CHRISTIAN PRAYER

• The heart of Christian Prayer. Jesus is much more than just an exterior model
to be imitated and copied like some popular celebrity, according to our fancy.
• On the contrary, God has “bestowed on us in Christ every spiritual blessing. It
is in Christ and through his blood that we have been redeemed and our sins
forgiven”(Eph 1:3,7)
 WHAT IS CHRISTIAN PRAYER?
• Christian prayer is an essential part of the life of a Christian. Prayer is how they
communicate with God. They are able to pray to Him and listen to what God is speaking
back to them. Christian prayers are diverse: they can be completely spontaneous, or read
entirely from a text, such as from a breviary, which contains the canonical hours that are
said at fixed prayer times. While praying, certain gestures usually accompany the prayers,
including folding one's hands, bowing one's head, kneeling (often in the kneeler of a pew in
corporate worship or the kneeler of a prie-dieu in private worship), and prostration.
 WHAT IS THE MAIN CHRISTIAN PRAYER?
• The most common prayer among Christians is the "Lord's Prayer", which according to the
gospel accounts (e.g. Matthew 6:9-13) is how Jesus taught his disciples to pray.

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
 FOUR BASICS FORM OF PRAYER
• PRAYER OF BLESSING AND ADORATION
In this prayer we express praise and honor to God. We
praise God for giving us life, for the wonder and beauty of
our world, and for all the many blessings we enjoy. We
open ourselves up to praise God for all the wonders of
creation. This form of prayer encourages bodily
expression, such as standing with arms raised or dancing.
• PRAYER OF PETITION
This is probably the most familiar prayer form of prayer.
Prayers of petition serve to remind us that God expects us
to care for one another and for all his creation. We can
pray about the ordinary experiences of life— for people
who are sick, for someone who needs a job, for help in our
school work, for a safe trip. We pray for peace in our
families and in our world. We can also express our sorrow
and contrition to God in our prayer.
• PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
This form of prayer is prayer on behalf of others. This
form of prayer can be a source of blessing upon others,
the Church, and our world. Because we know that Our
Lady and the saints intercede for us before God, the
Church encourages us to pray to them for their
intercession. Such prayer can bring us great strength and
courage and also great peace of mind and heart.
• PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
This form of prayer helps us to be grateful for God’s many
blessings, spiritual and temporal, and helps us to
recognize and appreciate all the good things God gives to
us. Reserving some time to praise and thank God for his
gifts—the gift of life; the gift of our families and friends;
the gift of food, clothing, and shelter; and the numerous
other gifts we often take for granted—helps us to form a
true spirit of gratitude.
 20 SCRIPTURES ABOUT PRAYER
• “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same
with thanksgiving.” Colossians 4:2-3
• “Pray without ceasing. In everything give
thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus concerning you.” Thessalonians 5:17-
18
• “And when you stand praying, if you hold
anything against anyone, forgive them, so
that your Father in heaven may forgive you
your sins.” Mark 11:25-26
• “For this reason, since the day we heard
about you, we have not stopped praying for
you. We continually ask God to fill you with
the knowledge of his will through all the
wisdom and understanding that the Spirit
• “Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives,
and his disciples followed him. On reaching the
place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not
fall into temptation.”Luke 22:39-40
• “As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray
for us that the message of the Lord may spread
rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.
And pray that we may be delivered from wicked
and evil people, for not everyone has faith.”
Thessalonians 3:1-2
• “This is the confidence we have in approaching
God: that if we ask anything according to his
will, he hears us.” 1 John 5:14
• “One of those days Jesus went out to a
mountainside to pray, and spent the night
praying to God.” Luke 6:12
• “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling
like pagans, for they think they will be heard
because of their many words. Do not be like
them, for your Father knows what you need
before you ask him.” Matthew 6:7-8
• “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 Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:18
• “Very early in the morning, while it was still
dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off
to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark
1:35
• “Therefore confess your sins to each other and
pray for each other so that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful
and effective.” James 5:16
• “Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you
both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time
so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer.
Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan
won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-
control.” 1 Corinthians 7:5
• “The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer
of the upright pleases him.” Proverbs 15:8
• “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Romans 12:12
• “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone
happy? Let them sing songs of praise.” James 5:13
• “May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting
up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” Psalm 141:2
• “Do not be anxious about anything, but in
every situation, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Phillippians 4:6

• “Answer me when I call to you, my righteous

God. Give me relief from my distress; have
mercy on me and hear my prayer.” Psalm
4:1

• “He will respond to the prayer of the

destitute; he will not despise their plea.”
Psalm 102:17
 CONSTANT IN PRAYER GUIDES

• Constant prayer is a joyful guide. “Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your
prayer [life], being [both] alert and intent in [your praying] with thanksgiving”
(Colossians 4:2, Amplified Bible). Not praying is like holding our breath; we deny
spiritual oxygen to our thoughts.
• There is a rich stream of new books on prayer, prayer guides introductions,
explanations, methods, problem-solving, and the like. This shows that our prayer shares
some basic qualities of our very lives. We are always growing, changing, being
influenced in diverse ways by the constantly conditions of our lives.
• Prayer is so personal that there can be no “definitive” answers valid for all persons, at all
times and in all places, to its practical difficulties.
• Like our human personal relationships, our prayer-relation with God is a personal
process of growth and deepening, unique to each and every person. God is calling each
of us to intimacy with His Son, in His Spirit of love.
• The WHAT of Christian prayer has been described as:
• A. personal communion with God our Father
• B. through Jesus Christ in the Spirit
• C. Within the Christian community, His Body the Church
• D. centered around the Eucharistic table
• E. in pilgrimage of faith, hope and loving service of neighbor
 WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT CONSTANT PRAYER?

• Paul exhorted the Christians in Thessalonica to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians

5:17). Prayer becomes not only an attitude of the heart but also a continual dialogue with
the Lord. When praying, take time to be still and hear a word from God (Psalm 46:10).
The Bible dictates no specific time or place for prayer.
 HOW CAN WE BE CONSTANT IN PRAYER?
• Adopt a plan.
Certainly prayer should not be mechanical, but it should be disciplined. In fact, that's
one reason we suggest that prayer is a Christian discipline - we should practice and
make prayer a habit. Adding structure, such as having a place, a time, a pattern, or a
partner, encourages consistency and growth.
• Accept your need to pray
Consider how much Jesus depended on prayer. Jesus prayed not only to set an
example but also to teach us that even the Son of God needed to be connected through
prayer to God. It was obvious that unless He had spent time with the Father, He
ADMIT YOUR NEED TO LEARN
Even the apostles asked Jesus to teach them to pray (Luke 11). Prayer is not a formula or a code, but one heart talking
to another, expressing our sincere desire to know the heart of God. One of the best ways to learn is just to do it. T. W.
Hunt's In God's Presence is one of the best books to help you get into the practice of praying.

ALIGN YOURSELF WITH GOD

Jesus never prayed, "If this is Your will, Father." He knew God's will because He prayed and listened to Him. God lets us
know His will when we spend time with Him, whether through prayer, Bible study, worship, or conversation with
others who also seek God's will. Prayer is listening as well as speaking, feeling as well as pleading.

ATTUNE TO OTHERS' NEEDS

The much-maligned political phrase, "I feel your pain" has significance for a Christian. Anytime we feel the pain of
another person, our immediate response should be that God has revealed a prayer opportunity. Hearing, feeling,
sensing, and seeking the needs of others reflects God's work in and through us. Ask God to help you see others' needs
as He sees them and to quicken your heart to stop and pray.
• ADAPT TO FOCUS ON GOD
The difference between you and God's greatest prayer warriors is your time and focus. God has
given all of us the same amount of time and the same instruction: Seek Him and invest ourselves in
prayer for others. Whether we do this or not depends on our willingness and desire.

• ACCEPT GOD'S HELP

The Bible tells us that our prayers are not efforts to inform God of needs or concerns. He already
knows them. Our prayers help us acknowledge our trust in and dependence on Him to handle our
prayers, seek His encouragement and strength, and trust Him with the results. God is more
interested in our trusting Him completely than He is in whether we fully understand everything.