PRAYER
terminology for prayer:
(See PRAYER, primary kinds of prayer)
♦ calling on the Lord or on His name:
• Genesis 4:26; 12:8; 1 Kings 18:24; 1 Chronicles 4:10; Psalms 88:9; Isaiah 55:6; Joel 2:32; Jonah 2:2; Zephaniah 3:9; Zechariah 7:13; Acts 2:21; 7:59; Romans 10:13; 2 Timothy 2:22
♦ prayer itself:
• Genesis 20:7; 32:11; 2 Samuel 7:27; Nehemiah 1:11; Psalms 69:13; Isaiah 56:7; Matthew 21:22; Philippians 4:6; Revelation 8:4
♦ entreating the Lord:
♦ pouring out of one's soul before the Lord:
♦ petition:
♦ supplication:
♦ seeking the Lord and His face:
♦ lifting up the soul or the heart to God:
♦ crying to the Lord:
♦ asking from the Lord:
• Matthew 6:8; 7:7
♦ drawing near to God or His throne:
• Hebrews 4:16 (cf. 10:22)
addressees of prayer:
♦ to the Lord:
♦ to God:
♦ to the Lord God:
♦ to the Father:
♦ to Jesus Christ:
relation of prayer:
to the Father
♦ He knows His children's needs before they ask
♦ He is the primary addressee of the Christian's prayer
♦ He responds to proper prayer
to the Son
♦ approach the Father only through Him
♦ pray in His name
to the Spirit
♦ He activates supplication
♦ He intercedes for the saints in their prayers
♦ He is the One in whom the believer prays
• Ephesians 6:18; Jude 20
to the character of God
♦ His lovingkindness
♦ His faithfulness
♦ His power
• Numbers 14:13, 17
♦ His glory
♦ His readiness to forgive
♦ His compassion
♦ His goodness
♦ His grace
♦ His mercy
♦ His ability
♦ commands to pray
• 1 Chronicles 16:11; Isaiah 55:6; Matthew 6:6; Luke 18:1; Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2; I Thessalonians 5:17; 1 Timothy 2:8
primary kinds of prayer:
♦ for intercession:
• Genesis 18:22-32; 20:7, 17; Exodus 32:11-13, 31-32; 34:8-9; Numbers 14:17-19; 21:7; Deuteronomy 9:25-29; 1 Samuel 7:8-9; 12:23; 1 Chronicles 29:18-19; Job 42:8-10; Psalms 7:9; 28:9; Jeremiah 29:7; 42:2; Matthew 5:44; Luke 22:32; 23:34; John 17:1-26; Acts 7:60; 8:14-15; 12:5; Romans 1:9-10; 10:1; 2 Corinthians 9:13-14; Ephesians 6:18-19; Colossians 4:3, 12; 1 Timothy 2:1-2; Philemon 22; Hebrews 13:20-21; James 5:14-16
♦ for invocation of God's blessing:
♦ for confession of sin:
• Judges 10:10-15; 1 Kings 8:47; Ezra 9:5-10:1; Nehemiah 9:2-3; Psalms 32:1-5; 51:1-17; Isaiah 59:12-15; Jeremiah 14:7, 20; Lamentations 3:41-42; Daniel 9:3-15; Luke 18:13
♦ for imprecation (i.e., calling down judgment upon enemies):
• Judges 16:28; Nehemiah 4:4-5; Job 27:7; Psalms 5:10; 28:4; 54:5; 69:23-24; 109:7-20; 140:9-10; Jeremiah 11:20; Lamentations 1:22; Galatians 1:8-9
♦ for petition:
♦ in emergency:
main components of prayer:
(See PRAYER, basic conditions for answered prayer)
♦ rehearsal of God's promises:
♦ praise:
(See also PRAISE)
♦ confession or request for forgiveness of sin:
(See also CONFESSION, of sin)
♦ thanksgiving:
(See also THANKFULNESS)
♦ acknowledgment of God and His character:
• Numbers 14:17-19; Deuteronomy 3:24; 2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Kings 8:23-24; 2 Chronicles 20:6-7; Nehemiah 1:5; Jeremiah 32:16-22; Daniel 9:4, 17-19; Matthew 6:9; Luke 18:13
basic conditions for answered prayer:
♦ seeking God with a whole and pure heart:
♦ requests in accordance with God's word:
♦ obedience to God's word:
♦ confession and repentance for sin:
• 2 Chronicles 6:37; 7:14; Nehemiah 1:6-7; Proverbs 28:13; Daniel 9:4-19; Luke 18:13; James 5:16; 1 John 1:9 (cf. Leviticus 26:40-42; Psalms 66:18)
♦ humility:
♦ submission to God's will:
♦ a righteous life:
♦ delight in the Lord:
♦ faith in the Lord:
♦ sincerity (i.e., prayer in truth):
♦ reverence for God:
♦ forgiveness of others:
♦ persistence in prayer (see also perseverance in prayer):
♦ recognition of God as merciful:
♦ petition in Christ's name:
♦ confidence through Christ:
♦ holy hands:
♦ absence of wrath and dissension:
♦ piety:
primary examples of prayer:
♦ Abraham:
♦ Jacob:
♦ Moses:
♦ Hannah:
♦ Samuel:
♦ David:
♦ Solomon:
♦ Asa:
♦ Jehoshaphat:
♦ Hezekiah:
♦ Jeremiah:
♦ Daniel:
♦ Jonah:
♦ Habbakuk:
♦ Ezra:
♦ Nehemiah:
♦ Mary, mother of Jesus:
♦ Anna:
♦ Christ Himself:
(See also CHRIST, characteristics of, prayerful)
♦ Peter and John:
• Acts 3:1
♦ Paul:
♦ Peter alone:
♦ Cornelius:
• Acts 10:1-2, 32
♦ Epaphras:
primary promises of:
(See PROMISES)
♦ in the OT:
• Leviticus 26:40-42; 2 Chronicles 7:14-15; Psalms 37:4-5; 86:7; 145:18-19; Isaiah 30:19; 58:9; 65:24; Jeremiah 33:3; Zechariah 10:1, 6; 13:9
♦ in the NT:
• Matthew 6:6; 7:7-11; 18:19-20; 21:22; Luke 18:1-8; John 14:13-14; 15:7; 16:24; Romans 10:13; Ephesians 3:20; Philippians 4:6-7; Hebrews 4:16; James 1:5-6; 5:15-16; 1 John 3:22; 5:14-15
♦ commitment to prayer
involvement in prayer:
♦ private prayer:
♦ public prayer:
♦ group prayer:
perseverance in prayer:
principle of
primary examples of
♦ Abraham
♦ Jacob
♦ Elijah
♦ Nehemiah
♦ the Psalmist
♦ Christ
♦ Paul
petitions in prayer:
(See PRAYER, various kinds of prayer; answers to prayer)
♦ for God to deliver in dire distress:
• Genesis 32:11; Numbers 20:16; Judges 3:9; 2 Samuel 22:7; 2 Chronicles 30:4; 33:10-13; Psalms 25:16-22; Jeremiah 15:15; Jonah 2:1-9; Acts 16:24-26
♦ for knowledge of God and His ways:
♦ for a display of God's power:
♦ for forgiveness of sins:
♦ for deliverance from enemies:
♦ for fulfillment of God's promise:
♦ for blessing:
♦ for rain:
♦ for relief from any pestilences or afflictions:
♦ for deliverance from enemies:
♦ for divine justice for the wicked and the righteous:
♦ for God to answer prayer:
♦ for help in affliction and need:
♦ for a walk in God's word:
♦ for victory over sin:
♦ for the peace of Jerusalem:
♦ for restoration of the Jews and Jerusalem:
• Daniel 9:16-19 (cf. 1 Kings 8:34)
♦ for rescue from perishing:
♦ for daily bread:
♦ for protection from unbearable temptation:
• Matthew 6:13 (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:13)
♦ for deliverance from evil:
♦ for children:
♦ for Christ to receive one's spirit at death:
♦ for deliverance from opposition:
♦ for spiritual enlightenment about divine blessings:
♦ for ministry of the gospel:
♦ for everything:
♦ for abounding love, real knowledge and spiritual discernment:
♦ for experience of God's complete will:
♦ for entire sanctification:
♦ in suffering:
♦ for healing from sickness:
primary answers to prayer:
according to the request
♦ Abraham for deliverance of the righteous in Sodom
♦ Abraham for restoration of Abimelech's people from barrenness
♦ Abraham's servant for a wife for Isaac
♦ Isaac for Rebekah to conceive
♦ Jacob for deliverance from Esau
♦ Israelites for deliverance from Egypt
♦ Moses for God not to destroy His people
♦ Moses for God to heal Miriam's leprosy
♦ Moses for God to forgive His people
♦ Israel for deliverance from oppressors
♦ Gideon for a sign with the fleece
♦ Samson for strength
♦ Hannah for a son
• 1 Samuel 1:27 (cf. vv. 11, 6)
♦ Samuel for Israel's deliverance from the Philistines
♦ David for deliverance in distress
♦ Solomon for wisdom
♦ Elijah for restoration to life of the widow's son
• 1 Kings 17:22 (cf. 2 Kings 4:32-35)
♦ Elijah for divine fire on his sacrifice
♦ Elijah for rain
♦ Elisha for opening his servant's eyes
♦ Elisha for blindness on the Arameans
♦ Hezekiah for healing
• 2 Kings 20:1-3, 5
♦ Hezekiah for deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrians
♦ Isaiah for declining of the shadow on Ahaz's sundial
♦ Jabez for divine blessing
♦ Jehoshaphat for personal deliverance from the Arameans
♦ priests for blessing on the people
♦ Manasseh for restoration from captivity
♦ Ezra and returnees from captivity for a safe journey
♦ spiritual impact on observers and hearers
♦ Nehemiah for permission to go to Jerusalem
• Nehemiah 2:6, 11
♦ Daniel and his friends for understanding of Nebuchadnezzar's dream
♦ Daniel for understanding a vision
♦ Jonah for deliverance from the stomach of the fish
• Jonah 2:1-2, 10
♦ Peter for deliverance from drowning
♦ Zacharias for a son
• Luke 1:7-17, 57
♦ the elect for divine justice
♦ the sinner for mercy
♦ the thief for Jesus to remember him
♦ Jesus for Lazarus to be raised
♦ Jesus for the Father to glorify His name
♦ the church for confidence and blessing in ministry
♦ Peter for Tabitha's restoration to life
♦ Cornelius for God's direction (i.e., to send for Peter)
♦ the church for Peter's release from prison
♦ Paul and Silas for deliverance from jail
♦ Christ for deliverance out of death
♦ at the time of the request
♦ after a delay since the request
greater than the request
♦ specific instances
♦ general reference
other than the request
♦ Israelites experienced a wasting disease instead of just their request for meat
♦ Moses allowed to view the promised land instead of his request to enter it
♦ Mary and Martha received their brother Lazarus back from the dead instead of their request for Jesus to heal him from sickness
♦ Paul promised sufficient grace to endure his thorn in the flesh instead of his request for the Lord to remove it
things sometimes associated with prayer:
♦ worship:
♦ fasting:
♦ weeping:
♦ a vow:
♦ prostration of oneself:
♦ appropriate human activity:
♦ thanksgiving:
♦ blessing or thanksgiving for food:
♦ keeping watch:
♦ singing of hymns:
♦ praising God:
♦ alertness:
♦ anointing with oil:
times of prayer:
♦ in the morning:
♦ three times daily:
• Daniel 6:10 (cf. Psalms 55:17)
♦ toward evening:
♦ in the night:
• Psalms 119:55, 62
♦ all night:
♦ at midnight:
♦ continually:
• Ephesians 6:18; I Thessalonians 5:17 (cf. Luke 2:37; 18:1; Acts 10:2; I Thessalonians 3:10); 2 Thessalonians 1:11
places of prayer:
♦ outdoors:
♦ on the battlefield:
♦ in a crowd of people:
♦ in the temple:
♦ in bed:
♦ from the stomach of a fish:
♦ in an inner room:
♦ at a mountain in solitude:
♦ in a garden:
♦ in an upper room of a private house:
♦ on a housetop:
♦ by a riverside:
♦ in jail:
♦ in every place:
physical posture in prayer:
♦ bowing down:
♦ falling on one's face (i.e., prostrate):
♦ standing:
♦ spreading, stretching out or lifting up hands heavenward:
♦ kneeling:
♦ sitting:
♦ standing with eyes raised:
♦ records of extended prayers
• Genesis 18:22-32; 2 Samuel 7:18-29; 1 Kings 8:23-53; Ezra 9:5-15; Nehemiah 1:4-11; Jeremiah 32:16-25; Daniel 9:4-19; Jonah 2:1-9; Habakkuk 3:1-19; Matthew 6:9-13 (cf. Luke 11:2-4); Luke 1:46-55; Acts 4:24-31; Ephesians 1:15-23; 3:14-21
cautions in prayer:
♦ about haste or impulsiveness in communication with God:
♦ about use of meaningless repetition in prayer:
hindrances to prayer:
♦ disobedience to God's word:
• Deuteronomy 1:23-25; 1 Samuel 28:6 (cf. 1 Samuel 15:22-24); Proverbs 28:9; Micah 3:4; Zechariah 7:12-13; John 9:31
♦ unconfessed sin:
♦ pride:
♦ hatred of godly knowledge:
♦ lack of reverence for the Lord:
♦ lack of concern for the poor:
♦ divinely forbidden requests:
♦ idolatry:
♦ an unforgiving attitude:
♦ doubt:
♦ a double-minded attitude:
♦ improper motives:
unanswered prayer:
♦ of Israel:
♦ of Moses:
♦ of Balaam:
♦ of Joshua and the elders of Israel:
♦ of Saul:
♦ of David:
♦ of David's enemies:
♦ of Job:
♦ of evil men:
♦ of the enemies of the godly:
♦ of the people of Judah:
♦ of the hypocritical Pharisee:
• Luke 18:10-12, 14
hypocritical prayer:
condemnation by Jesus
characteristics of
♦ pretentious
♦ lengthy
♦ self-righteous
prayer to heathen gods:
♦ examples:
♦ practices:
• 1 Kings 18:28-29 (cf. Matthew 6:7)
various other uses:
♦ proof of the true God through answered prayer:
♦ questions about prayer:
♦ delay in answering prayer:
♦ prayer as delightful to the Lord:
♦ neglect of prayer:
♦ heathen praying to Israel's God:
♦ seemingly unanswered prayer:
♦ prayers of Christians heard by unbelievers:
♦ expression of prayer with the spirit and the mind also:
♦ incense as a symbol of prayer:
This topic is from the Lockman Foundation.