The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16
Prayer is our way of communicating with God. Just like a small child grows in their ability to communicate with their parents, we should be ever-growing in the quality and intimacy of our communication with God.
Understanding the different kinds of prayer and their specific function is crucial for us to pray effectively. The following is a list of thirteen types of prayer mentioned in the Bible, along with their purposes and associated rules. This is not an exhaustive list. It is intended to be used as a quick reference and guide to prayer.
My hope is that this will be a tool for the body of Christ to use as they grow in their communication and intimacy with God.
Our instruction is that all prayer and supplication are to be done “in the Spirit.” The prayer of salvation, prayers of sanctification, prayers of dedication, prayers of intercession, prayers of repentance, the prayer of faith, prayers of thanksgiving, and yes, praying in other tongues. They are all to be prayed “in the Spirit.” Supplications are specific requests. They are also to be prayed in the Spirit. So, what does that look like?
Ephesians 6:17-18 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.
Everything God does is relational. Many of us have allowed our prayer life to become mechanical and lifeless, not relational at all, just religious and dead. We run through a prayer list and read our daily devotional, never spending time in silent reverence, so we can connect with the one we are talking to. Having a daily devotional is commendable. Having a daily devotion and never actually connecting intimately with your Father is tragic. Praying in the Spirit requires communion, not just conversation.
com·mun·ion – the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level.
If all we do is pray from our limited thinking, our prayer life will lack the authority to bear much fruit. I am not saying that praying with our natural understanding is wrong, but let this be a launching point, a positioning of the heart and mind to a place of stillness and quiet so we can be receptive to the influence of the Holy Spirit.
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.
Different types of prayer seen in the Bible include:
- Prayer of Salvation:
The most important prayer we can pray is the prayer of salvation. The great commission is all about leading people to pray this type of prayer. God made this a simple thing so it would be hard for us to mess it up.
Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
The prayer of salvation can be as simple as calling out to Jesus.
Romans 10:9-10…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
We are saved by grace through faith, so belief is required in the prayer of salvation.
- Prayer of Adoration (Praise/Worship):
These are prayers that minister to the Lord. Not asking from Him, just acknowledging who He is and magnifying His splendor, wonder, greatness, and holiness. We see many of these types of prayers in the book of Psalms
Psalm 103 is a beautiful example of adoration, focusing on God’s attributes and His actions towards His people. It highlights God’s forgiveness, healing, redemption, and steadfast love. Verses 1-5 praise God for His benefits, while verses 8-14 emphasize His compassion and mercy. This psalm concludes by praising God’s eternal reign and His justice.
- Prayer of Confession:
Acknowledging sin to God is an ongoing part of our Christian experience.
Psalm 51 is a prayer of confession by King David after his sin with Bathsheba. It is a powerful example of the prayer of confession and repentance. David acknowledges his sin, asks for forgiveness, and expresses a desire for a clean heart.
- Prayer of Faith:
James 5:13-16 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 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. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 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.
The prayer of faith is widely misunderstood. The prayer of faith knows the will of God and the word of God before it is prayed. You cannot pray the prayer of faith and then say, “If it be your will, Lord.” This is one reason that Paul points sick people to the elders of the church, because elders should know how to pray the prayer of faith.
The prayer of faith is an exercise in using spiritual authority and is prayed with confidence in the answer before the prayer even starts.
Mark 11:22-24 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
We follow up a prayer of faith with prayers of thanksgiving for the answer. We also follow the prayer of faith with prayers of declaration (calling things that are not as though they were Romans 4:17).
If we pray the same prayer of faith again, it reveals that we did not believe we received the answer the first time we prayed. We must follow up with words and actions that affirm that we actually believe we received the answer when we prayed, regardless of what it looks like.
- Prayer of Thanksgiving:
Expressing our gratitude and thanks to God for who He is and what He is doing in our lives. It is also a prayer that we pray while waiting in expectation and hope for our prayers of faith to be made manifest in our lives. Faith always says thank you.
6. Prayers of Declaration:
This is not merely a confession of scripture, which is healthy, but it is also the practice of lifting God’s word to Him in demonstration of our belief in His promises and the integrity of His word. It demonstrates our faith and expectation that His promises are coming to pass in our lives and that we actually received our answer when we prayed in faith.
2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith and not by sight.
Both the prayer of thanksgiving and the prayer of declaration are two of the ways we give life to our faith by adding works. Our words and actions must line up with what we are supposed to believe. If they don’t our faith is dead, and dead things produce no fruit.
- Prayer of Supplication/Petition:
Earnestly asking God for wants and needs, whether for oneself or others. With this type of prayer it is often acceptable to ask and keep on asking.
- Prayer of Intercession:
Praying on behalf of others for various reasons. Intercession should be an ongoing part of every Christians life.
Examples in the Old Testament:
After the Israelites sinned by worshiping a golden calf, Moses repeatedly interceded with God, begging for forgiveness and pleading for the nation’s survival (Exodus 32:11-14).
Abraham bargained with God, asking if He would spare the city of Sodom if a certain number of righteous people were found there (Genesis 18:23-33).
After suffering greatly, Job was instructed to pray for his friends who had wronged him, demonstrating forgiveness and intercession (Job 42:8-10)
When the Assyrian army threatened Jerusalem, Hezekiah prayed for God’s intervention to protect the city (2 Kings 19:14-19).
Daniel prayed for forgiveness and restoration for the Israelites in exile, recognizing their sins (Daniel 9:3-19).
Examples in the New Testament:
In John 17, Jesus prays for his disciples and all believers, asking for their unity, protection, and sanctification.
Even in his final moments, Jesus prayed for his persecutors, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Paul frequently interceded for the churches he founded, praying for their growth, faith, and understanding of God’s will (Ephesians 1:15-23, Philippians 1:9-11, Colossians 1:9-12).
In Acts 9:36-41, Peter prays for Dorcas (also known as Tabitha), and she is brought back to life, demonstrating the power of intercessory prayer.
- Prayer of Submission and Consecration:
This type of prayer is when we say, “If it be your will”. Prayers of dedication or commitment to God’s will. Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, expressing submission to God’s will before his crucifixion, is an instance of this type of prayer.
- Prayer of Agreement/Corporate prayer:
Believers praying together in agreement and unity. The early church in Acts devoted itself to prayer as a group.
Mattthew 18:18-20 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
- Prayer of Meditation:
This type of prayer is a practice of turning our hearts and minds toward God, reflecting on who God is and the power and integrity of His Word. This is primarily a prayer without spoken words, only thoughts and a disciplined focus in silence, with an expectation of hearing from God and experiencing His presence. This kind of prayer is an exercise in intimacy with God and elevates our understanding and awareness of His greatness. It is a catalyst for our transformation and anchors our faith.
Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
There is a certain depth of knowing that only comes through the prayer of meditation.
12. Praying in tongues
There is possibly more confusion over praying in tongues than any other type of prayer. Praying in tongues is a New Testament doctrine. I see no scriptural evidence of it ending or being “done away with.” However, I continue to see a lot of misunderstandings and unbiblical demonstrations throughout the Church, which need to be addressed. So, I will spend a little extra time with this type of prayer.
First, I will share my personal experience with the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the first time I spoke in tongues.
On November 7th of 1988, I was born again. A few weeks after my conversion, being completely unchurched and having had no exposure to any teaching about praying in tongues, I was baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues while alone in my bedroom. I had never been to a church service and never saw or heard anyone speak in tongues.
I was reading the book of Acts, chapter 8, for the second time. I saw that the Samarian believers were born again after hearing the preaching from Philip the evangelist, but later the apostles Peter and John came and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. I saw that there was more available to me than salvation that I had already experienced, so I lifted my hands to heaven and prayed, “Lord if there is more of You available to me, I want it.” The Lord then baptized me in His Holy Spirit.
When the Spirit of God came on me, I felt power like electricity all over my body, and it felt like my tongue was as big around as a soda can. I could hear these crazy-sounding words and syllables in my head but resisted saying them out of my mouth because this was all too strange. When I finally yielded to what was happening inside me, I said a few sentences in an unknown tongue and then stopped because it freaked me out. I could not deny that I had a genuine experience and felt the power of God all over me. I just didn’t understand what happened.
No one taught me, no one prayed over me, and no one laid hands on me. I simply saw it in His word and asked for it. God is good!
Here is my concern from over 37 years of observation. Many who claim to have the baptism of the Holy Spirit speak a sentence or two in “tongues” and repeat the same things. This is the limit of their so-called “prayer language.” I have also seen people repeatedly give “messages from the Lord” by tongues and interpretation, but use the same few words in tongues, maybe changing the order of the words a bit. However, the interpretation is always different.
This is not praying in tongues; it is a repetition and a parroting of what once may have been an actual utterance by the Spirit. I am not saying these people have not been baptized by the Spirit. I just question their understanding and their expression to the body of Christ. I believe that some things are out of order.
Praying in other tongues is a practice of listening with the heart, not the mindless repetition of past utterances. Speaking in tongues is a supernatural experience in which we should grow and develop. It should always be fresh, dynamic, and alive.
I still remember the first few sentences I spoke in tongues, but I rarely repeat them. Instead, I listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit on the inside and practice repeating what I hear. The utterance is almost always different. Sometimes the utterance is so unique and funny-sounding that I laugh at myself.
Praying in tongues should be done with an understanding that we are handling holy things and representing a sacred God. Is what we are doing done in fear of the Lord? Are these things edifying us and the Church? It is a serious thing to speak publicly in tongues and claim these words are from the Lord.
My understanding of scripture is that praying in tongues should be limited in public unless accompanied by an interpretation. 1 Corinthians 14 addresses this issue.
- Fruitless Prayer:
The tax collector and the Pharisee. Here is a perfect example of the difference between a fruitless prayer and a prayer that God answers
Luke 18:9-14 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
If we approach God with a wrong heart, many times He isn’t even listening. We see that this “Pharisee prayed thus with himself.” This is a great example of a fruitless prayer.
All types of prayer are not all mutually exclusive. They often overlap and can be combined. The emphasis on our part should always be on a sincere, humble, and heartfelt approach to prayer, prioritizing a relationship with God over an outward show of eloquence or empty words.
JESUS IS COMING!
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