Prayer

• Prayer


  Communicating with God in silence or aloud, with others or alone, using set prayers or informal prayer
• Set prayers


  • Bless us, O Lord, and these your gifts, which we are about to receive from your bounty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. "Catholic Grace before meals"
• Informal prayer


  • Praying spontaneously for a meal using own words
• Prayer positions


  • Kneeling with hands pressed together
  • Standing (Orthodox)
  • Sitting (Nonconformists)
  • Kneeling (Anglicans)
  • Raising hands (to invite Holy Spirit)
• Prayer aids


  • Rosary (Catholics)
  • Icons (Orthodox Christians)
• Christians believe that God will answer prayer but not always in the way the person would like
• Prayer can help someone accept God's will even if it means suffering
• Set prayers


  Prayers that have been written down and said more than once by more than one person, for example the Lord's Prayer
• Informal prayer


  Prayer that is made up by an individual using his or her own words
• Nonconformist


  An English Protestant who does not conform to the doctrines or practices of the established Church of England
• Worship is not just about attending public services, it affects the whole of a Christian's life
• Private worship helps Christians build up a discipline which gives them strength to cope in times of trouble
• Private worship encourages a routine that allows time for reflection in a busy day
• Through prayer and meditation Christians find peace and a sense of communion with God in their everyday life as followers of Jesus
• The Lord's Prayer


  The prayer taught to the disciples by Jesus, also known as the 'Our Father'
• The Lord's Prayer gives individual Christians a pattern for how to pray as it combines giving praise to God and asking for one's needs
• When used as a private prayer, a Christian is reminded that he or she must forgive others in order to be forgiven
• The Lord's Prayer reminds Christians that God is the Father of the whole community, not just of the individual
• The Lord's Prayer is used often in Christian worship and tends to be prayed out loud by all members of the congregation together
• The Lord's Prayer is nearly always said at Holy Communion, baptisms, marriages, and funerals
• The Lord's Prayer can bring a sense of unity and spiritual purpose in society at important times, for example when recited at commemoration services after a tragic event
• Prayer


  An invocation (call) or act that seeks to activate a relationship with an object of worship through deliberate communication
• Prayer (narrow sense)


  An act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity
• Prayer (general)


  Can also have the purpose of thanksgiving or praise, and in comparative religion is closely associated with more abstract forms of meditation
• Forms of prayer


  • Adoration
  • Confession
  • Thanksgiving
  • Supplication
  • Intercession
• Adoration


  Praising God
• Confession


  Saying sorry
• Thanksgiving


  Thanking God
• Supplication


  Asking for something
• Intercession


  Praying for someone who may be ill
• Set prayers


  Prayers that follow a certain format and are repeated, often learned by heart
• Set prayers


  • The grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ...
  • Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, sinner
• Rosary


  A Catholic prayer involving running one's hands through a set of beads and saying certain set prayers
• Lord's Prayer


  The most widely known prayer in Christianity, taught by Jesus to his followers
• The Lord's Prayer is said across most denominations and forms part of most liturgical worship services worldwide
• Informal prayers


  Prayers that do not follow a script, but rather leave it for improvisation
• Extempore prayer


  A moment when a pastor or worshipper prays with the congregation in their own way, using their own words
• Arrow prayer


  Very short prayers addressed to God spontaneously at a time of urgent need or in response to a particular situation
• Prayer


  • Deepens a person's faith
  • Helps the believer come to a greater understanding of God's purpose for their lives
• When a prayer is not answered

  It may be that the person asked for something God thinks would not be good for them, or that their prayer will be answered later