TYPES OF PRAYER
Friday Prayer Meeting • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints
Prayer is communication with God
Prayer is not just a ritual or a routine; it is a lifeline, a connection between the Creator and His creation. It is our way of communicating with God, expressing our hearts, and aligning ourselves with His divine will. Throughout the Bible, we see various types of prayer that demonstrate the breadth and depth of our relationship with God. Today, let us explore these types of prayer, drawing inspiration from His Word.
1. PRAYERS OF ADORATION
The first type of prayer we encounter is the prayer of adoration, where we magnify and worship God for who He is. These prayers are not about asking for anything but simply exalting the greatness of our Creator.
The psalmist beautifully illustrates this in Psalm 95:6, saying, “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” Prayers of adoration remind us of God’s majesty, holiness, and infinite love, drawing us closer to Him in reverence and awe.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.
Lord, thank you for helping me
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
2. PRAYERS OF CONFESSION
The Bible also teaches us about prayers of confession, where we humbly acknowledge our sins and seek God’s forgiveness. These prayers are crucial for restoring our fellowship with God and experiencing His cleansing grace.
King David’s heartfelt prayer in
Psalm 51:10-12 serves as a powerful example:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!
Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long.
Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude
Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Interlude
3. PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING
Another significant type of prayer is the prayer of thanksgiving, where we express our gratitude to God for His blessings, provision, and faithfulness. A heart of thankfulness aligns us with God’s goodness and fills us with joy.
in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods. His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles. His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully. His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who placed the earth among the waters. His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who made the heavenly lights— His faithful love endures forever.
the sun to rule the day, His faithful love endures forever.
and the moon and stars to rule the night. His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who killed the firstborn of Egypt. His faithful love endures forever.
He brought Israel out of Egypt. His faithful love endures forever.
He acted with a strong hand and powerful arm. His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who parted the Red Sea. His faithful love endures forever.
He led Israel safely through, His faithful love endures forever.
but he hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea. His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who led his people through the wilderness. His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who struck down mighty kings. His faithful love endures forever.
He killed powerful kings— His faithful love endures forever.
Sihon king of the Amorites, His faithful love endures forever.
and Og king of Bashan. His faithful love endures forever.
God gave the land of these kings as an inheritance— His faithful love endures forever.
a special possession to his servant Israel. His faithful love endures forever.
He remembered us in our weakness. His faithful love endures forever.
He saved us from our enemies. His faithful love endures forever.
He gives food to every living thing. His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven. His faithful love endures forever.
saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.
4. PRAYERS OF SUPPLICATION
Prayers of supplication, or petitions, are perhaps the most familiar to us. These are prayers where we present our requests to God, seeking His guidance, provision, healing, or intervention in our lives and the lives of others.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”
For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”
And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.”
Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”
And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.
And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.
Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”
And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.
5. PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
Intercession is a powerful form of prayer where we stand in the gap for others, lifting their needs before God. Through intercessory prayer, we partner with God’s work in the world and experience the joy of seeing lives transformed.
Jesus Himself serves as our greatest example of intercession.
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.
But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
As followers of Christ, we are called to intercede for our families, communities, and nations.
Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,
which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—
to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;
giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
6. Prayers of Praise
Finally, the Bible highlights prayers of praise, where we celebrate God’s mighty acts and declare His glory. Praise brings us into alignment with God’s power and reminds us of His sovereignty.
The psalms are filled with prayers of praise, such as Psalm 150:6, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.” Praise is an act of faith that magnifies God’s greatness and lifts our spirits.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
A Psalm of Thanksgiving.
Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.
A Praise of David.
I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.
I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works.
Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness.
They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, And shall sing of Your righteousness.
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.
The Lord is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.
All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, And Your saints shall bless You.
They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, And talk of Your power,
To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The Lord upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look expectantly to You, And You give them their food in due season.
You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing.
The Lord is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works.
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them.
The Lord preserves all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy.
My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, And all flesh shall bless His holy name Forever and ever.
Embracing the Fullness of Prayer
Beloved, as we reflect on these types of prayer—adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication, intercession, and praise—let us be inspired to deepen our prayer lives. Each type of prayer offers us a unique way to connect with God and experience His presence.
Remember the words of James 5:16
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
May we be a people of prayer, seeking God’s heart and drawing closer to Him daily.
Let us go forth, embracing the gift of prayer in all its forms, and trusting that our Heavenly Father hears and answers according to His perfect will.
May the Lord bless you and keep you, now and forevermore. Amen.
