Different Types of Prayers

Different Types of Prayers


I have listed the various types of prayers to enlighten you to what they are. However, as I discussed them the opinions I offer are those of my own and not necessary how they wrote about them although our thoughts are very similar. You may find one or more are overlapping with each other.


The primary categories that seem to make the most sense for us are these:


1. The prayer of Worship and Adoration
2. The prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving
3. The prayer of Confession
4. The prayer of Supplication and Penitence and Petition
5. The prayer of Intercessory Prayer or Praying For Others
6. The prayer of agreement
7. The prayer of consecration or service
8. The prayer of faith or Prevailing Prayer (my favorites)
9. Prayer in the Spirit



1. The prayer of Worship and Adoration
This is a POWERFUL WEAPON. This is the prayer offered when you simply want to eulogize God. The difference between praise and worship like this: praise is about what God has done i.e. God I give thanks to you for giving me iPhone to use, save me, brought me out, put food on my table etc. but worship is about who God is - God even though I don’t have iPhone I will worship you for you are awesome, wonderful, holy, omnipresence, omnipotent etc. Worship is adoration that awakens your inner man and takes you into the very presence of God. What this means is that I will not murmur, complain nor make any petition during this time but everything in me will focus on loving, praising and worshipping God. The word of God says He inhabits the praises of his people. God loves the sound of worship and we were created to praise him.


Such prayers of adoration and praise are commonly found in the Psalms: "I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips" (Psalms 34:1); "I sing praise to you; you, 0 God, are my fortress, my loving God" (Psalms 59:17); "Praise the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord; praise him, you servants of the Lord" (Psalms 135:1). Those with the deepest spirituality are able to offer prayers of praise and adoration in even the more despairing of circumstances.


2. The prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving
A grateful spirit is the soil in which faith, hope, and love grow and flourish. It’s all too easy to take for granted the many blessings we have received and continue to receive each day. Brennan Manning said the mark of those who truly trust God is a spirit of gratitude.


Praise and thanksgiving are powerful weapons to the believer. It destroys the hold of satan and unbelief over our life. Praise and thanksgiving in effect disarm the two most deadly weapons to our Christian walk; namely, unbelief and satanic attacks. These two things can manifest in many different ways. No wonder why the scriptures call praise a two edged sword.


Enter his gates with a song of thanksgiving. Come into his courtyards with a song of praise. Give thanks to him; praise his name. (Psalms 100:4) Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God. The other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly, a violent earthquake shook the foundations of the jail. All the doors immediately flew open, and all the prisoners' chains came loose. (Act 16:25-26) Let godly people triumph in glory. Let them sing for joy on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands to take vengeance on the nations, to punish the people of the world, to put their kings in chains and their leaders in iron shackles, to carry out the judgment that is written against them. This is an honor that belongs to all his godly ones. Hallelujah! (Psalms 149:5-9) Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Whatever happens, give thanks, because it is God's will in Christ Jesus that you do this. Don't put out the Spirit's fire. (1Thessalonians 5:16-19)


3. The prayer of Confession
The prayer of confession may be the most difficult for many people. It is never easy to itemize and confess our sins, shortcomings, or failures and then ask forgiveness. Yet, confession is the path which leads to emotional and spiritual cleansing. The New Testament makes a link between confession and health: "Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16). The Old Testament cites this benefit which flows from confession: "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy" (Proverbs 28:13). If offering the prayer of confession is difficult for you, then consider this insight from writer Louis Cassels: "In confession.. we open our lives to the healing, reconciling, restoring, uplifting grace of him who loves us in spite of what we are."


4. The prayer of Supplication and Penitence and Petition
This is prayer at its most basic level, that of asking. Prayers of petition are perhaps the most frequent forms of prayer. It was the prayer of a student asking for help with school, the prayer of working people to close business deal or promotions, the prayer of a father for his sick child, or the prayer of a wife concerned over her relationship with her husband. We pray to God because we are in need or a friend is in trouble. The crisis may be major or minor, but we approach God requesting aid.


Of course, there is a clear biblical basis for the prayer of petition. The prophet Isaiah declared, "Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.... I will sustain you and I will rescue you" (Isaiah 46:4). In the New Testament, Jesus stressed the importance of expressing all our needs to God. In John 16:24, Jesus told the disciples, "Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be compete." The apostle James faulted some Christians, saying they did not enjoy God's blessings because they failed to offer the prayer of petition: "You do not have, because you do not ask God" (James 4:2). The message from such biblical texts is that God wants to hear our concerns. They indicate that God is saying, "Talk to me. Ask me. Tell me exactly what you need and want."


We need to remember that the primary purpose of the prayer of petition is not for God to give us what we are asking for, but rather that through our prayers of petitions our relationship with God is deepened. If our primary focus is on us getting our needs met, we run the high risk of having only a utilitarian relationship with God. We only run to him when we are in trouble. No one, including God, likes to be used in that way. At Mass petitions are read, but petitions can be said anytime or anywhere. Prayer doesn't have to be limited to one place.


5. The prayer of Intercessory Prayer or Praying For Others
What is the difference between the prayer of supplication and intercession?
To intercede means to plead or mediate on behalf of another person. Jesus is interceding for us (Hebrews 7:25) so is the Holy Spirit praying for us and through us as we pray in the spirit. (Romans 8: 26-27).
When we take it upon ourselves to pray earnestly for other people, we enter into the realm of intercession. To enter into intercession we must have a heart that really loves the Lord and cares about the things God cares about.


To intercede means to plead or mediate on behalf of another person. Intercession will involve various degrees of supplication. Intercession is not normally a one-off prayer. It requires persistence (Luke 11:5-8; Luke 18:1-5). These are prayers offered on behalf of others, especially those who suffer and hurt from life's blows. A biblical example of intercessory prayer is that of Moses who prayed for his sister, Miriam, suffering with leprosy. The bible records Moses' concern this way: "So Moses cried out to the Lord, '0 God, please heal her!'" (Numbers 12:14). Miriam was fully healed seven days later.


Our intercessory prayers should occasionally have a global dimension and not be confined to family and friends. Prayers for government and church leaders, prayers for all involved in research for a cure for the diseases that inflict our human family, prayers for all who are suffering from sickness, violence, grief and their caregivers, prayers for those who daily work to alleviate the needs of the poor or more.


A Lesson in Intercession
Parable of the Needy Friend (Luke 11:3-13)
The elements of true intercession are illustrated in this parable told by Jesus. A man received a surprise visit from a friend in the middle of the night. His friend was starving but this man had no food in his house. Notice the elements involved in praying for others:
* Urgent need: The friend was hungry and needed immediate food.
* Willing love: The poor man loved his friend and wanted to supply his need.
* The sense of inability: ‘I have nothing to give!'’
* Faith in asking: ‘But I have a rich friend who will be glad to give.’
* Persistence that prevailed: The poor man met an unexpected obstacle. The rich friend objected to being disturbed at an inconvenient time. But the same love that sent the poor man out at midnight to find bread for his hungry friend would not let him give up. He kept on asking until the rich friend gave what he asked for.
* Certainty of a rich reward: Unlike the rich friend in the parable, God delights to answer prayer. Sometimes He delays the answer to increase our faith or we do not readily recognize the answer. But the door is always opened and the bread given.


6. The prayer of agreement
The prayer of agreement is when two or more people come together and agree with one another and with the Word of God that something specific will be done. People that do not worship God or indeed worship satan, can also stand in agreement and see power released (Genesis 11: 1-9).
God has given power and authority to the Church and when we stand together in unity we can see more of God's power released (Matthew 28: 16-20). Unity is standing together with one purpose, sharing a joint vision and trusting God's Word to be fulfilled. We need to appreciate the power of unity if we are to see God's power released.


7. The prayer of consecration or service
This prayer involves surrendering completely to God's will and service. It is offered by sensitive, responsive Christians. When they see a need, they desire to fulfill it, and when they see a hurt, they work to heal it. History is filled with ordinary women and men who did extraordinary things because they consecrated their lives to God.


This is an old concept and often forgotten in our modern world of Christianity. You seldom hear anyone say consecrate me Oh Lord to do your will. This type of prayer is an urgent and fervent request that says I want to do what you want me to do, I want to desire what you want me to desire, to go where you tell me, to hear your voice clearly and always obey you. Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom will I send? Who will go for us?" I said, "Here I am. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8). This prayer is one of dedication to the service of the Lord - a plea to make me a yielded vessel fit for your use and for your glory. It is a denial of your flesh, you will, your desires, what you think is right or wrong and seeking the truth of God for your life. Oh, that the Body of Christ would cry out to God in this prayer - then I'm sure we would witness the raw power of God, miracles and wonders untold.


8. The prayer of faith or Prevailing Prayer (my favorites)
The prayer of faith is rooted in our confidence on God's Word. The woman with the issue of blood (Matthew 9) knew that touching Jesus would get her healed. Her faith gave her the strength to press through the crowd. When you are sure that what you are praying for is God's will for you, the prayer of faith can be employed. Unforgiveness (Mark 11: 25) and doubt (James 1: 5-8) are the two greatest hindrances to the prayer of faith. Where the prayer of supplication is seeking God's will, the prayer of faith is knowing God's will, praying it and receiving it from Him.


Is always based on the word of God. You don't have to add "if it be your will" because you know according to his word it is his will. Nothing can be accomplished without faith. There is no need to pray if you don't believe that God will hear, he is able and he will perform it. To pray this type of prayer you must know what the will of God is - that means to search the word of God to see what he says about this situation, what authority are you operating in, do you meet the conditions for this word to be true in your life etc. This type of prayer is relying on (Hebrews 11:1) " Now Faith Is" Apostle Richard D. Henton (Monument of Faith) recently preached a sermon "Now My Faith Is" you must take the word of God and make it personal. Now My faith is bringing to me every righteous request, it is manifesting the promises of God in my life and for those that I bring to the throne of God, my faith causes me to receive the things of God, it is making available to me the promises of God. This type of prayer requires total obedience to (Mark 11:22-23) "and Jesus answering saith unto them, Have Faith In God. (James 5:15) and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. This prayer says to the enemy as Paul said "Sirs I believe God, and may I add that is my final answer.


9. Prayer in the Spirit
This in the most interesting prayer. It said in the Romans, At the same time the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we don't know how to pray for what we need. But the Spirit intercedes along with our groans that cannot be expressed in words. The one who searches our hearts knows what the Spirit has in mind. The Spirit intercedes for God's people the way God wants him to. (Romans 8:26-27) you don’t know what you are praying but you know for sure your spirit in interceding and exhorting you.


This is the challenge in this prayer; to pray in the spirit and to pray in your mind. If I pray in another language, my spirit prays, but my mind is not productive. So what does this mean? It means that I will pray with my spirit, and I will pray with my mind. I will sing psalms with my spirit, and I will sing psalms with my mind. (1 Corinthians 14:14-15)


“Hallelujah,” “Thank You,” “Sorry,” “Please,” and “_____.”