Hey guys, hope you’re all ok! This month (October), lour bible study group has been looking at what the bible says about prayer and it’s been such an insightful discussion. Listening to everyone’s understanding of how we pray and the different things we do as part of our prayer life just highlights how God works in each of us. We all have different words/languages we use to communicate to God and He understands them all! Last week, we discussed the types of prayers we pray, some subconsciously and others we need to start incorporating into our prayer routine, and I thought I would share some of the discussion:
Personal (Phillipians 4:6): I listed this first as for some, it's often the most common type of prayer: we all have needs. This type of prayer is usually very effective against any anxiety we might feel about some of the challenges in our lives and my favourite example of this in the Bible is when Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. This was a very relatable prayer as Jesus knew what was going to happen and pleaded with God to take the 'cup' from Him. Knowing how important it was for Him to complete His assignment, Jesus ended His prayer by asking the will of His father to be done. In the template He set for us to pray, Jesus encourages us to always pray the will of God for our lives!
Intercessory (1 Timothy 2:1-2): This is the type of prayer Jesus and the apostles also encourage us to pray often. Intercessory prayer is simply praying for others who need it. It's not because they cannot pray for themselves; it's joining your faith with others on a particular topic or issue and petitioning God's intervention.
Thanksgiving (Psalm 100): As the name suggests, we pray this simply to say Thank you to our Abba Father for everything He has done. We can never stop praying this type of prayer because God is always working to keep us safe from the hands of the enemy and He deserves ALL the praise!
Vows (Judges 11:30-31): A powerful type of prayer which can be used in times of desperation. The examples of this type of prayer serve as a warning to ensuring that we do not make vows to God we cannot keep. Having said that, with this type of prayer, God will always come through and intervene in whatever situation you need Him.
Confession (1 John 1:9): This is a simple prayer but very often overlooked as it requires us to be humble and in these prayers, we are convicted of our wrongdoings. We must remember that we serve a merciful God who sent His only son to die on the cross for our sins so the confession of our sins acknowledges the sacrifice that was made for our salvation and allows us to express humility in God's presence and accept the love He has shown even when we feel we don't deserve it. These types of prayers can also be powerful in breaking generational curses as it removes the devil's accusatory power and allows God to deliver us in His infinite mercy!
Active (Joshua 6): One of my favourite types of prayer, this one requires action even during the prayer. If you're familiar with the story of the wall of Jericho, you'll have an idea of what an active prayer is! I read a book (The Circle Maker) a couple of years ago which talks about an old prophet, Hony, who drew a circle and stood in that circle until God answered his prayer to end the drought in his town. It was a bold step of faith and went beyond what prayer normally entails. The author of this book, Mark Batterson, applied the same principle of prayer and God answered his prayer in an amazing way!
There are so many other types of prayers not mentioned in this blog post but I encourage you to review your own schedule of prayer and if you aren't praying some of these, find a way to incorporate them into your own prayer life. Most importantly, even when you don't know what to pray, follow the example of Jesus and simply pray for the will of God to be done in that situation and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
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