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 2026 to 2050 of 4880 results
2026. A Man for All Seasons
1 Corinthians 9:16-23
Sermon
Donald Charles Lacy
... can be good, which can mean sacrificing our brilliance for the betterment of all involved. But, dear friends, never be a secularized politician, which is always self-seeking and devoid of the undergirding of prayer. Always look out for the spiritual interests of others and always bathe your means and ends in humble and sincere prayer. Otherwise, we could become an anathema! 2. We are called to be adjustable in the best sense of the word. At first, our point may sound like we must be amenable to being tossed ...
Sermon
Richard Gribble
... Christ spoke in generic terms about reconciliation, loving God and neighbor, demonstrating an attitude of peace, and the need for prayer, but he was also very specific in many areas of what the recipe of eternal life required. Jesus often, and ... her, "Your box tells us that when you came to church, God was not central in your mind and your neighbors were not central in your prayers. It is clear that most of the time you were thinking how pious and holy you are and how everyone ought to know how devoted you ...
Sermon
Richard Gribble
... by not wasting time with foolish things, such as with excessive drinking, but to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He suggests using time to praise God and most especially to thank the Lord for all he has done. Paul understood that prayers of contrition and petition were important, but also prayers of praise and thanksgiving were necessary for all of the Lord's many and manifest blessings. Paul's teaching tells us there is a need to strike a balance in our lives in using our time and gifts wisely. Two polar ...
2029. Dots on a Screen
Hebrews 9:24-28
Sermon
Lee Ann Dunlap
... ! Let us not be distracted by dots on the screen, caught up in mere images and reflections of life. Let us instead focus on the real thing — our daily journey of communion with God and each other — real relationships, real struggles, and an honest-to-God prayer life. Together, let us turn our attention toward Christ and aspire to living reality in accordance with God's script(ure). As we trek toward the heavenly realm let us strive to be more than survivors, let us seek to be true children of God.
Sermon
Lee Ann Dunlap
... from the Almighty? Far too often, we approach in a manner like the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, expecting a thunderous disembodied shout, "How dare you approach!" Perhaps one reason we spend so little time and energy on the hard path of intimate prayer is that we expect the same condemnation from God that we too often hear from the people around us — and even from those voices inside us. Too often we approach intimacy with God expecting a job-performance review instead of a candlelit dinner with our ...
Sermon
Shirley Gupton Lynn
... . He wanted God. For reasons we don't understand, we may not be rescued from our sufferings but God will always be there to hold our hand, to deliver us even in our pain. God will be there, through others, through prayer, through the Holy Spirit. And we will be victorious over all our enemies, even death, rescued and transferred. 3. Sometimes God delivers us FROM something; sometimes God delivers us IN something; but God always delivers us TO something. The Israelites were delivered from Egypt to serve ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... know Jesus?” he asked. “No,” she said. “I try to. I read this book. I want to know Him, but I haven’t been able to find Him.” And Colson took one of Bessie’s hands while the chaplain took the other, and together they led Bessie in prayer. When they finished, she looked at them with tears flowing down her cheeks. It was a life‑changing moment, says Colson, for Bessie and for him. Three weeks later Bessie Shipp, a new person in Christ Jesus, went to be with God. Colson says he shudders when he ...
Sermon
Richard Gribble
... a fire burning and a hot supper was waiting for me on the stove. After supper you took me to my new room. You listened to my prayers and then you waited until I fell asleep. "You probably know why I am retelling these events to you now. Very soon, God is going to send ... immediately. The Lord is coming and we are not ready. We might start going to church more often, probably every day. Prayer would become a much higher priority in life. We would pray not only in the morning and evening, but many times each ...
Sermon
Richard Gribble
... we not be contemplating what gift we can give to the newborn King of the Jews? After all, in our society we celebrate one's birthday by giving that person a gift. Possibly the gift we can give is greater and more fervent commitment to God in prayer. Prayer, our communication with God, is absolutely essential to our lives, as vital as the food and drink we consume and the air that we breathe, but somehow it often does not hold such priority in our lives. Saint Paul (1 Thessalonians 5:17) tells us that we ...
Sermon
David T. Ball
... not to be missed. What Jesus is after is not just an increase in the doing of good things, but an increase in the good things that are done for the right reasons. Praying not in a vain attempt to get others to think of us as faithful, but prayer for the sake of seeking to connect with God. Charity not for the accolades, but rather for the sake of helping those in need. Fasting not to show off, but rather for the sake of sharpening our spiritual sensitivities. It took philosophy 1,800 years to catch up to ...
2036. The Quiet Day of Pentecost
John 16:5-16, John 15:18--16:4
Sermon
George Reed
... have had experiences where we have tried to talk with someone who just wouldn't be quiet long enough for us to say anything. Our prayers are often so overloaded with our talking that we leave no time for listening. Our culture does not help us, either. We are obsessed ... it takes a while for us to be tuned in to God. We need to be patient and to set aside some time each day in our prayer life to quietly be open to God's presence. The other skill we need is to be able to recognize God's voice when the Spirit ...
Sermon
George Reed
... personally involved, but it does allow us to participate in the planting of fields far away. As we sow the seeds of God we also help to ensure their growth by covering them with a bountiful supply of prayer. We remember those who will receive the food, the welcome, the sharing of the good news of Jesus in our prayer time. We hold up those who share with us the work of planting the seeds. We pray for the reign of God to grow and produce magnificently, rather than to pray that our program will be successful ...
Sermon
George Reed
... to continue that practice and find that the daily schedule is not quite so conducive to taking the time for Bible reading and prayer. "Don't just sit there reading. It's your turn in the bathroom. The bus will be here any minute now." The ... . We may have hurt others and ourselves with them but we have survived and learned from them. They will, too. We can hold them in prayer. Not praying that they will change and do what we think they should, but rather that they will make the best choice possible for them. ...
Sermon
Schuyler Rhodes
... that to all this there is a deep spiritual dimension. Our physical lives and our spiritual lives are intertwined. We cannot neglect one without harming the other. If we engage in destructive behavior, our spirits suffer. If we shy from spiritual disciplines, from prayer and meditation; from study and disciplined discernment, it becomes possible to act as though spiritual things are unimportant or even non-existent. From a lack of balance, we need to be saved. So let me ask you today what size you wear. Let ...
Sermon
Ron Lavin
... midst of the challenging idolatries around them and the power to overcome the moral depravity of their times. We need to be with Jesus -- with his word, with his sacraments, with him in prayer, and with his people in Christian fellowship, witness, and service. Being with Jesus means studying God's Word, sharing prayer with other Christians, being in community with other believers, and selfless service in Jesus' name. That's what makes a difference today! May it be said of us, that like Peter and John, we ...
2041. Surprised Saints
Matthew 25:31-46
Sermon
King Duncan
... hundred families stand in line outside the center to receive a bag of groceries which is critical to getting them through the week. Just before the doors are opened and all the people come in, all those who help prepare the food join hands and say a prayer. The prayer is often offered by Mary Glover, a sixty‑year‑old black woman who knows what it means to be poor and knows how to pray. She prays like someone who knows to whom she is talking. She has been carrying on a conversation with her Lord for ...
2042. Speaking the S-word
1 Samuel 16:14-23
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... spirit is the ultimate weapon we can brandish against evil. We need not fear speaking the "S"-word, acknowledging the existence and work of evil in our lives, if we possess the "Sword" of the Spirit. The "Disciple's Prayer," more commonly called the "Lord's Prayer," specifically asks God to "deliver us from evil." The mediator of that deliverance is the very gift given to the disciples at Pentecost - the active spirit of God. Since Pentecost, therefore, we are all engaged in deliverance ministries, using ...
2043. The Crime of Christmas
Luke 2:8-20, Luke 2:1-7
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... repetition of canned Musak Christmas carols in the supermarket. Who among us cannot identify with the little boy, exhausted from a hard day of Christmas shopping and all its rush, noise and shoving. When it came time to say his prayers before crawling into bed he used the Lord’s Prayer with one small change: "Forgive us our Christmases as we forgive those who Christmas against us," he prayed. The worst crime of Christmas may not be losing sight of the manger for the marketplace. It is just as fatal to ...
2044. Gutsy Joy
Nehemiah 8:1-4a, 5-6, 8-10
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... his wife and daughter a little note which read: "Mr. Dumbleigh presents his compliments and praises God that he is sick so he has to be cared for by two tender, loving fairies. Was ever a man so blest?" In the closing days of his life, Stevenson wrote this prayer that has become somewhat of a classic: "We thank Thee for this place in which we dwell; for the love that unites us; for the peace accorded us this day; for the hope with which we expect the morrow; for the health, the work, the food and the bright ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... of God. Good parents know that their children need to rest and sleep so that they can grow and be healthy. As parents we enforce "bedtime." We may garnish this command with pleasurable rituals a bedtime story, a favorite song, a quiet, snuggley time, a special prayer but bedtime, rest time, is still an order. Likewise, we need to recognize that resting is not a lazy way out it is a God-ordained command. At the conclusion of Creation, God "rested," and as a gift to the human beings God had created, they ...
2046. UpTime
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... a. housecleaning and yard work), writing reports, keeping coworkers informed, keeping bosses informed, filing reports, preparing meals and preparing for tomorrow's onslaught, that we struggle to "find time" for God. At best, we schedule a half-hour of Bible study here, a half-hour of prayer there, and a scant hour of "worship" once a week. The problem with this attitude is that we can't segment life into "God times" vs. "god-less times." Christians don't find time for God. We find God's time in all our time ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... of Bethany Suppers made them places of joy, but also allowed them to be places of reflection and remembrance. While the horizontal shadow of the cross is most prevalent at Bethany Suppers, the fact that Jesus also found them to be places for prayer affirms that the vertical beam of the cross was not completely obscured. The up and down post that forms the "backbone" of the cross points toward God, drawing a straight line the shortest distance between two points between heaven and Earth, between Creator ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... ; a life of taking up one's cross and crying and a life of taking up one's bed and rejoicing; a life of the cross and a life of resurrection; a life of travail and a life of enjoyment. Alternative Sermon "As for Thee" George Herbert's prayer-poem "The Elixir" offers the three-word "as-for-thee" mantra as a magic stone that can transform common metals, common meals, common events, common tasks, into precious incarnations. Here is the poem: Teach me, my God and King, In all things thee to see, And what I ...
2049. Be an Energizer Bunny
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... or truthful and release the energy of that moment, that spirit, over the whole congregation. What could your church do to encourage the appearance of Energizer Bunnies in its midst? What would happen in worship: If during the time for prayer, each of the various prayer-circles in the church stood, formed a circle and prayed for those whose needs they knew? If the choir members scattered themselves throughout the congregation and taught people to sing different parts to familiar hymns? If instead of excusing ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... in praise and affirmation. If our walk with God doesn't originate in praise, it doesn't end in praise. My favorite line in all of Abraham Heschel's writings asserts, "The beginning of prayer is praise. The power of worship is song. First we sing, then we understand" (Abraham Heschel, "On Prayer," Conservative Judaism 25 [Fall 1970], 7). With Moses came the commandments _ but the laws, the anointings, the kingships need to be ratified with an affirmation: AMEN. With the new Moses, Jesus, came grace ...
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