Prayer ~ Part 6

Posted on June 8, 2021 by

25 Comments

When many people think of prayer, they think of asking God for things. That is a big part of our prayers. But it is not the only way we can pray. Today I want to outline several types of prayer.

1 – Confession and Repentance

In a previous post, I had mentioned that when we first embark on our relationship with the Lord, we confess our sins and repent of them. But this might be something we need to do again and again if sin continues to be a part of our lives. We are not perfect and we will mess up sometimes. Thankfully, as Christians, the Holy Spirit lives inside of us and nudges us when we have taken a wrong turn. This helps us to recognize sin and to take it to the Lord in prayer. We can ask for His forgiveness and then make every effort to turn away from that sin.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. – Psalm 51:10

2 – Petition / Supplication

This is what we are most familiar with in our prayer lives. We bring our needs before the Lord and ask Him for His help and provision. We might ask for necessities, such as food and clothing. We might ask for strength when facing something difficult. We might ask for healing, when we have a particular illness. We might ask for help with our finances. The items here are endless. The good news is that God knows exactly what we need and loves to provide for His children.

Many years ago, two missionaries, who were also husband and wife, spoke in front of our church. They talked about how little they had when they were on their missions trips. But they also talked about how God provided for them. One night they prayed for soap because they didn’t even have a bar of soap to bathe with. The next morning they discovered a bar of soap where they were staying. It had teeth marks in it and it appeared as though God had used a rat to transport it for them. When I heard them tell that story, it left an impact on me. This is a good reminder of how powerful prayer is and how much God wants to help us with our needs.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. – Philippians 4:6

3 – Intercession

Intercessory prayer is when we pray for other people. This is a powerful way to help our loved ones who need salvation, healing, protection, or anything else.

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people. – 1 Timothy 2:1

4 – Gratitude

In our prayers, I think it is important to thank God for all He has done for us. Thank Him for all the answered prayers. If you like keeping a prayer journal, this might be a good way to keep track of answered prayers. Personally I don’t have a dedicated prayer journal. But I do have a gratitude journal. In it I try to jot down blessings that I see in my life. This helps me to remember that even when things in my life are a little chaotic, there is still a whole lot of good in my life too. It reminds me of God’s goodness. And it reminds me that every day is a gift from God.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

5 – Praise

Praise and gratitude might sound pretty similar. In some ways they are. But praising God goes a little further than gratitude. When we praise God, we are praising Him for who He is, not just for all that He does for us. We praise Him for His character, His goodness, His magnificence, and His sovereignty.

Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. – Psalm 106:1

These are a few types of prayers that we can implement into our daily prayer routines. If we try dividing our prayer time among these parts, I believe we will see our prayers become stronger and more meaningful. We will connect with God in a significant way. And we will walk away with more peace and joy in our hearts.

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© 2021 Bridget A. Thomas

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25 Comments on “Prayer ~ Part 6”

  1. I really like how you detailed out the different prayers. The story of the missionaries and the soap, probably brought by the rat is just wow.
    I like that you specify the difference between gratitude and praise. I think we can often blur the lines between the two and most of our praise is for what He does. Reading this made me reflect on that and I thought that I just need to pay attention when I praise and ensure that I am praise God for who He is and not just what He does.
    Thank you Bridget.
    I feel led to say to you to just trust God. I don’t know what it is but He is reassuring you to just trust Him.
    Blessings my dear sis in Christ. May the Lord bless you and guide you in all that you do 💙🌺

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    • That story with the soap still touches me when I think about it. What a beautiful reminder of how God loves us and is concerned with every detail of our lives. I often blur gratitude and praise too. We do tend to thank Him and praise Him more when we receive blessings in our lives. When I was focusing on this post, it made me realize that even if God gave me nothing, He is still worthy of my praise… Thank you so much for sharing that message with me! It brought tears! I have had a lot of changes going on in my life. How amazing that God shared that message with you!! I am thankful for the loving Father we have. And I am thankful for you, my sister in Christ, for listening to His promptings! God bless you always, dear friend! ❤️🙌

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  2. I love the difference you made with praise and gratitude..I hadn’t ever broke it down and considered the two apart from one another but that’s such a great point. I always feel more devoted when I pray petition/supplication (which seems selfish almost) and that my praises I almost take for granted. I want to get better about truly feeling incredibly thankful, not just saying thank you God for “whatever” but having an overflowing thankful feeling.
    Great post Bridget!! Super insightful!

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    • I know what you mean. Although I thank God and praise God, I don’t always “feel” it in my core. I don’t know if it just has to do with my personality, as I am generally a reserved person. But like you said, I want to have “an overflowing thankful feeling.” So I definitely understand what you are saying. Maybe if we take more time to focus on that area, examining God’s goodness and the blessings He shares with us, that will help us to feel more grateful. 🌺💕🌸

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  3. Great unpacking of each point, and expanded upon. It offers ways in which we can pray, and present complete prayers.

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    • I am glad you enjoyed the post. Breaking it down like this has reminded me to expand my prayers into these different aspects, rather than just asking for things! Do you remember the missionaries I mentioned? I think we were at SGT.

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  4. That story about the soap and God using a rat to provide it, just touched my heart! How powerful prayer is! Each and every part of it. Little prayers, big prayers, short prayers, quick prayers and desperate prayers! God still answers, even if by a rat! 🙌🏼

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  5. Love your summary. A great reminder for me. What are your thoughts on pondering and listening after you have expressed gratitude, asked, confessed and praised? Do you think it is worthwhile to wait and listen for thoughts and feelings coming from God to you?

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    • Yes, actually, I do feel listening to God should be a big part of our Christian walk and prayer life. Unfortunately I think many of us have issues hearing from God merely because we have so much other noise in our lives. I am a big advocate of clearing the clutter in our lives (eliminating distractions) so we can better stay in tune with the Holy Spirit. Thank you for pointing that out!

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  6. The story about the soap is amazing! It just goes to show that God has our backs, we just need to ask.

    I also love how you separated praise and gratitude. I didn’t even think about praise going further than gratitude.

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    • So true! God does have our backs. We just have to learn to trust Him!
      I have often grouped gratitude and praise together in my mind. We certainly can praise Him when we are thankful for something. But I think praise can go so much further. I was thinking recently that even if I lived in a garbage dump, with nothing to my name, He is still worthy of my praise! 🙌❤️

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  8. I am leaving you a pre-comment. I’m going to have to read your post again. I didn’t get a good night’s sleep. Really wanted to read and comment, but my brain is fading in and out on me currently. It looks like a really good break down though. I will take another read and comment again when my brain is in gear. Thanks for sharing, I hope you’ve been having a great week. Blessings my friend. ❤

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    • I am so sorry you didn’t get a good night’s sleep. I can definitely relate to how it makes you feel though. When I don’t sleep well, my whole day suffers. I pray you can get some rest and feel better soon. And no worries about the post. Blessings to you too, my friend and “neighbor.” 😁❤️

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      • Thanks so much Bridget. Yes, lack of sleep affects so much: my focus, my emotions, my energy. It makes accomplishing anything so tough. It doesn’t help that I’m very determined. I think God has to slow me down sometimes. Yes, He definitely does. 🤣😂🤣

        I didn’t sleep great last night, but I did get a bit more sleep. I’m also trying to get more fluids into me. I am prone to dehydration. That effects so much too! It can even affect your sleep. Sorry… my brain is more with it today so my brain is a bit active, thus the rambling comment.

        I do love your post. I’m going to write that list of different types of pray down in my prayer journal. It’s so good to have those reminders. Have a wonderful weekend Bridget. Yes, friend and “neighbor” 😁 It would be wonderful to be neighbors.

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      • I am glad you are feeling a little better today. But sorry you still didn’t sleep as well as you need. I agree with hydrating. I used to hate drinking water. I have since trained myself to drink lots of water and my body appreciates it! I am glad this post was helpful. So far this is one of my favorite posts because it is simple and gives us the different aspects of prayer at a glance. I hope you have a wonderful weekend too! 🌺🌸

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  9. Pingback: Prayer 2021 Recap – Bridget A. Thomas

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