Dictionary: Prayer

A distinction needs to be made between the various occurrences of the words “pray” and “prayer” in most translations of the Bible and the modern connotation of the same words. In the OT, the main Hebrew words translated as “to pray” and “prayer” (palal and tepillah) refer to the act of bringing a petition or request before God. They do not normally, if ever, refer to the other elements that we today think of as being included in the act of praying, such as praise or thanksgiving. The same is the case in the NT, where the main Greek words translated “to pray” and “prayer” (proseuchomai and proseuchē) also specifically denote making a petition or request to God. But other words and constructions in both Testaments are also translated “to pray” and “prayer,” and this article will deal with the larger concept, including praise, thanksgiving, petition, and confession, as opposed to the narrower meaning of the particular Hebrew and Greek terms (see also Praise; Thanksgiving; Worship).

Old Testament

In the OT there is no language or understanding comparable to modern ways of talking about prayer as conversational or dialogical. Prayer does not involve mutuality. Prayer is something that humans offer to God, and the situation is never reversed; God does not pray to humans. Understanding this preserves the proper distinction between the sovereign God and the praying subject. Therefore, prayers in the OT are reverential. Some OT prayers have extended introductions, such as that found in Neh. 1:5, that seem to pile up names for God. These should be seen as instances not of stiltedness or ostentation, but rather as setting up a kind of “buffer zone” in recognition of the distance between the Creator and the creature. In the NT, compare the same phenomenon in Eph. 1:17.

Many of the prayers in the OT are explicitly set in a covenantal context. God owes nothing to his creatures, but God has sworn to be faithful to those with whom he has entered into covenant. Thus, many OT prayers specifically appeal to the covenant as a motivation for both those praying and God’s answering (1 Kings 8:23–25; Neh. 1:5–11; 9:32; Pss. 25:10–11; 44:17–26; 74:20; 89:39–49). In postexilic books such as Ezra, Nehemiah, and Daniel, an important feature in the recorded prayers is the use of prior Scripture, praying God’s words (many times covenantal) back to him (in the NT, see Acts 4:24–30). Also, the closeness engendered by the covenant relationship between God and his people was unique in the ancient Near Eastern context. So Moses can marvel, “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?” (Deut. 4:7).

Prayer must be made from a heart that is right toward God. There is no guarantee that God will hear every prayer (Ps. 66:18; Prov. 1:28; Isa. 1:15; 59:2). For the most part, the “rightness” that God requires in prayer is “a broken and contrite heart” (Ps. 51:17; cf. Isa. 66:2).

Although several passages talk about prayer in the context of sacrifice (e.g., Gen. 13:4), there is surprisingly little emphasis on prayer in the legal texts about sacrifice in the Pentateuch, no prescriptions for the kinds of prayer or the words that are to be said in connection with the sacrifices. Interestingly, however, in later, perhaps postexilic contexts, where there is no temple and therefore no sacrifice, we find texts such as Ps. 141:2, where the petitioner asks God to accept prayer as if it were an offering of incense and the evening sacrifice (cf. Prov. 15:8; in the NT, see Rev. 5:8).

A presupposition of prayer in the OT is that God hears prayer and may indeed answer and effect the change being requested. Prayer is not primarily about changing the psychological state or the heart of the one praying, but rather about God changing the circumstances of the one praying.

There is a striking honesty, some would even say brashness, evident in many OT prayers. Jeremiah laments that God has deceived both the people (Jer. 4:10) and Jeremiah himself (20:7) and complains about God’s justice (12:1–4). Job stands, as it were, in God’s face and demands that the Almighty answer his questions (Job 31:35–37). The psalmist accuses God of having broken his covenant promises (Ps. 89:39). While it is true that God does, to some extent, rebuke Jeremiah and Job (Jer. 12:5; Job 38–42), he does not ignore them or cast them aside. This would seem, ultimately, to encourage such honesty and boldness on the part of those who pray.

Literarily, accounts of prayers in narratives serve to provide characterizations of the ones praying. The recorded prayers of people such as Abraham, Moses, Hannah, Ezra, and Nehemiah demonstrate their true piety and humility before God. By contrast, the prayer of Jonah recorded in Jon. 2, in its narrative context, betrays a certain hypocrisy on the part of the reluctant prophet.

New Testament

The depiction of prayer in the NT is largely consistent with that of the OT, but there are important developments.

Jesus tells his disciples to address God as “Father” (Matt. 6:9; cf. Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6). Although recent scholarship has demonstrated that “Abba” is not the equivalent of our “daddy,” it expresses a certain intimacy that goes beyond what was prevalent at the time, but retains an element of reverence as well. God is not just “Father,” but “our Father in heaven” (Matt. 6:9). Even Jesus addresses God as “Holy Father” (John 17:11), “Righteous Father” (John 17:25), and “Father, Lord of heaven and earth” (Matt. 11:25). And Paul, as mentioned earlier, uses a buffer zone, rarely in his epistles using the word “Father” by itself, but instead referring to “God our Father” (e.g., Rom. 1:7) and frequently using the phrase “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 15:6; 2 Cor. 1:3; 11:31; Eph. 1:3; cf. Eph. 1:17; Col. 1:3). God is our Father, but still he is a Father before whom one reverently kneels (Eph. 3:14).

Prayer to God is now to be made in the name of Jesus (Matt. 18:19–20; John 14:13; 15:16; 16:23–26). While there is some debate as to the exact nuance of this idea, it seems clear that, at the very least, prayers in Jesus’ name need to be ones that Jesus would affirm and are in accordance with his holy character and expressed will. It is, in essence, saying to God that the prayer being offered is one that Jesus would approve.

Prayer can also be made to Jesus (John 14:14), and such devotion to him in the early church is evidence of his being regarded as deity. The instances of this in the NT are rare, however, and generally either exclamatory or rhetorical (Acts 7:59; 1 Cor. 16:22; Rev. 22:20). The norm would still seem to be that prayer is to be made to the Father, through Jesus’ name.

Unlike anything prior in the OT, Jesus tells his followers to pray for their enemies (Matt. 5:44). Jesus and his followers serve as examples (Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60).

The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in prayers. It is by him that we are able to call out, “Abba, Father” (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6). The Spirit himself intercedes for us (Rom. 8:26). Our praying is to be done in the Spirit (Eph. 6:18; Jude 20; possibly 1 Cor. 14:15).

Jesus encourages fervent and even continual or repeated prayer (Luke 18:1–8), but not showy or repetitive prayer (Matt. 6:5–8).

Jesus becomes the model of prayer. He prays before important decisions (Luke 6:12–13) and in connection with significant crisis points (Matt. 14:23; 26:36–44; Luke 3:21; 9:29; John 12:27). He offers prayers that are not answered (Luke 22:41–44) and prayers that are (Heb. 5:7). Even as he tells his disciples to always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1 [which is also the meaning of the sometimes overly literalized “pray without ceasing” in 1 Thess. 5:17 NRSV]), so he himself wrestles in prayer (Luke 22:41–44; Heb. 5:7). He has prayed for his disciples (John 17; Luke 22:32), and even now, in heaven, he still intercedes for us (Heb. 7:25). Indeed, our intercession before God’s throne is valid because his is (Heb. 4:14–16).

Synonyms: invocation, intercession, devotion, appeal, plea, entreaty, petition, solicitation, supplication, request, suit
Antonyms: demand something, insist
Showing 2901 to 2925 of 4880 results
Sermon
James G. Cobb
... in the second part of this brilliant account, what happened? Richard Hoefler comments that they might have expected Jesus to pray to God. Of course they knew and had Jesus in the flesh; they called him "good teacher." But Jesus stood up, not this time in prayer, but with command and authority, he spoke a rebuke to the winds and the sea. To the surprise of all the disciples, Hoefler writes, "Jesus acted like God and spoke like God" and the flailing forces3 there, even of nature obeyed him. They were awed and ...
2902. The Choice
Matthew 16:13-20
Sermon
... . Jesus was a good man, if feeding the hungry and healing the sick and forgiving his enemies count for anything. In this case "good" is not good enough to save us. Jesus is the Christ, the one who in whom is revealed the amazing truth paraphrased in the prayer of St. Francis, "For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life." (Lutheran Book of Worship, Minneapolis: Augsburg, p. 48) Peter's choice of belief in this Jesus was ...
Sermon
Richard L. Thulin
... one another, and even embrace, as they share the Peace. Hymns of joy and celebration are sung as communicants go forward to share the bread and wine. There are smiles on the faces of men and women as they receive the food and drink. The eucharistic prayers offer thanksgiving for all that God has accomplished. Surely God's gift of forgiveness has not been forgotten, but our praise of God has been extended and is more fully expressed. In a eucharist of praise, we honor all that God has done, is doing, and ...
Sermon
... s unhesitating response. Jesus offers no special encouragements. He makes no promises; in fact, he does not even give Matthew a job description. He does not seem astonished at Matthew's acceptance, nor does he express any gratitude. There is no record of a prayer of thanksgiving, or even of a handshake. According to the stark and startling record, Jesus simply says, "Follow me," and Matthew does. There is a motive, I think, behind the evangelist's silence. By not giving us a single clue, he is attempting to ...
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... taken in the conclave and Declan Walsh receives the necessary votes to be elected Pope. Ugo Cardinal Galeotti is sent to South Carolina to inform Declan Walsh of his election to be Pope and to discover if Declan will accept the election. After much prayer and soul-searching, Walsh accepts the election and takes the name of Pope Francesco I. This highly imaginative and entertaining scenario is told in Walter F. Murphy's novel, The Vicar of Christ. Pope Francesco does not play the pontifical game according to ...
Sermon
... eyes to heaven again and complained indignantly to God, "But when we came here he had a hat!" We forget the mercies of God so quickly. We forget what it was like before we had a Savior, before we had someone to care, before we had someone to answer our prayers, before we had a God! Peevish Murmurers There's an old story that comes out of the Missouri Ozarks; it tells of a hound dog sitting in a country store, howling his head off, as hounds are prone to do. A stranger came in and said to the storekeeper ...
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... or chancel rail, when I got home I was severely punished. My mother would say, "That's God's house and I expect you to treat it like it is!" Our lackadaisical indifference to church gives us away. We glance about to see what others are doing during the prayer, we pay little attention to the reading of the Word of God, we ignore the message of the hymns we sing, we let our thoughts wander during the preaching of the sermon. We let familiarity breed contempt for the holy. C. S. Lewis said, "A good way to ...
Sermon
... , and the undeserving nation is spared. Moses' life was tied up in that of his people. Their well-being was his well-being. Later, in this chapter, we learn he would be willing to die if Israel could again be restored to favor with God. One of the greatest prayers in the Bible is his petition for them, "Alas, this people have sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if thou wilt forgive their sins - and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou has written ...
Sermon
... one another or die." All loneliness is sad and traumatic, but no suffering is as severe or tragic as the loneliness which comes from being estranged from God and his presence, of feeling bereft of him. "I'll Go, I Will Do as you Ask" (Exodus 33:17) The prayer of Moses prevails, and God relents, saying, "I will do just as you have asked." In other words, "All right, I'll go with you!" When our daughter, Jodi, was very little, about three years old, she would often ask, as we'd pass the Dairy Queen, "Daddy ...
Sermon
... I am sure you are aware, our president has announced his candidacy for a second term in office. One of the important planks in his platform is to return our nation to her strong religious foundations, especially as they express themselves in voluntary prayer in public schools and the abortion issue. To help build support for his position and to receive the opinions of the "grassroots religious people" of America, the President will sponsor a Religious Banquet and Forum at the White House on Sunday, June __ ...
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... and are heavy laden and I will give you rest ... for your weary soul." God loves us. He does not like to see us eaten-up with guilt and burdened with cares and worries so he commands that we come to him. When we unburden our hearts to him in prayer, he gives us comfort. When we confess our sins to him, he grants us assurance of forgiveness. When we place our problems into his loving hands, he gives us rest from those struggles. Like a loving parent having to remind a child to take medicine because it's good ...
Sermon
... much more than living by a set of rules, even when they are God’s; it is recognizing and responding to a relationship with God himself. A "deepening," as Romano Guardini put it, of the spiritual life only occurs when people respond to God’s Word in prayer and other acts of public and private piety. I lived with such a person for nearly two weeks at a continuing education program some years ago. One of my roommates was a Black Baptist preacher, who was a sound sleeper and had to be awakened in time for ...
Sermon
... , but there’s nothing I can do." She began to weep and to beg him to help her, but he adamantly refused and attempted to get her to leave; she would not. Silone comments, "But Don Paolo knew quite well that if he were to pretend to recite some prayers or carry out an exorcism in just one case, the whole inn would be full of people waiting for their turn. He would not be able to refuse anyone. They would all say, ‘You helped Teresa Scaraffa. Now help us.’ The rumors would spread down the plain. "Aside ...
Sermon
... heal her. Jesus was able to say to her: "Daughter your faith has made you well." We are people who always have put our trust in other people and other things in our search for wholeness, health and happiness. But in the end, only faith will heal us. Let our prayer this day be that we may place our trust in the Lord, so that we may come to trust the power and grace of God that can make us whole, and happy and free. Benediction: Father, your name and your nature are love. Grant to us this day the courage ...
Sermon
Harold Warlick
... so strong, unified and secure as to defy trouble, who is the god who can deliver us? Nebuchadnezzar's question leaps over the chasm of time and space to demand an answer: "What god can deliver you?" Jesus made it plain to us. When he knelt in prayer for the last time with his little handful of friends, he made no plea that they be sheltered. He knew they would be stoned, slain with the sword, destitute, afflicted and would wander the deserts and mountains of the earth. There was no cheap and easy way ...
Sermon
Harold Warlick
... You'll straighten up then. I doubt it. You see, a house doesn't remain empty. Your life and your values don't stay neutral. Locate yourself away from sacred music. Locate yourself away from the ideals and ideas in the Christian heritage. Get away from prayer and the symbols of the cross and the resurrection. Locate yourself away from people who at their best are trying to transform their lives and build their characters. Where is your life going to live? You've got to live somewhere. It's a housing problem ...
Sermon
... , but not the tasks." Too often we, like the peasant, want to be one to whom much is given, but not one from whom much is expected. The problem is that this is not the cheap blessing God offers - which is why some people get discouraged with God, with prayer and with religion. God calls us to eat at his table, to be one of his family, to accept the responsibility of being his sons and daughters. God gives us his blessings through (that is, by means of) our commitment. One day I met a stranger on a public ...
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... for Jesus we can do our best to exhibit it and make it attractive to others. Our witness is not to condemn, but to invite - to tell in words and show in deeds what Jesus means to us; to tell and show with kindly conviction the strengthening power of our prayer and Bible study, and let the Holy Spirit use it as he will. A man came to church and asked for instruction as to how to become a member. He said, "A friend of mine has a joy and strength in his life that I sorely need in mine. He ...
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... other people Jesus was baptized there. Then the spirit of God descended upon Jesus, and he heard a voice from heaven saying, "Thou art my beloved son; with thee I am well pleased." Jesus went to the wilderness for forty days - a time of retreat, thought, prayer, strategizing, and testing - being tempted of the devil. Then, Jesus came into Galilee preaching. God had one son, and he made a preacher out of him. But, why did Jesus preach? Why didn’t he write a book, organize an army, run for public office ...
Sermon
Various Authors
... fellowship. They patiently helped him to give up his fears and hurts, entrusting himself to Christ. As Fred lived by faith in Christ, he loved his father by faith, seeing his father in the light of God’s image no matter how dim that image seemed. Through prayer, friends helped Fred to see himself going to his father and finding reconciliation. Fred finally went to his father’s bedside. The son said, "Dad, I love you and I ask you to forgive me for any way in which I have hurt you." The father shouted ...
Sermon
Edward Chinn
... here present, we here spread forth to thee, That only off'ring perfect in thine eyes, The one true, pure, immortal sacrifice. "Look, Father, look on his anointed face, And only look on us as found in him; Look not on our misusings of thy grace, Our prayers so languid, and our faith so dim; For lo! between our sins and their reward, We set the passion of thy Son our Lord." (The Hymnal 1940 According to the Use of the Episcopal Church, 189) "For indeed our Passover has begun; the sacrifice is offered - Christ ...
Sermon
James R. Tozer
... was comfortable and did not want the old adversities which had crushed me once before. Six months later the job was offered to me again! It began to dawn upon me that this might be a further dimension of God’s plan - something that only I could do. After much prayer and agonizing, arguing and rationalizing, I happened to be in church the day you preached on 2 Timothy 2:7. "For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and a sound mind." I knew God was trying to tell me that ...
2923. Managing Our Memories
1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Sermon
Leonard W. Mann
... then. Do you recall Washington Irving’s story of Rip Van Winkle? Rip has the jug of whiskey in his hand: will he drink it? If he remembers the rosy glow that followed his last drink, he probably will. But if he remembers his mother’s prayers and the misery of his last hangover, he probably won’t. Driving along the public road, we are likely to be more cautious if we can remember the last grisly auto accident we saw. Simon Peter, warming himself by the fire, vehemently denied his Lord. Then, says ...
Sermon
Various Authors
... ’ll drink refreshment for our souls. It’s so much more than a mere ritual act! It’s a sacrament, brought to us by Christ’s sacrifice for our sakes to renew life within us for his sake and for the sake of his little ones. Let me make a prayer for all of us as we commune. It’s simply this: that, as we are refreshed, God will grant us grace that we may become persons who refresh others who thirst. In our daily round of duties and activities, in our home life, may we become more sharply aware of ...
2925. Submission
Matthew 3:13-17
Sermon
... . After taking John Edward into my arms, I baptized him in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I hope the day will come when he will take the faith for himself and be confirmed as a member of Christ's Universal Church. It is our hope and prayer that his life will be submitted to God's authority - that he will live out the meaning of his baptism. John Edward now lives his life as a person who has been baptized. That mark is on him. He may not choose to live by the meaning of baptism, but ...
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