St. Timothy Lutheran Church

How often do you pray?  What do you pray about?  Do you only pray when you need God's help, or to thank Him for a meal? 

Here are some of the different kinds of prayer that we can pray, although this is by no means a complete list.  As you read about each one, think about whether or not you pray in these ways, and if not, consider trying.

Supplication
This is the most common prayer we pray today.  It is the prayer of asking God for the things that we need.  It is the "Give us today our daily bread" part of the Lord's Prayer.

Adoration
Through this prayer, we express our love and praise of God.  "Hallowed be Thy Name."  Psalm 103 is a great example of the prayer of adoration.  This also includes prayers of gratitude, when we acknowledge that all of the good things we have come from God.

Intercession
This is the prayer offered on behalf of another person who is in need.  We intercede on their behalf and ask God to provide for them.  James 5:16 says "confess your sins to each other and pray for each other."

Surrender
The prayer of surrender is when we say “Thy will be done.”  We can surrender generally, or we can surrender specifically, by surrendering specific areas of our life to God.

Suffering
Even as we suffer, even when we feel abandoned by God, we can continue to pray.  Most of the Psalms are, in fact, prayers of suffering (or "lamentation psalms").  Jesus was quoting one of them when, on the cross, He said "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?"

Examen, Confession, Forgiveness
In Psalm 139, David asks God to search him and reveal any "offensive way" in him.  In the prayer of examen, we ask God to reveal to us the ways in which we stray from Him.  We then submit these things to God and ask for His forgiveness: "Forgive us our trespasses." 

Simple Prayer
God desires us to learn to be intimate with Him, and so sometimes we talk to God about whatever is on our mind.  We cease trying to be eloquent, and just share our thoughts with God.  This is how we learn to "pray without ceasing."  (1 Thes. 5:17)