What is prayer..?

[Tellyontellyon]

Please could you tell me what prayer is in Christianity?
Thank you

 

[trophy33]

Not sure if you expect some deep insight or something, but its simply talking to God.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

In a nutshell... it is the expression of your inner man toward God as it reacts to the spiritual, soulical, and physical world around you.

 

[RileyG]

Communing with God. The perfect prayer is the "Our Father."

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Simone Weil believed that prayer is the act of directing one's attention towards God. She believed that the quality of prayer is largely determined by the quality of attention given.

 

[Paul4JC]

Please could you tell me what prayer is in Christianity?
Thank you

I don't know about Christianity, but in the Bible, it's talking to God our creator.

 

[RileyG]

I don't know about Christianity, but in the Bible, it's talking to God our creator.

...but you ARE a Christian, per your profile? What do you mean?

 

[RileyG]

Simone Weil believed that prayer is the act of directing one's attention towards God. She believed that the quality of prayer is largely determined by the quality of attention given.

I like that!

 

[Paul4JC]

...but you ARE a Christian, per your profile? What do you mean?

I'm saying that Christianity does not equal a true relationship with God, which is through faith in Jesus Christ alone, nor does going Church make you a Christian. So in that sense, I am not a Christian. I am a follower of Christ. So I don't wear a label nor push them on others. I'd rather they know the Christ, Jesus.

Anyhow the OP was about prayer.

 

[RileyG]

I'm saying that Christianity does not equal a true relationship with God, which is through faith in Jesus Christ alone, nor does going Church make you a Christian. So in that sense, I am not a Christian. I am a follower of Christ. So I don't wear a label nor push them on others. I'd rather they know the Christ, Jesus.

Anyhow the OP was about prayer.

Ok.

 

[Paul4JC]

Communing with God. The perfect prayer is the "Our Father."

[Mat 6:9-14 NIV] 9 "This, then, is how you should pray: ​

" 'Our Father
in heaven,
hallowed be
your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth
as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today
our daily bread.
12 And forgive us
our debts,
as we also have forgiven
our debtors.
13 And lead us
not into temptation,
but deliver us
from the evil one.'
(Or from evil; some late manuscripts one, /
for yours
is the kingdom
and the power
and the glory
forever.
Amen.)


​

 

[RileyG]

[Mat 6:9-14 NIV] 9 "This, then, is how you should pray:

" 'Our Father
in heaven,
hallowed be
your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth
as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today
our daily bread.
12 And forgive us
our debts,
as we also have forgiven
our debtors.
13 And lead us
not into temptation,
but deliver us
from the evil one.'
(Or from evil; some late manuscripts one, /
for yours
is the kingdom
and the power
and the glory
forever.
Amen.)


​

Amen

 

[tampasteve]

Prayer comes in different forms. It can be rote prayers, personal petitions, corporate prayers and petitions, the Mass is a kind of prayer, etc. In one way or another it is simply speaking to or with God.

 

[soldier of light]

I talk to God and share my pain and needs with him. I also like to recite the Lord's prayer in Matthew chapter 6

 

[Hazelelponi]

Please could you tell me what prayer is in Christianity?
Thank you

It's 'petition' and 'worship'

Jesus taught us the model of prayer, and in it there's elements of the worship and acknowledgment of God and then elements of petition for both physical and spiritual needs.

So while prayer might be linguistically be defined as petition, in Christian faith and practice it's worship and petition combined.

We pray as standing before the Throne of God our Father, one is not praying to something inanimate but rather to the living God so we should always worship as well when we stand before Him in petition, as Jesus also taught.

 

[RileyG]

I talk to God and share my pain and needs with him. I also like to recite the Lord's prayer in Matthew chapter 6

Me too.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Not sure if you expect some deep insight or something, but its simply talking to God.

This, basically.

Prayer takes on a lot of different forms, and looks a lot of different ways.

St. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans even talks about how the Holy Spirit intercedes for us "in groanings too deep for words", so even wordless, silent prayer of a heart in anguish is still prayer.

My prayers are all over the place, and are a mix of traditional prayers, spontaneous prayer, frank confession, desperate pleas, and wordless groans. Sometimes the only words I get out are "Jesus, help!" I'll "complain" to God, "Lord, I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know what to do!"

One thing I think we can definitely say prayer is not, prayer is not magic words, and prayer is not just some kind of "asking God for stuff" as though the Almighty were cosmic Santa Claus.

Prayer is an open heart, empty before a loving Father, who in and through His Son loves us, gives us the Holy Spirit, and fills us with Himself.

-CryptoLutheran