In our last lesson on Prayer we talked about some obstacles to prayer, where we learn to pray, some postures for prayer and the Bible’s instruction to be devoted to prayer. “As with any relationship, our relationship with God must be cultivated … the reason that we are spiritually dry is, among other things, because we do not spend quality time in prayer. Yet, we sometimes feel too spiritually dry to pray, and so it goes” (Walston). In this lesson we want to learn about various kinds of prayer – which will give us powerful tools to keep our prayer life from becoming dull or boring. In his paper, Ric Walston mentions four kinds of prayer: petitionary, intercessory, thanksgiving, and warfare. These prayer types focus on content. We will also look at some prayer types that relate to format.
1. Petitionary Prayer. This is a formal request. “It is a solemn supplication or request to a superior authority; in
the case of prayer, that superior authority is God” (Walston). James 4:2.
2. Intercessory Prayer. An “earnest request in favor of another, especially a prayer or petition to God in behalf of
another” (Walston). John 17:15-21.
3. Thanksgiving Prayer. This is “giving thanks to God for (1) who He is and (2) for what he has done on our behalf” (Walston). Two examples. First, Exodus 15:1-13, 18 – the song of Moses and the Israelites who rejoiced after crossing the Red Sea on dry land. Second, Luke 1:46-55 – the prayer of Mary who expresses thanks for God’s favor in choosing her to bear the Messiah.
4. Warfare Prayer. “Warfare prayer is the kind of ‘prayer’ in which we wage war against an enemy. It is prayer that is undertaken to destroy our undermine the strength of the devil…We engage in warfare prayer every time we pray for the souls of others” (Walston). 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:11-18
5. Breath Prayer (Calhoun, p. 205-206). “God is the oxygen of our soul, and we need to breathe him in all day long” Breath prayer has been practiced in the church for millennia. The eastern Orthodox Church in particular has seen breath prayer as a way of living out Paul’s instruction to “pray without ceasing.” The “Jesus Prayer” is a breath prayer described in The Way of the Pilgrim:
Take a seat in solitude and silence. Bend your head, close your eyes and breathing softly, in your imagination, look into your own heart. Let your mind, or rather, your thoughts flow from your head down to your heart and say, while breathing: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” Whisper these words gently or say them in your mind. Discard all other thoughts. Be serene, persevering and repeat them over and over again.
Breath prayer is to be a living breathing rhythm of surrender. It is a constant reminder of the one in whose presence you stand. Often the rhythm involves breathing in with a name of God, and out with the desire of your heart. The breath prayer can be any phrase that expresses a deep desire of your heart … brief enough to be repeated over and over throughout the day. Examples:
- Abba… I belong to you.
- Healer… speak the word and I shall be healed.
- Shepherd … bring home my lost son.
- Holy One …. Keep me true.
- Lord … here I am. Jesus … have mercy on me.
6. Centering Prayer (Calhoun, p. 207). Centering prayer is a form of contemplative prayer where the pray-er seeks to quiet scattered thoughts and desires in the still center of Christ’s presence. Centering prayer is an ancient form of prayer that joined meditation on a word of Scripture with prayer. Centering prayer leads us to sit in the presence of God and give him our undivided love and attention. Generally the only words that are spoken in centering prayer are the prayer words that continually bring our drifting attention back to God. The prayer word is simple, such as Jesus, love, peace, father, or a phrase from Scripture. In Centering prayer the goal is to so dwell in Christ that the fruit of this dwelling begins to show up in your life. Centering prayer may ‘do” nothing at the moment. You sense no rapture, no mystical bliss. But later as you move out into the busyness of life, you begin to notice that something has shifted. Your quiet center in Christ holds.
A short method for Centering Prayer:
- Set aside a minimum of 15 minutes. Set a timer if that helps you be less concerned about when to stop.
- Settle into a comfortable position.
- Intentionally place yourself in the presence of God, in the center of his love.
- Choose a simple word, phrase or verse from Scripture that expresses your desire for God (e.g. love, peace, grace, Jesus, great Shepherd). Let this word guard your attention.
- Take time to become quiet. It is not unusual for the first minutes to be filled with many noisy thoughts. Don’t worry about them or pay attention to them. Let them go. Gently return your attention to the Center of God’s presence and love by repeating your word.
- Use your imagination – God gave you the ability!
Imagine God’s river of life running through you. Deep down, the river is calm and slow. But on the surface there is rushing and debris. Imagine your distracting thoughts are a part of the debris floating in the current. Don’t try to capture these thoughts; release them and let the river of God’s life carry them away.
- As you are resting in God’s love, trust the Holy Spirit to connect you with God.
- Take several minutes to come out of prayer. Don’t hurry. Offer yourself to God for the tasks awaiting you (e.g., “I am yours,” or “Remain with me”)
7. Take A Prayer Walk (Whitney, p. 84-85). One of the most common struggles in the practice of spirituality is maintaining mental focus in prayer. Walking as we pray – either in a large place indoors or outdoors – keeps the mind from wandering as easily. Bring a small Bible to prompt prayer periodically during the walk. Abraham’s son Isaac is an example from Scripture of walking while thinking on the things of God. Genesis 24:63 reports, “And Isaac went out to meditate in the field.”
George Muller wrote, “I find it very beneficial to my health to walk thus for meditation before breakfast, and … generally take out a New Testament … and I find that I can profitably spend my time in the open air. I used to consider the time spent in walking a loss, but now I find it very profitable, not only to my body, but also to my soul … for … I speak to my father … about the things that He has brought before me in His precious Word.”
8. Use Prayer Prompts (Whitney, p. 91-92). Whitney says: Beside a highway that I travel several times each week sits a big sign that’s hard to ignore. Whenever I notice it, I use it as a reminder to pray for a particular person. At another point along that road is a panoramic view of my city. I use the sight to remind me to ask the Lord for reformation and revival upon his work in our area. Whenever I see a certain time on a digital clock, it’s a memory-jogger to pray for my wife and daughter. These are things use to remind one to pray.
Christians have always used commonplace things as ways to turn their thoughts heavenward. When dressing in the morning, many Puritans made a habit of praying briefly for a different matter with each article of clothing they pulled on. I know several believers who pray whenever they hear a siren. Philippians 1:3-4.
Why not transform something from your routine into a prayer prompt? A sight, a smell, sound, thought, event, or experience. You might also use common objects … or even religious objects – crosses, prayer beads, etc. as aids … but they should never be considered as having power other than as a reminder. Praying with beads is an ancient practice that can be individualized.
Example of using beads to pray. In the set described there is a metal cross, a large bead, 4 medium beads with seven small beads between each. Here is the suggested rhythm of prayer usign this particular set:
- Cross: Lord’s Prayer
- Large Bead: May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight
- 4 medium beads – The Jesus Prayer – Lord Jesus Christ Son of God Have Mercy on Me
- 7 Small beads – Prayers of Praise
- 7 Small beads – Intercessory prayers
- 7 Small Beads – Confessions and Requests
- 7 Small Beads – Prayers of Thanksgiving
I also read of a bead set that had twelve larger beads and the others were smaller. For each of the twelve beads one could pray through the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Conclusion: Conforming Prayer (Foster). “I determined to learn to pray so that my experience conformed to the words of Jesus rather than try to make his words conform to my impoverished experience.” Prayer is not about receiving everything we want. Prayer is about living within His will and kingdom. We should speak freely and ask with abandon for those blessings we desire. At the same time we should not expect a blank check in order to receive everything.
In some paradoxical way the Christian is to express his heart’s desire to the Father and at the same time temper his requests into alignment with the known will of God. Remember as we deal with expectations in prayer that it is perhaps on our end of the stick that mistakes or misjudgments are being made….not on God’s.
One of our key prayer goals is to so align ourselves with God that we are praying in the Spirit and our desires flow within Kingdom streams. James 4: 3“You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
Our prayers are to be aligned with His will, which we understand by reading His word. Meditation on the Scriptures is an essential part of our prayer life. In such a way we might even ask God what we should pray for. “When I bring specific people in my church by name to God during times of intercession and petition, instead of simply rattling off the various things that I know that he or she needs, I take the time to wait on God, asking Him to tell me what to pray for concerning them.” (Walston)
A prayer from Anselm
O Lord Our God, Grant Us Grace
To Desire You With Our Whole Heart,
That so Desiring We May Seek And Find You,
And So Finding You, May Love You,
And Loving You, May Hate Those Sins
From Which You Have Redeemed Us
– Anselm (1033 – 1109)
Homework
Idea from www.opensourcespirituality.org.za :
During the week set aside specific time to spend in prayer. You may only feel ready to spend 10 mins, 4 times during the week., or you may want to spend 30 mins, 3 times a day, every day, it’s up to you. Remember don’t try to run a marathon unless you are fit enough, and have been training for a long time. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you.
Think about using these Bible readings and pray in response to what they evoke in you. Again, you may use them in any order you want, and spend as long as you need on each one:
READING FOCUS
Matthew 6: 5-15 The pattern of prayer.
Psalm 103 The prayer of worship.
Psalm 51 The prayer of repentance.
Psalm 150 The prayer of thanksgiving.
Matthew 26: 36-46 The prayer of guidance.
James 5: 13-18 The prayer of faith.
Mark 9: 14-29 The prayer of command.
References
- Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook.
- www.opensourcespirituality.org.za below
- Walston, Ric. A Study of the Balance Between the Spiritual Disciplines as Works and Righteousness with a Special Look At The Discipline of Prayer. From a 1997 D. Min. term paper. E-mail Ric to see the entire paper: CES@ColumbiaSeminary.edu.
- Whitney, Donald S. Simplify Your Spiritual Life.
