Prayer in the New Testament - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Prayer in the New Testament is presented as a positive command . The people of God are challenged to include prayer in their everyday life, even in the busy struggles of marriage as it brings people closer to God

God

God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....

.

Jesus

Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...

encouraged his disciples

Disciple (Christianity)

In Christianity, the disciples were the students of Jesus during his ministry. While Jesus attracted a large following, the term disciple is commonly used to refer specifically to "the Twelve", an inner circle of men whose number perhaps represented the twelve tribes of Israel...

to pray in secret in their private rooms, using the Lord's Prayer

Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...

, as a humble response to the prayer of the Pharisees

Pharisees

The Pharisees were at various times a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought among Jews during the Second Temple period beginning under the Hasmonean dynasty in the wake of...

, whose practices in prayer were regarded as impious by the New Testament writers .

According to Luke, Jesus frequently sought to pray alone, for hours at a time , as most pertinently seen before he was betrayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Throughout the New Testament

New Testament

The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....

, Prayer is shown to be God's appointed method by which we obtain what He has to bestow . Jesus healed through prayer and expected his followers to do so also .

Prayer, according to the Book of Acts, can be seen at the first moments of the church . The apostles regarded prayer as the most important part of their life . As such, the apostles frequently incorporated verses from Psalms

Psalms

The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...

into their writings. for example is borrowed from and other psalms.

Thus, due to this emphasis on prayer in the early church, lengthy passages of the New Testament

New Testament

The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....

are prayers or canticle

Canticle

A canticle is a hymn taken from the Bible. The term is often expanded to include ancient non-biblical hymns such as the Te Deum and certain psalms used liturgically.-Roman Catholic Church:From the Old Testament, the Roman Breviary takes seven canticles for use at Lauds, as follows:*...

s (see also the Book of Odes

Book of Odes (Bible)

The Book of Odes , commonly referred to simply as Odes, is a book of the Bible found only in Eastern Orthodox Bibles and included or appended after Psalms in Alfred Rahlfs' critical edition of the Septuagint, coming from the fifth-century Codex Alexandrinus. The chapters are prayers and songs from...

), such as the Prayer for forgiveness , the Lord's Prayer

Lord's Prayer

, the Magnificat

Magnificat

The Magnificat — also known as the Song of Mary or the Canticle of Mary — is a canticle frequently sung liturgically in Christian church services. It is one of the eight most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn...

, the Benedictus

Benedictus (Song of Zechariah)

The Benedictus , given in Gospel of , is one of the three canticles in the opening chapters of this Gospel. The Benedictus was the song of thanksgiving uttered by Zechariah on the occasion of the birth of his son, John the Baptist.The whole canticle naturally falls into two parts...

, Jesus' prayer to the one true God

High Priestly Prayer

The High Priestly Prayer or Jesus' prayer to the one true God is the final prayer of Jesus, from the Gospel of John in John 17. In many ways similar to the Lord's Prayer, and other prayers of Jesus.- John 17 :...

, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ , the Believers' Prayer , may this cup be taken from me , Pray that you will not fall into temptation , Saint Stephen
Saint Stephen
Saint Stephen The Protomartyr , the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches....

's Prayer , Simon Magus
Simon Magus
Simon the Sorcerer or Simon the Magician, in Latin Simon Magus, was a Samaritan magus or religious figure and a convert to Christianity, baptised by Philip the Apostle, whose later confrontation with Peter is recorded in . The sin of simony, or paying for position and influence in the church, is...

' Prayer , pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men , Maranatha

Maranatha

Maranatha is an Aramaic word occurring twice in the New Testament and also in the Didache which is part of the Apostolic Fathers' collection. It is transliterated into Greek letters rather than translated, and is found at the end of Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians...

.

A common format for prayer in public meetings is to follow the English language formula of A.C.T.S. where A is Adoration, C is Confession, T is Thanksgiving, and S is Supplication. However, other aspects of prayer exist such as lamenting and weeping and rejoicing.

In practical experience, prayer is often motivated by need and affliction. As states, "Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray."

Types of prayer as categorized by Gilbert W. Stafford

According to Gilbert W. Stafford

Gilbert W. Stafford

Gilbert W. Stafford was an American scholarly and pastoral leader in the Church of God Movement. He was well known inside and outside his church group for his enthusiastic teaching and preaching...

in Theology for Disciples, there are eight different types of prayer in the New Testament:

an overflowing fountain
disciplined communion
the flow of divine energy
the struggle of the soul
the mind seeking God's mind
intercession
petition to God
watchful communion with the Lord

Prayer as an overflowing fountain

Prayer is an overflowing fountain of praise, adoration, and thanksgiving to God. This kind of prayer erupts without hesitation from the soul. One does not have to make oneself do it, for it comes as naturally as breathing.

Example: (Luke 1:29-55) Mary, the mother of Jesus, offered this during her visit with Elizabeth. Mary offers a prayer of jubilation - the Magnificat
Magnificat
The Magnificat — also known as the Song of Mary or the Canticle of Mary — is a canticle frequently sung liturgically in Christian church services. It is one of the eight most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn...

, about the mighty deeds of God.

Prayer as disciplined communion

Prayer is disciplined communion with God. It was commonplace in Jesus' day for rabbis and other religious leaders to teach their followers how to organize their prayers and to give instructions about their content. These so-called "Index Prayers," served as outlines for what were considered to be well-rounded prayers.

Example: (Matt. 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4) Jesus gives his disciples the Lord's Prayer.

Prayer as the flow of divine energy

Prayer is the flow of divine energy to the needs of others. We see this mainly in the life of Jesus who was able to speak words of healing to the sick and distressed, then bringing to them strength and wholeness. We can also be prayer channels through which the divine energy flows to the needs of others.

Example: (Mark 7:31-35) Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue released, and he spoke plainly.

Example: (Acts 9) Peter goes to the town of Joppa where a disciple named Tabitha - her Aramaic name, Dorcas being her Greek name - had died. When he arrived on the scene, he put all of the mourners out of the room whereupon he "knelt down and prayed. He turned to her and said, 'Tabitha, get up.' Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive." Peter at prayer became a channel through which divine life flowed into the body of Tabitha, raising her from death.

Prayer as the struggle of the soul

Prayer is the struggle of the soul in relation to God. In fact, sometimes the struggle is so great that we cannot sort it out well enough even to put the struggle into words. Prayer at those times is simply the wordless anguish of the soul in the presence of God, as in Romans
Epistle to the Romans
The Epistle of Paul to the Romans, often shortened to Romans, is the sixth book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle Paul to explain that Salvation is offered through the Gospel of Jesus Christ...

8:26-27: Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sigh
Sigh
A sigh is a deep and especially audible, single exhalation of air out of the mouth or nose, that humans use to communicate emotion. It is voiced pharyngeal fricative, sometimes associated with a guttural glottal breath exuded in a low tone. It often arises from a negative emotion, such as dismay,...

s too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Example: (Matt. 26:36-46) Jesus was deeply grieved because He knew that He was going to be crucified. He was struggling with it.

Prayer as the mind seeking God's mind

Prayer is the human mind seeking the mind of God. Even though God will give heavenly wisdom to us "generously and ungrudgingly," in order to have it, we must "ask in faith."

Example: (James 1:5-8) "If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord."

Prayer as intercession

Prayer is intercession to God on behalf of others. In a general sense, to intercede is to put ourselves in the place of others and to plead their case before one who can help them. In intercessory prayer, therefore, appeal is made to God who can make a difference for the good.

Example: (James 5:13-16) The sick were instructed to call for the elders of the church to anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord and to pray the prayer of faith on their behalf.

Prayer as petition to God

Prayer is petition to God for our own needs. Petitionary prayer which is truly Christian asks God for that which we are convinced is in accordance with the divine will. It is generous in spirit in that personal needs are prayed about in conjunction with concern for the well being of others.

Example: (Matt. 7:11) Jesus says, "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him."

Example: (John 14:13-14) Jesus says, "I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it."

Prayer as watchful communion with the Lord

Prayer is watchful communion with the Lord, which communion keeps us from yielding to temptation. To watch and pray is work; we need to do more than simply have noble spiritual intentions about not yielding to temptation. To be sure, Peter, on the night of Jesus' arrest, expressed noble intentions about not deserting him, but the problem was that neither he nor the others were watching and praying. They were too weary to be spiritually vigilant.

Example: (1 Thess. 5:16-24) "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil. May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this."