Prayer is a Key Christian Belief Essay

Prayer is an essential to any kind of religious faith. Over the years and years of believing in a higher power,

In (Matthew 6:6 NIV), Jesus explains the merits of praying to the lord God and the reward of inner peace, “But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret: and your father who sees in secret will reward you.” It is through this conversation with God that Christians pursue peace in their lives. Prayer can either be private or communal, spontaneous prayer is one way that charismatic communities can come closer to God. The act of prayer allows believers to have a personal conversation with God; it alleviates stress attributed to the monotony of everyday life. Besides prayer, meditation is another way of attaining inner peace, it is an ancient practice within the Christian tradition, which has undertaken a recent revival, a global group that reaffirms the concept of praying and meditating for inner peace is Taizé. Not as popular as prayer and meditation, Lectio Divina, generally known as bible studies is a way for Christians to feel connected to God and to finally attain inner peace. The studying of the sacred scriptures on a day to day basis and reflecting on prayers also maintain a continual connection with God. It is vital to maintain equilibrium between prayer and service, whereby an individual fathoms the notion ‘ora et labora’, in order to equally partake in both prayer, and the concept of action whereby ora develops inner peace, which is mirrored through the

As Christians we partake in rituals that consist of prayer, baptism, and the eucharist. Prayer is used on several occasions and for conveying distinct concepts. Prayer can be used as a way

David knew that no amount of good works he had done, could rectify his guilty state before God. His position of prophet and king did not obligate God to him. David’s longing to be reconciled to God was granted by God’s compassionate acquittal of David despite his guilt. Moo explains that, “David’s words from the psalm confirm Paul’s basic point…a person’s relationship with God comes not by works but by God’s gracious act.” A further examination of David’s proclaimed blessing reveals the state of “being fortunate, happy because of circumstances, favored, and privileged.” William Sanday represents this state of blessedness well by stating, “…David in Psalm 32 describes how God pronounces happy (in the highest sense) those to whom He attributes righteousness without any reference to work.” Paul’s focus on the blessed state of the forgiven sinner in verse 6 is qualified by his citing of David’s proclamation of blessing in psalm 32:

Prayer is common in people’s lives. Studies shows 90% of American pray throughout their life (McMinn, 2011, p. 79). Prayers are in the psychological of literature and have conveyed to have mechanical problems. Prayers appears to be common in a Christian counseling. Prayers are used with some with clients but not all due to the client’s diagnosis.

David also prays that God’s people can learn from God’s example. David is praising God, saying that there is no one like him and no other nation that compares to Israel. He asks that God will carry out his promises towards Israel- keeping his people as his own, forever. David ends his prayer by asking God for a blessing that David’s house will last

According to theory to reincorporate prayer within the United States Public schools, it is important to change the perception of prayer by exploring the need for religion-based education Schwadel (2013). The restorative process to achieve a need is to add a sense of hope to the outcome of reinstating prayer. Which will make a significant difference to increase student achievements. Students are taught in public schools presently a way of life, by teaching ways to totally ignore the Word of God (LAATS, 2012) which is not teaching a way of life, but teaching restrictions to life. Education is essential to the role of equipping students with the skilled knowledge, it provides students with ways to

Prayer is not intended to be just a part or segment of overall ministry, but is to be a foundation under all that we do. This seminar is for leaders, department heads, intercessors and all those who are part of the congregation or ministry. Our goal is to allow the Holy Spirit to take each individual and the entire ministry to the next exciting level in prayer as we develop an understanding of a culture of prayer.

Christopher Raines, I appreciate your emphasis upon prayer. It is something I myself often emphasize while talking with others and think it is a critical aspect of the Christian’s life, both leader and follower. I often see posts on Facebook and hear people saying things like “I’ll pray for you” or “I’m praying”, and while I appreciate the sentiment it is often only that, a sentiment. Saying “I’ll pray for you” has, for many, become just a nice though, what they are really saying is “I’m thinking about you” but prayer is much more than sentiment.

Praying is how I’m able to have conversations with God and really be able to make him apart of my regular life. What I’ve learned over time is that my prayers never fall upon deaf ears. He’s there in the times that I need it the most. I’ve found that my prayers have become more meaningful and less forced over time. One of the evidence that I’ve found was in Fifth Grade when the Sandy Hooks Elementary shooting happened. I wrote a prayer for the youngest victims of the attack. I also wrote about protecting the children that died during the attack and comforting the relatives of those children. This showed that I was fulfilling the expectation to integrate prayer into my daily life and ultimately showed my Catholic identity. Through that prayer, I was able to learn more about how I can connect to God and have conversations with him in different ways. This piece of evidence shows the fulfillment of Student Learning Expectation #1C, which is a life of Christian prayer. This prayer shows that I’ve had a logical understanding of my relationship with God. I believe that I’ve shown

W. Pink defines the design of prayer in his book, The Sovereignty of God, by saying, "Not that God's will may be altered, but that it may be accomplished in His own good time and way. It is because God has promised certain things, that we can ask for them with the full assurance of faith" (172). In prayer, Christians recognize the importance of how Christ is the sustainer and ruler of all things by fully depending on him. They show this submission by putting their faith and trust in Christ when they ask him for things. Many people in prayer, Christian or not, usually ask for safety throughout travels, for healing when a loved one or themselves are sick, for comfort through hard times, for wisdom and discernment in making a decision, etc. What people do not realize is that they are simply proving the very fact that Christ is completely sovereign and in control of everything when they ask him to keep them safe, or to heal them or their loved one, or to comfort them when they are going through a trial, or to give them the wisdom in making any decision. By stating and asking those things, they are unknowingly acknowledging He is in control of every single one of those

“Prayer is essential in the Christian's life. Without it efforts to witness will be far less effective, and will be far more vulnerable to the enemy. When witnessing, the support of the Lord is needed. Fellowship with the Lord is required for evangelism to be successful. Prayer makes this all possible.” (Slick 2015)

In Psalm 28, David asks God for mercy to not drag him away with the wicked. He also praises the Lord for He is his strength and shield.

David expresses his endless love for God in this Psalm and illustrates to the reader that if we remain faithful God will deliver. If God is obeyed he will continue to be a loving shepherd and meet our

Having been a Christian for many years I thought that I had a fair knowledge of what it meant to pray. I was amazed and humbled by the idea that through Jesus’ restorative act on the cross I am able to come into God’s presence - and not only come but be welcomed and even longed for. I believed that prayer is a powerful tool to petition God , a vehicle to praise Him , and an instrument to increase our intimacy with Him . I understood that people pray in a variety of ways, based on the teaching they have received, their experience, and even their personality. Most commonly, I engaged in prayer as a conversation with God.