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Introduction To Prayer

This document defines prayer as communicating with God through various means such as calling on His name, crying out to Him, or pouring out one's heart. It discusses that prayer involves both speaking to and listening from God. The document also outlines different postures for prayer, levels of intensity in prayer from asking to seeking to knocking, types of prayer like worship, petition, and intercession, and uses Jesus as the ultimate example of an intercessor.

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Mylene Ventura
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396 views

Introduction To Prayer

This document defines prayer as communicating with God through various means such as calling on His name, crying out to Him, or pouring out one's heart. It discusses that prayer involves both speaking to and listening from God. The document also outlines different postures for prayer, levels of intensity in prayer from asking to seeking to knocking, types of prayer like worship, petition, and intercession, and uses Jesus as the ultimate example of an intercessor.

Uploaded by

Mylene Ventura
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to

Prayer
Definition of Prayer
Prayer is communicating with
God. It takes different forms, but
basically it occurs when man
talks with God and God talks
with man.
Definition of Prayer
Prayer is described as:
• Calling upon the name of the Lord: Genesis 12:8
• Crying unto God: Psalms 27:7; 34:6
• Drawing near to God: Psalms 73:28; Hebrews
10:22
• Looking up: Psalms 5:3
• Lifting up the soul: Psalms 25:1
• Lifting up the heart: Lamentations 3:41
Definition of Prayer
• Pouring out the heart: Psalms 62:8
• Pouring out the soul: I Samuel 1:15
• Crying to Heaven: II Chronicles 32:20
• Beseeching the Lord: Exodus 32:11
• Seeking God: Job 8:5
• Seeking the face of the Lord: Psalms 27:8
• Making supplication: Job 8:5; Jeremiah 36:7
Definition of Prayer
• Prayer is not just talking to God, but it involves
listening also. Prayer is communication, and a
one-way conversation does not last long. When
you pray, expect God to speak to you. Most often
He will do this through His written Word or by a
"still small voice" that seems to "speak“ to your
heart. Sometimes He will give you a vision or
interpret back to your spirit what you have
prayed in your heavenly prayer language
Definition of Prayer
• When you pray, there is no one approved
posture for prayer. You may pray while:
Standing: I Kings 8:22; Mark 11:25
Bowing down: Psalms 95:6
Kneeling: II Chronicles 6:13; Psalms 95:6; Luke 22:41;Acts
20:36
Falling on your face: Numbers 16:22; Joshua 5:14; I
Chronicles 21:16; Matthew 26:39
Spreading out your hands: Isaiah 1:15; II Chronicles 6:13
Lifting up the hands: Psalms 28:2; Lamentations 2:19; I
Timothy 2:8
HOW PRAYER IS ANSWERED
• The Bible reveals that prayer is answered:
Immediately at times: Isaiah 65:24; Daniel 9:21-23
Delayed at times: Luke 18:7
Different from our desires: II Corinthians 12:8-9
Beyond our expectations: Jeremiah 33:3;
Ephesians 3:20
THE PRAYER LIFE OF JESUS

• Prayer should be important to us because it


was important to the Lord Jesus. Jesus is our
greatest model of intercessory prayer.
JESUS MADE PRAYER A PRIORITY:

• -He prayed any time of the day or night: Luke 6:12-13


• -Prayer took priority over eating: John 4:31-32
• -Prayer took priority over business: John 4:31-32
• -He taught prayer to his disciples: Matthew 6:9-13
PRAYER ACCOMPANIED ANY EVENT OF
IMPORTANCE IN HIS LIFE::
• -At His baptism: Luke 3:21-22
• -During the first ministry tour: Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16
• -Before the choice of the disciples: Luke 6:12-13
• -Before/after feeding the 5,000: Matthew 14:19,23;
Mark 6:41,46; John 6:11,14-15
• -At the feeding of the 4,000: Matthew 15:36; Mark 8:6,7
• -Before the confession of Peter: Luke 9:20
• -Before the transfiguration: Luke 9:28,29
• -At the return of the seventy: Matthew 11:25; Luke
PRAYER ACCOMPANIED ANY EVENT OF
IMPORTANCE IN HIS LIFE::
• -At the grave of Lazarus: John 11:41-42
• -At the blessing of the children: Matthew 19:13
• -At the coming of certain Greeks: John 12:27-28
• -For Peter: Luke 22:32
• -For the giving of the Holy Spirit: John 14:16
• -On the road to Emmaus: Luke 24:30-31
• -Prior to His ascension: Luke 24:50-53
• -For His followers: John 17
• -Before His greatest trial: Matthew 26:26-27;
• Mark 14:22-23; Luke 22:17-19
LEVELS OF PRAYER

There are three levels of intensity in


prayer:
• Asking;
• Seeking;
• And knocking
LEVELS OF PRAYER

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall


find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that
seeketh findeth, and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened.
(Matthew 7:7-8)
LEVELS OF PRAYER

Asking is the first level of prayer. It is simply


presenting a request to God and receiving an
immediate answer. In order to receive, the
condition is to ask:
...ye have not, because ye ask not. (James 4:2)
LEVELS OF PRAYER
Seeking is a deeper level of prayer. This is the
level of prayer where answers are not as
immediate as at the asking level. The 120 gathered
in the upper room where they continued in
prayer is an example of seeking. These men and
women sought fulfillment of the promise of the
Holy Spirit and continued seeking until the
answer came (Acts 1-2).
LEVELS OF PRAYER
Knocking is a deeper level. It is prayer that is
persistent when answers are longer in coming. It is
illustrated by the parable Jesus told in Luke 11:5-
10. It is also illustrated by the persistence of
Daniel who continued to "knock" despite the fact
he saw no visible results because Satan
hindered the answer from God (Daniel 10).
TYPES OF PRAYER

Paul calls for believers to pray always with


"all prayer" (Ephesians 6:18). Another
translation of the Bible reads "praying with
every kind of prayer" (Goodspeed
Translation).
TYPES OF PRAYER

1. WORSHIP AND PRAISE

Worship is the giving of honor and devotion.


Praise is thanksgiving and an expression of
gratitude not only for what God has done
but for who He is. You are to worship God in
spirit and in truth
Worshiping God in truth means that you worship
Him on the basis of what is revealed in the
Word of God. To worship Him in Spirit is to do so
sincerely in the power of the Holy Spirit,
from your innermost being, putting Him first
above all others. When you worship in Spirit, you
allow the Holy Spirit to direct your worship. You
do not use man-made formulas or rituals of
worship. You do not just repeat chants or prayers
with your mind somewhere else.
Instead, you open up the innermost recesses of
your heart and mind, and lift praise and adoration
to Him in your own words. Sometimes, the Holy
Spirit will take over completely and you will
begin to worship in the "other tongues" of your
prayer language.
TYPES OF PRAYER

2. COMMITMENT

This is prayer committing your life and will


to God. It includes prayers of consecration
and dedication to God, His work, and His
purposes.
TYPES OF PRAYER
3. PETITION:
Prayers of petition are requests. Requests
must be made according to the will of God as
revealed in His written Word. Petitions may
be at the levels of asking, seeking, or
knocking. Supplication is another word for
this type of prayer. The word supplication
means "beseeching God or strongly
appealing to Him in behalf of a need.
TYPES OF PRAYER
4. CONFESSION AND REPENTANCE:

A prayer of confession is repenting and


asking forgiveness for sin:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(I John 1:9)
TYPES OF PRAYER
5. INTERCESSION:

Intercession is prayer for others. An


intercessor is one who takes the place of
another or pleads
another's case. It is upon this type of prayer
that the remainder of this manual focuses.

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