Prayer. This practice is one of the cornerstones of Christianity, and yet we sometimes oftentimes struggle with making it a permanent structure in our everyday lives. One of the reasons that prayer is so hard is we have it fixed in their mind that there is only one way to pray.
There are a lot of different types of prayer. Learn about the seven we wanted to highlight in the following blog. #ORBC Click To TweetWhat are the different types of prayer represented in the Bible?
Although there are many different types of prayer, the following seven are the biggest ones. Each prayer type has one or two scriptures to give examples of those prayers. Here are the 7 main types of prayer:
- Prayer of Worship
- Prayer of Thanksgiving
- Prayer of Faith
- Prayer of Intercession
- Corporate Prayer
- Prayer of Consecration
- Prayer of the Holy Spirit
1) Prayer of Worship – Hebrews 13:15 & Revelation 4:11
One of the biggest types of prayer is a prayer of worship. Worshiping the Lord focuses on who God is. It is us recognizing God’s power and majesty.
These prayers can be as simple as, “God, you’re so good.” or as huge as in Revelation 4:11, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will, they existed and were created.”
Worship can mean anything from singing praise songs, or it can mean simply doing what Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”
2) Prayer of Thanksgiving – Psalms 100:4
Praying our thankfulness to the One who gave us what we have in our lives is another way we can pray. It is closely related to a prayer of worship, although the difference is that one is recognizing who God is, and the other is giving thanks to God for what He has done.
Psalms 100:4 sums both of the prayer types up by saying, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!”
3) Prayer of Faith – James 5:13-16
When we pray in faith, it is us reaffirming that we have faith in God’s will. It isn’t us enforcing our will into His, but it is us conceding that His will be done.
One example of this is in James 5:13-16 where it says, “13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.
15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
4) Prayer of Intercession – Daniel 9:1-27
Intercession is the act of praying on behalf of another person or group of people. When we pray for the well-being of others we are interceding on their behalf.
There are many examples of this kind of prayer throughout the Bible, but a clear one is Daniel 9:1-27. In this passage, Daniel goes to the Lord and intercedes on behalf of his people. We can also do this in our lives.
5) Corporate Prayer – Acts 12:5-18
Corporate prayer is praying in a group. This can bring a sense of unity and community to you and your fellow believers.
If you have been to a church service, then you have experienced this kind of prayer. An example of this type of prayer is in Acts 12:5-18. In this passage, the church is praying for Peter’s wellbeing.
6) Prayer of Consecration – Matthew 26:26-27
When we take communion, we are praying a prayer of consecration. This means we are consecrating the bread and wine (or grape juice) and asking God to make it holy. Jesus himself did this in Matthew 26:26-27, “26While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.”
7) Prayer of the Holy Spirit – Romans 8:26-27
Sometimes we don’t know what we want or need to pray for at any given time. In Romans 8:26-27 the Bible says, “26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”
Don’t Worry About Praying “The Right Way”
At the end of the day, it is important to lose our fear of praying “wrong.” There is no wrong way to pray honestly. If you are being honest with God and honest with yourself, then you are praying correctly.
God can handle our anger, our grief, and our fears. He is there to walk with us through our journey, and He wants to see our growth.
Pray All the Time
We want to get to the point where we are praying constantly because that is what helps us grow in our relationship with God. It takes time to get there, but we should be striving for it.
Contact us for more information about praying!
