Prayer is one of the spiritual practices that God has given us so we can grow in our relationship with Him. When we think of a relationship between a newly married couple, it’s not hard to imagine that they enjoy each other’s company immensely. They have a level of comfort with one another, and they communicate often. Words like ‘unity’ and ‘intimacy’ come to mind, because both the man and the woman understand that their goal is to walk together as one. As we give this more thought, it is very easy to see that God has given us relationships to teach and reveal to us the kind of relationship He desires with us. It is a relationship that never ceases to grow deeper and more beautiful, and prayer helps us to keep the lines of communication open with God so that our intimacy with Him continues to build.
Through the Apostle Paul, God tells us in 1Timothy 2:1(NKJV), “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men.” This tells us very clearly that God has charged all Christians with the responsibility and privilege to pray. In this verse, God tells us the four ways of praying, and they are supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks. These four types of prayer are to be made for all people.
Heavenly Father loves us so much that through His Son, Jesus Christ, He has made us part of Himself. Jesus Christ tells us in John 15:5(NLT), “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” We have been joined to Christ by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and if we honor the fellowship we have with Christ, we will abide in him. Romans 12:5(NLT) tells us, “So it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.” The born-again believer is part of the body of Christ. Our precious Redeemer is the head, and we’re the body. We belong totally to him, and we’re to serve one another through his love.
A relationship must have a solid foundation or else it will not stand. Jesus Christ is the Rock of Our Salvation. He is our solid foundation, and to build a house (relationship) that will not be toppled by any storm, we must know who we are and whose we are and build from there. Take a married couple for instance, they must have a mutual understanding and respect for each other and work to maintain it. Even before they decided to get married, they had to begin their relationship with a desire to know and understand each other. When it comes to our relationship with God through Christ, we can’t present any less. We must have a desire to know God. We must also know the truth of who we are in Christ so that our relationships are built on him as we begin to grow stronger through his love.
Supplications God loves us, and 1John 4:8 tells us that He IS love. So, love isn’t only what God does; love is who He is. The more we know about God, the more our faith develops in His love, and this greatly helps our prayer lives. Our faith in Him increases as we become convinced and let ourselves be drenched in His love. Philippians 4:6(NLT) tells us, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” The word ‘supplication’ means to make a specific request to God by telling Him exactly what we need. God tells us to do this because He is our Sufficiency. Everything that we could ever possibly need, our Heavenly Father has it. He is willing and able to provide for us, but He also tells us not to throw anxiety, doubt, and stress into the mix; those things work against our faith.
Prayers Another type of prayer is that of offering earnest adoration to God. It is when we go into our secret places, close the door, and just spend time with Him. Most of us don’t do this nearly as often as we should. We will never know how much we are robbing ourselves of vital nourishment because we’re not spending quality time with God. Many of us have been taught to see God as being far off. We won’t allow ourselves to experience His presence, even though our Lord and Savior came to this earth to rescue us from sin through God’s love. The extraordinary truth is that through His precious Holy Spirit, God lives inside every born-again believer. You can’t get any closer than this.
God sent His Son so that we could have Heavenly Father with us every moment of every day. We are the Bride of Christ, so the marital relationship that God has ordained gives us a blueprint or a way to understand the closeness God desires with each of His children. He adores us, and it should in no way be one-sided. The angels surround His throne and continually cry out “Holy, holy, holy.” Nothing compares to God’s holiness, and He deserves our continual and highest praise. We should love worshipping Him, for He alone is worthy and magnificent. So, it is understanding who He is that allows our relationship with Him to flourish. It’s out of a heart that longs to know Him, that we can offer prayers of adoration and praise.
Intercession God tells us to pray for all people everywhere. We must make intercession for others through prayer and invite God to intercede in their lives for their greater good. People mean the most to God. As believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are to be of service to other people. This is part of our commitment to God through Christ, and though our good deeds are needed, prayer is the greatest service we can perform. God requires an invitation to intervene into the matters of humanity. Through our faith, we are petitioning our Heavenly Father to employ His power, to introduce it into this earthly realm. James 5:16(NLT) says, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” Often the prayer of a believer whose heart is full of God’s love is the only intercession the unbeliever will receive. So, we must pray for others and make intercession on their behalf, as our Master commands, and we must do this continually.
Prayers of Thanksgiving On this we must be clear, we are pursuing in our present moment what God has already done. The victory we seek was won by Christ on the Cross of Calvary over two thousand years ago. And indeed, our Holy and Magnificent Heavenly Father knew Christ would need to rescue us even before Adam was created. Nothing we encounter or endure is a surprise to God. Our prayers of thanksgiving should not be shrouded in doubt and uncertainty, but they should be prayers of faith, thanking Him for what He’s already done. Even though the blessings may not have yet manifested, they are on their way and on this we can depend because of the faithfulness of our God.
He’s given us four ways—four vehicles of prayer that extend to us the privilege of touching heaven and inviting His power and presence through Jesus Christ. We have the distinct honor of inviting our Most Holy God not just to intervene in our own lives, but in the lives of countless others. We must commune with God through prayer, because this will help us maintain our wonderful relationship with Him through Jesus Christ and through the power of His Spirit. So, it is with great reverence and respect to our Heavenly Father that we must do as our Master Jesus tells us in Luke 18:1, to always pray and never give up.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Four Types of Prayer”, written for victoryinjesuschrist.life© 2019. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
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