The Basics of Prayer

<ul><li>"Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving." (Col 4:2)</li> </ul> <p>     God communicates with us through His written Word, and we communicate with Him through our prayers. When we pray, it immediately connects us with God, allowing us to confess our sin, express thankfulness, intercede for others, or request something for ourselves. Prayer is motivated by different causes and takes different forms. The most common words in the Bible translated prayer are תְּפִלָּה tephillah (Job 16:17; Psa 65:2) and προσευχή proseuche (Luke 19:46; Acts 12:5), which simply speak of the act of prayer.<a href='#_ftn1'>[1]</a> According to Unger, “Prayer is the expression of man’s dependence upon God for all things. What habitual reverence is to praise, the habitual sense of dependence is to prayer.”<a href='#_ftn2'>[2]</a> And according to Liefeld, prayer is “communion with God, usually comprising petition, adoration, praise, confession, and thanksgiving. The ultimate object of prayer in both OT and NT is not merely the good of the petitioner but the honor of God’s name.”<a href='#_ftn3'>[3]</a></p> <p>     There is no inherent power in prayer to change things. Biblically, the power lies in the One who answers the prayer, and He alone reserves the right to change things if He wills. God answers prayer, but He does so according to His sovereign will (Psa 135:6; Dan 4:35; Isa 46:9-10). Sometimes He says yes, sometimes no, and sometimes wait. It is good to remember that a prayer delayed is not necessarily a prayer denied. Sometimes we just need patience.</p> <p>     Some of the different types of prayer found in Scripture include: request for supply (Psa 116:1-2; Phil 4:6; Eph 6:18), thanksgiving (John 11:41; Col 4:2; Phil 4:6), submission (Luke 22:41-42), and intercession (Acts 12:1-5; Eph 6:18-19). The best prayers seek to glorify God above all else (John 14:13).<a href='#_ftn4'>[4]</a> The Old Testament mentions imprecatory prayers, where Israelite believers prayed for God to destro