Prayer For The Spiritual Well-being Of All Believers

Prayer as one of the most important elements of spiritual life

Prayer For The Spiritual Well-being Of All Believers

From this article, you will learn about the importance of prayer.

Even people who are not spiritual and are accustomed to relying on themselves in everything sometimes feel an urgent need to turn to a higher or stronger being Most often, this happens when the person is in trouble and realises the limits of his strength and responsibility. Then he turns to God with a request to help, protect, and comfort.

This may not be a truly Christian understanding of prayer, but God does not condemn this. Christ called for everyone who suffered grief and hard work, and promised to give them rest. He told the disciples to ask the Heavenly Father for everything they need. God will give all that is asked in prayer.

What is prayer? Why do we pray?

Prayer in Christianity is the conversion between a believer and his/her God, the Blessed Mother, angels or the Holy One.

A believer can pray in his own words or with a structured, long-used, accepted by the church tradition prayer. Your words may contain requests to God, thanks or praise of His greatness. Christians consider God to be the Father and therefore turn to Him as they will their own parent.

A Christian should perform daily prayers, and not turn to God only when he needs something. Daily communication with God is the foundation of our lives. This is the basic importance of prayer for any believer.

The origin of prayer

When the first people, Adam and Eve lived in Paradise, they talked to God face to face and they did not have the need for prayer in the form in which we know it.

However, they committed sin and were expelled from Paradise.

Their sons Cain and Abel for the first time performed a sacrifice: Abel, the shepherd, used animals from his herd, while Cain, a farmer – a part of his harvest. So the first divine service was performed.

READ ALSO: How to deal with spiritual husband

Subsequently, the Jews began to regulate how people prayed, what words are being pronounced, what actions the priest should perform, what prayers are used, how to stand, when to kneel or raise hands. All these elements were inherited by the Christian worship: it implies the collective service to God through prayers and participation in church sacraments.

In addition to a collective prayer, even before Christ, there was also personal prayer. Believers turned to God with requests for help or for the forgiveness of sins and often with gratitude. People prayed to God in their own words or read the psalms of David.

Christ gave the prayer “Our Father” to his disciples. Therefore it is also called the Lord's Prayer and is considered the most important in the Christian religion. It lists everything a Christian should ask of God and what features of character he should have:

  • live righteously;
  • strive for holiness;
  • accept and fulfill God's will, do not doubt that the Father cares about you and will always give you all you need;
  • be able to forgive others, refrain from temptations and evil.

Prayer according to its content may be:

  • penitential;
  • pleading;
  • thanksgiving;
  • laudatory;
  • intercessory.

Penitential prayers are the most important, in them, believers ask God to forgive their sins: bad deeds, words, and thoughts. Penitential prayers are addressed to the Lord Jesus Christ. Believers ask Christ as God to forgive them and the Mother of God to intercede before God and pray for their forgiveness. Any conversation with God must begin with a penitential prayer.

The pleading prayer as you can judge by its name is meant to ask for something for yourself. You can ask God for health, well-being of your family, help in different matters. People do not just ask God for the earthly things but also for strength in the struggle against temptations.

In thanksgiving prayers, believers thank God for everything that He gives them: food, guidance, protection. Grateful prayers are addressed to the Lord God every morning, evening, and after eating.

In the laudatory prayer, the greatness of God is glorified: God is the Almighty, good and merciful to all. The Holy Fathers regard laudatory prayers as the highest, purest form of prayer.

In the case of intercessory prayers, believers ask for favors, not for themselves but for their neighbors, that is, they intercede for them before God.

It is forbidden to pray to God for assistance in sinful activities or about the performance of wicked deeds. For example, you can't ask God to punish your enemies or help to deceive or seduce someone. Such a prayer is blasphemy.

Also, one should not ask God for wealth, fame and other vain, superfluous things. Christ said to ask for daily bread and not for excesses.

How to pray? The depth of prayer

In Christianity, prayers differ in degrees depending on how deeply a person prays, whether he is entirely drawn to God. Prayers can be verbal and non-verbal.

A verbal prayer, otherwise called bodily or oral, involves reading aloud the texts of prayers created by Christian leaders and approved by the church. The person utters the words of prayer and is involved in every word without distractions. Oral prayer is the only one accessible to most laymen and even monks. This is the first, inferior degree of prayer.

Mental prayer is a special activity of thoughts and feelings focused towards God. In this state, the words of prayer are not spoken aloud, but only in the mind. There are several types of mental prayers:

  • intelligent prayer (or internal) – the second degree of depth. The mind of the worshiper is completely concentrated in prayer and ascends to God continuously regardless of what the person is busy with. Such a prayer can’t be practiced without a spiritual guide.
  • a heartfelt prayer – the third degree when not only the mind but the feelings of a person are involved in prayer. It is accessible to very few monks and is described in monastic writings on prayer.
  • spiritual prayer is the highest degree when the spirit of the believer is entirely in God. Only angels and very few saints are capable of this.

In what conditions should we pray?

Prayers can be collective (public or private) and individual.

Collective public prayers are performed in the church during worship. The peculiarity of such prayers is that they are performed together with strangers.

Collective private prayers can also be done at home with relatives: the words of prayer are chanted by all members of the family except very young children. This happens in solemn occasions, on holidays, before eating etc. A family is a small church and the general family prayer can be considered a type of public prayer.

Individual prayer is performed by a person in solitude: at home, on the street, in the church when there is no worship.

When does God hear our prayer?

God knows all our actions and intentions and therefore He always hears all our prayers. However, He may not fulfill what we ask.

Why doesn't God answer our prayers sometimes?

God does not answer our prayers if we pray about something sinful or when the fulfillment of our request will not bring us any good. In this case, God may not answer our prayer or answer, but not immediately and not in the form we asked for.

Therefore, you need to add: “God Almighty, not my will but yours should be done.”

God does not respond to the prayers of people who live in sin and do not want to repent, as well as those who repent and ask God for forgiveness but do not want to forgive those who have offended them. God also does not accept a careless prayer that is done hastily, inattentively.

You should not ask God for what you can do by yourself. In this case, it is inappropriate to place responsibility on God.

As you can see the importance of prayer is quite massive. We hope that Almighty will hear your prayers and provide assistance.

READ ALSO: Prayer points for family with Bible verses

Источник: //www.legit.ng/1139743-importance-prayer-life.html

Bible Verses About Prayer: 20 Important Scripture Quotes

Prayer For The Spiritual Well-being Of All Believers

God speaks to us through His written word, the Bible. Christians speak to God through prayer.  Prayer is an important part of the Christian’s life; we pray in words and sometimes we pray in song.  Here are twenty important scripture quotes about prayer.

How Often Should We Pray

1 Corinthians 1:4I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,

Ephesians 6:18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

Philippians 1:3-4 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,

Colossians 1:3 (KJV) We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing

How Should We Pray

Psalm 66:17 I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue.

Psalm 95:2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV)After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

1 Corinthians 14:15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

What Should We Pray For

Psalm 50:14-15 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Psalm 118:25 Save us, we pray, O LORD! O LORD, we pray, give us success!

Psalm 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they be secure who love you!

Romans 10:1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.

Romans 10:13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Who Should We Pray For

Romans 15:30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,

2 Corinthians 1:11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

James 5:13-14 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Christian Quotes About Prayer

“Those persons who know the deep peace of God, the unfathomable peace that passeth all understanding, are always men and women of much prayer.”~ R. A. Torrey

“Don’t pray when you feel it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees.” ~ Corrie ten Boom

“You may as soon find a living man that does not breath, as a living Christian that does not pray.”  ~ Matthew Henry

“Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.”  ~ John Bunyan

“We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.” ~ Oswald Chambers 

Other Articles You Might Want To Read Today

10 Prayers of Strength       Are you looking to call out to God for strength in your current situation? Read these prayers.

20 Bible Verses About Peace– The Peace found through God can defy all understanding. Check out these great scriptures about peace.

25 Bible Verses For Strength– Are you looking for Strength? Check out these scriptures about how to find strength in God.

25 Bible Verses About Love– What does the Bible say about love? Check out these great scriptures and quotes.

Resources:  The Holy Bible, English Standard Version The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV) “Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” www..com ” I Want To Know You”- Sonicflood

Would you to get the daily question in your messenger? Just click the button below to get started.

as: Bible Verses by Topic, Pray, Prayer, Praying

Share this post: SU | Reddit | Digg |  | 

Источник: //www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/bible-verses-about-prayer-20-important-scripture-quotes-2/

Поделиться:
Нет комментариев

    Добавить комментарий

    Ваш e-mail не будет опубликован. Все поля обязательны для заполнения.