Does the Bible really say that? Excerpt from my book, 5

Was praying for unbelievers important in the early church?
Praying for sinners is important, but an examination of the New Testament indicates that another type of prayer was more important to the early church.

What is prayer? Aspects of prayer
Perhaps we should start by looking at what prayer is. Let’s face it! “Prayer” usually means “asking God for things we want.” There should be more to prayer than that. In the churches I attend, the most frequent prayers are for the sick, and for bereaved families. This is important. It is asking God for things we want for others, rather than for ourselves, but even that isn’t nearly all that prayer should be. Someone has suggested that there is more than one type of prayer, and that we should use all of these kinds of prayer, on a regular basis, when we communicate with God. The ACTS acronym is useful in remembering that:
Adoration: praising God for what and Who he is.
Examples: 1 Kings 8:22 Solomon stood before Yahweh’s altar in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven; 23 and he said, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above, or on earth beneath; who keeps covenant and loving kindness with your servants, who walk before you with all their heart;
Acts 4:24 When they heard it, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, “O Lord, you are God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them; (The church, praying after Peter and John’s release.)

Confession: stating our sins and asking forgiveness.
Examples: Psalm 51:1 Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness.
According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity.
Cleanse me from my sin. (David, praying for forgiveness about his adultery with Bathsheba.)
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Thanksgiving: thanking God for specific things He has done.
Examples: Daniel 2:23 I thank you, and praise you, you God of my fathers, who have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we desired of you; for you have made known to us the king’s matter.
Matthew 11:25 At that time, Jesus answered, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to infants.

Supplication: asking for things we want God to do, for others (also known as intercession) or for us.
Examples: Matthew 6:11 Give us today our daily bread.
Mark 14:36 He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Please remove this cup from me. However, not what I desire, but what you desire.”
Romans 10:1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God is for Israel, that they may be saved.

(The material above is currently available as a graphic, oriented in landscape mode, so that it may be projected. See here. You are free to use that graphic for any non-commercial use.)

All of the types of prayer above are things we tell God, and we should tell this sort of thing to God. But prayer should be two-way communication. We should listen for God’s voice, and pay attention when He speaks to us, audibly or in our thoughts.

The above is an excerpt from my recently published e-book, Does the Bible Really Say That?, which may be obtained free of charge, or purchased from Amazon for $0.99, which is the lowest price Amazon lets an author set. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, public domain.

The previous post in this series is here.

Thanks for reading!

Prayers in the Bible: Mary praises God

Luke 1:35 The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God. 36 Behold, Elizabeth, your relative, also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For everything spoken by God is possible.”
38 Mary said, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word.”
The angel departed from her. 39 Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah, 40 and entered into the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 It happened, when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, that the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 She called out with a loud voice, and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 Why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the voice of your greeting came into my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy! 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord!”
46 Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord.
47 My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked at the humble state of his handmaid.
For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed.
49 For he who is mighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for generations of generations on those who fear him.
51 He has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down princes from their thrones.
And has exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things.
He has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has given help to Israel, his servant, that he might remember mercy,
55 As he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and his seed forever.” (World English Bible, public domain)


We usually think of prayer as asking God for something, because that's what we mostly do. But prayer is talking to God, and/or listening to God, and shouldn't be only supplication, requests. Mary was engaged in Adoration, praising God for who He is, and what He does. This prayer of Mary, beginning in verse 46, is sometimes called the Magnificat, because that's the first word of the Latin version of the prayer.

This is the last of a year-long series on prayers in the Bible. The previous post is here. Thanks for reading.

Prayers in the Bible: Paul concludes 2 Timothy

2 Timothy 4:18 And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me for his heavenly Kingdom; to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the house of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, but I left Trophimus at Miletus sick. 21 Be diligent to come before winter. Eubulus salutes you, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers. 22 The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen. (World English Bible, public domain)

These are last verses of Paul's second letter to his friend, co-worker, and apprentice, Timothy. They include a personal request, greetings, and news about Trophimus. But they are also flavored with three types of prayer. "to whom be the glory forever and ever," in verse 18 is Adoration, pure and simple. The first part of the same verse is Thanksgiving. In this case, it is praise in advance, for something God hasn't done yet, but is going to do. Amazing!

The last verse is the most common type of prayer in the New Testament. It is a prayer of supplication, or intercession, for a fellow believer, in this case, Timothy.

Thanks for reading. This post is one of a series on prayer. The previous post in the series is here.

Prayers in the Bible: Paul's prayer for the Corinthians

2 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the assembly of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (World English Bible, public domain)

Here, Paul prays for grace for the church at Corinth. He also includes some adoration, and thanksgiving. A good pattern for us.

This is part of a series on prayers in the Bible. Thanks for reading. The previous post is here.

David's prayer concerning the Temple offerings

1 Chronicles 29:10 Therefore David blessed Yahweh before all the assembly; and David said, “You are blessed, Yahweh, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, Yahweh, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty! For all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, Yahweh, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all; and in your hand is power and might; and it is in your hand to make great, and to give strength to all. 13 Now therefore, our God, we thank you, and praise your glorious name. 14 But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. (World English Bible)

David didn't get to build the Temple himself. Solomon was in charge of that. But David did a lot towards the building of the Temple. Somehow, I don't believe I had ever focused on one thing that he did, namely offer a prayer of adoration to God for the ability to give toward God's work. A powerful prayer!

This is one of a series on prayers in the Bible. The previous post, also related to David and the Temple, is here. Thanks for reading!

Prayers in the Bible: Rahab's prayer

The most important part of the story of Rahab, the prostitute from Jericho, is told here:
Joshua 2:8 Before they had laid down, she came up to them on the roof; 9 and she said to the men, “I know that Yahweh has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how Yahweh dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when you came out of Egypt; and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and to Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11 As soon as we had heard it, our hearts melted, neither did there remain any more spirit in any man, because of you: for Yahweh your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath. 12 Now therefore, please swear to me by Yahweh, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a true token; 13 and that you will save alive my father, my mother, my brothers, and my sisters, and all that they have, and will deliver our lives from death.” (WEB)

Does that sound like a prayer to you? At first, it didn't sound like it to me. But consider. As I have previously indicated (and the idea is not original with me) there are four kinds of prayer, namely Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. Clearly, Rahab asked for something. But she didn't ask God. She asked the two nameless spies. That was supplication, but of fellow humans. But the heart of Rahab's speech, as recorded here, is that she used Adoration: "Yahweh your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath."

The spies were on a hard mission. They were to spy out enemy territory. The reason that they were on the roof is that Rahab had hidden them there, protecting them from death. The spies did their part. Rahab did hers. She is mentioned in the Faith chapter, Hebrews 11. She is also mentioned in the works chapter, James 2. She was an ancestress of King David, and, thus, of Christ.

I can't take this example as evidence that I should bring my requests to other people, rather than to God. But I should adore God, and have faith in Him, and work for Him.

This post is part of a series. Here's the previous entry. Thanks for reading.

ACTS: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication

You can see a larger version of this graphic by using it as a link.

All too many of our prayers are asking for something, and, further, asking for ourselves, or our immediate associates. Someone -- I'm not sure who -- suggested that we use ACTS as an acrostic for some of our prayers: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. It's a good idea. We don't adore, confess, and thank God nearly enough, or at least I don't.

Adoration: praising God for what and who He is. Here are some ideas on doing that.
Confession: stating our sins, and asking forgiveness.
Thanksgiving: thanking God for specific things He has done.
Supplication: asking for things we want God to do, for others (also known as intercession) or for us.

The poster above includes some biblical examples of these types of prayers. 

The last type of prayer is only intercession when it's for someone else.

The verses used (from the WEB, which is public domain) are as follows:
Acts 4:24 When they heard it, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, “O Lord, you are God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them;

I Kings 8:22 Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven; 23 and he said, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above, or on earth beneath; who keep covenant and loving kindness with your servants, who walk before you with all their heart;

Psalm 51:1 Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Matthew 11:25 At that time, Jesus answered, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to infants.

Daniel 2:23 I thank you and praise you, the God of my fathers, who has given me wisdom and might, and has now made known to me what we desired of you; for you have made known to us the king’s mind.”

Mark 14:36 He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Please remove this cup from me. However, not what I desire, but what you desire.”

Matthew 6:11 Give us today our daily bread.

Romans 10:1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God is for Israel, that they may be saved. 10:2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

Thanks for reading. I wish I practiced this more. This will serve as part of my series on prayers in the Bible. I expect to use some of these texts in separate posts later.

The first post in this series is here.

A Flickr contact of mine referred me to an article in the New York Times. ("The Right Way to Pray," Sept. 16,2009, by Zef Chafets, who quotes Rabbi Marc Gellman in the following excerpt)

". . . really, when you come right down to it, there are only four basic prayers. Gimme! Thanks! Oops! and Wow! . . . Wow! are prayers of praise and wonder at the creation. Oops! is asking for forgiveness. Gimme! is a request or a petition. Thanks! is expressing gratitude. That’s the entire Judeo-Christian doxology.. . ." These four types correspond to the four in the ACTS acronym.

Added February 3rd, 2014: In Prayer: Does it Make Any Difference? (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006) by Philip Yancey, the author says that Rosalind Rinker used these four stages, or types of prayer:
1. Jesus is here (Matthew 18:19-20)
2. Help me, Lord (James 5:13-16)
3. Thank you, Lord (Philippians 4:4-7)
4. Help my brother (Mark 11:22-25) (Chapter 13, "Prayer Grammar")

On February 19, 2015, I added material to the opening section.

Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication

Someone invented the ACTS mnemonic to represent the four types of prayer. I freely confess (and this is not a prayer, just a confession) that most of my praying is of the latter type. I have posted previously about the New Testament pattern of supplication, which is so different from what most public praying I hear is about, which is praying for people who are sick, or for families that have suffered loss. These things are surely important, but praying for strength for other people in their Christian life is much more important.

Adoration is telling God how wonderful He is. Confession is telling Him that we aren't so wonderful. Thanksgiving is thanking Him for specific things He has done. Supplication is asking Him to do things.

My friend Bob Black once pointed out that The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) does not include thanksgiving. It does include adoration, confession, and supplication.

These four aspects, or types, of prayer aren't the whole story. They are one side of the story. Prayer must be listening to God, as well as telling Him stuff.

Rebecca had a post on how a local church should pray. Several readers added to it. See here.

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On January 2, 2011, I added this graphic to the post. You can see a larger version by using the graphic as a link.