prayer of Intercession
When we ask for things that are not for ourselves, it is called a prayer of intercession, and the one asking is called an intercessor. Let us take a look at some examples in Scripture of those who prayed or interceded for the needs of others.
Paul indicated that he always prayed for the church at Thessalonica and said that he would continually ask the Lord to meet their needs (2 Thessalonians 1:11).
The prayer of intercession does not necessarily have to be for a certain individual or group of individuals; it can also be for an entire city or entire nation. The psalmist declared that we should pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6).
In times of global chaos, disaster, or pandemic, like what we are going through right now as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak, Christians need to get down on their knees and intercede for the nations.
Intercessory prayer is important because it emphasizes that we are not merely to address the Lord for our needs but we need to think about others too.
Jesus also told us to pray for our enemies – those who have hurt us, are persecuting us or making things difficult for us, may it be within our family circle, community, or society (Luke 6:28). This is something difficult for us to do. Indeed, we need the Holy Spirit’s help and direction to pray for those with whom we are enemies.
Prayer of Praise, Worship, and Thanksgiving
When we pray, we do not only ask God to do something for us or others. There are times when our prayers consist of praise, worship, and thanksgiving. Jesus began His model prayer for His disciples with praise to God:
In this manner, therefore, pray: “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9).
Consequently, we begin our prayers with words of praise and worship to the Lord. The psalmist wrote about the need to bow down and kneel before our God (Psalm 95:6-7). We should also pray with a thankful and humble attitude before the Lord, especially when we remember all that He has done for us.
In Exodus 13:3, the children of Israel were told to remember what the Lord has done for them.
And Moses said to the people: “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten.”
The apostle Paul says that we should give thanks in all things (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18) and told the church at Thessalonica that he constantly gave thanks to God as he continually prayed for them (1 Thessalonians 1:2).
Thankfulness and praise should always be part of our prayer life.
Prayer of Benediction
The prayer of benediction is a prayer of blessing for others. Paul wrote to the Philippians:
“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11).
This is the type of prayer that we should often pray. We should desire God’s blessings to be bestowed upon others.
Prayer Containing All the Above Elements
When we pray The Lord’s Prayer or use it as a model for our prayer, our prayer will likely contain each of the above-mentioned elements.
For example, when we pray, we will probably confess our sins, pray for others, pray for ourselves, give thanks to God, and pray a specific prayer of blessing for others. While this is not the case with every prayer we pray, these elements will certainly be in most of our prayers.
The psalmist wrote:
“Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul. I cried to Him with my mouth, and He was extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear. But certainly, God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me” (Psalm 66:16-20)!
Conclusion
The prayers we offer to God should contain these elements of confession, petition, intercession, praise, thanksgiving, and blessing. This is the biblical way in which we should pray.
However, there may be times when we miss some of these elements in our prayer. The important thing is this: we need to pray!
Reference: Prayer by Don Stewart
Recommended Resource: Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Timothy Keller
Renowned pastor and New York Times bestselling author of The Prodigal Prophet Timothy Keller explores the power of prayer.
Christians are taught in their churches and schools that prayer is the most powerful way to experience God. But few receive instruction or guidance on how to make prayer genuinely meaningful. In Prayer, renowned pastor Timothy Keller delves into the many facets of this everyday act.
With his trademark insights and energy, Keller offers biblical guidance as well as specific prayers for certain situations, such as dealing with grief, loss, love, and forgiveness. He discusses ways to make prayers more personal and powerful, and how to establish a practice of prayer that works for each reader.
Dr. Keller’s previous books have sold more than one million copies. His Redeemer Presbyterian Church is not only a major presence in his home base of New York, but it has also helped to launch more than two hundred fifty other churches in forty-eight cities around the world. His teachings have already helped millions, the majority of whom pray regularly.
And with Prayer, he’ll show them how to find a deeper connection with God.