Prayer Flashcards
What is prayer?
A way in which Christians believe they can communicate with God.
Describe different ways of prayer in congregational worship.
- May be led by one or several people. Congregation invited to take part through set responses.
- May simply listen to prayers and confirm agreement at end with ‘amen’
- Sometimes a member of the congregation who wishes to stand and pray aloud is free to do so
What do Christians believe about silent prayer?
That God may speak to them in some way, e.g. helping them understand the answer to what they have prayed about. Usually a period of reflection.
What do set (liturgical) prayers help worshippers to do?
Express their thankfulness, confession and requests to God. May be hard for believers to find the words they want to express themselves to God, so set prayers help the, do this.
What do informal more spontaneous prayers give Christians?
Freedom to relate to God in a uniquely individual way. Known as extempore prayer.
What does extempore prayer bring some believers?
A more intimate way of engaging in ‘conversation’ with God.
What is the Lord’s Prayer?
Jesus gave his followers this to teach them how to pray.
What does are the key things that Christians need to remember when praying (shown in the Lord’s Prayer)?
- confession of wrongdoings
- thankgiving
- adoration of God, concern for others
- supplication (asking God for help in prayer. May be for the person themselves or for others).
Why is private worship important to Christians?
It helps them to develop a close and personal relationship with God. Christians will often use their individual or private prayers to pray for people they know of for charitable work in which they have a particular interest.
Adoration prayers
Prayers that focus on God’s character and adore him for who he is. The Bible repeatedly speaks of God being worthy of praise in this way.
Confession prayers
People will bring before God any wrongdoings. They are seeking forgiveness. A time when the believer can consider how to change their actions.
Intercession prayers
Christians will come to God to intercede on behalf of others, will pray for God’s will to be done and peoples needs are met.
Thanksgiving prayers
Believe that God has plans for their good and so even in hard situations, they are able to thank Him. Help Christians remain grateful for God’s provision.
Grace
Saying ‘grace’ is associated with the Christina practice of thanking God before eating a meal. They recognise that all they have received, especially food, is part of God’s goodness to them.
Demonstrations of Grace in the Bible
- Jesus gave thanks in the account of the feeding of the 5 thousand (Matthew 15:36)
- Acts records that Paul ‘gave thanks to God’ before eating bread during a sea journey.
Praying in the Spirit
- To pray an inspired prayer, one led by God’s Holy Spirit within the believer. Also understood as praying in tongues.
- Usually part of private prayer but may be aloud in some charismatic forms of worship
What is praying in tongues?
Understood by many Christians to be a unique language given to the believer by God, through which they can praise God in a way that human language cannot. Make no sense in terms of human language but believed to bring believer closer to God.
Meditation prayers
Focusing in stillness on God. During so a Bible passage may be used to help the person concentrate on God. Times of contemplation may bring closeness. Christians are expectant that god will reveal himself directly to them.
1 peter 3:12
‘The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer.’
Philippians 4:5-7
‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.’
1 Thessalonians 5
‘Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks on all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.’
