FROMS OF PRAYERS

One of the basic definition of prayer is expressing something to a deity or “talking to God”.

It is also considered as a form of meditation or an exercise in which we are freeing our minds from

the worries of the reality and directly addressing them to God. According to Timothy we are

advocated by God to pray: “First of all, then I urge that supplications, prayers and thanksgivings

be made for all people”- 1 Timothy 2:1. Prayer has several descriptions, and is different in every

intents/intentions:

The Prayer of Faith. “And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord

will raise him up”- James 5:15. In this context, prayer is offered in faith for someone who is sick.

Asking God to heal.

The Prayer of Agreement. “The disciples all joined together constantly in prayer”-Acts

1:14. From the typescript, we are encouraged to pray with others.

The Prayer of Request. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer

and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be known to God”- Philippians 4:6. This is

about asking God in our own words for our needs and desires (for ourselves and others).

The Prayer of Thanksgiving. “With thanksgiving let your requests be made known to

God”- Philippians 4:6. This is expressing our gratification to the Lord for all the things we received

and the things He will do after we communicated with Him.

The Prayer of Worship. “While they were worshiping the Lord and fating, 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.”- Acts 13-2-3. Almost similar
to the Prayer of Thanksgiving, but differs because it focuses on who God is. Thanksgiving

emphasizes on what God has done.

The Prayer of Consecration. “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed,

saying, ‘My Father, if it would be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will,

but as you will,’”-Matthew 26:39.This type of prayer is about setting ourselves apart from others

to follow God’s command and we dedicate ourselves for/to Him.

The Prayer of Intercession. “Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them

is for their salvation.”-Romans 10:1. Interceding means getting oneself involved to comfort or

encourage a particular person while they are going through certain situation or dilemma.

REFLECTION:

We were told that prayer is a requirement or a duty for us to live life happily. As I think

about it, praying is more than just obeying directives. It is rather a privilege to know God better,

to feel his presence and be assured that His sacredness is existing.

Life in prayer allows us to interconnect with God and is an association. Like any other

relationships, in order to establish strong bond, one must allot himself time to converse with Him.

More than just expressing worries and thoughts, in praying we must also have the heart to listen.

We shall be open to a lot of possibilities and alternatives, even if His way is different from what

we wanted.

Praying is our way of communicating to the Lord and for me, in profounder sense, it can

also mean as conveying of feelings and deepest thoughts to Him. Because, if we examine closely,

prayers contain more of our inner sentiments and always it corresponds to the situation we are in

and the feeling that comes along. Our prayers differ from every purpose. It is different when we
say our thanksgiving and when we ask for things or His intervention, and the intensity of it also

differs depending on our emotional state.

When we pray, I believe that we allow God to reshape our being by letting Him take over

in our lives. We open our minds and we try to see possibilities. Prayer soothes us because we

believe in His power and we are reminded that He takes charge in everything. If we surrender

ourselves to Him and permit Him to see like He does, I think we will see the world in a manner

that we can appreciate its every piece.

Sem. Mark Lora