Petitionary Prayer and Praise

Posted on November 10, 2026 by Stephen Nielsen

There is a great difference between petitionary prayer and praise.  In petitionary prayer we are seeking God out of our need; in praise we are thanking and adoring Him because of our abundance and because He is so great and merciful.

Theodore Jennings states the difference between petitionary prayer and praise this way: “In prayer we express the absence of something; in praise the presence of something.  In both cases that something is the same thing—God.  The difference between prayer and praise then, is the difference between the absence and the presence of God.”6

Jennings also said, “Prayer expresses our need and desire for God, a need that grows out of our godlessness and godforsakenness.  Praise, on the other hand, grows out of the presence and self-giving of God, and therefore expresses our fullness of joy.”7

I will make just a few comments on what Jennings said.  When he stated that “In prayer we express the absence of something… [And] that something is… God.”  I think we can assume what he means is, we (we Christians) do have God in our life, we do have a relationship with God; however, in prayer we want more of Him.  We know He is there but perhaps we don’t feel Him or experience Him.  Or perhaps we do experience Him, but in our experience of Him in prayer He shows us what we lack; He shows us our godlessness, or the fact that we need Him more and are dependent on Him. 

Secondly, I agree that our need in prayer is basically for God only, though practically speaking we have many needs: the need for food, for water, for shelter, for friends, for a job, for a reliable car, and the list goes on.  And I think that is what petitionary prayer is all about—to ask God for the things we need.  It is telling Him that we are totally dependent on Him. 

And then, in praise, we express not only the presence of God, but we thank Him for all the things He has given us.  It is a celebration of our joy for how happy He has made us—a happiness, which we, in the end, confess we would not have without Him, because He is the giver of all the things we need.

Petitionary prayer, then, is basically asking God to come to us and to give us the things we need.  Praise, on the other hand, is thanking God for coming to us and rejoicing in what He has given us, mainly Himself.  In petitionary prayer we claim the promises in His Word, in Jesus’ name, that He will give us what we need.  In praise we rejoice over what we have received from Him, and also over what we know we will receive. 

There is an interdependence of petitionary prayer and praise. The assertion we are making here is that without praise it is impossible to pray, and without prayer there is no true praise.  One is dependent upon the other. 

Also, both are dependent on the Holy Spirit.  In praise the Spirit makes the presence of God real to us; He is the origin and the basis of our joy, and He helps us to express that joy.  In prayer the Spirit helps us to pray; He prays in us and for us, and He calls upon God and brings God to us.

According to Jennings, “Praise is the ‘other side’ of prayer.”8 He says, “Praise has its basis in the enlivening presence, in us, of that which God has promised [in prayer].”9 He also stated, “The Spirit is the presence ‘in advance’ and in us of what God has promised [in prayer].”10

We may see this truth explained in Hebrews 12:2, which says, “…Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross…”  Here we see that Jesus was able to endure the cross through His prayers because of what was on the other side.  Thus, His enduring prayers were persistent because of the joy set before Him.  This joy was manifest in the praise of God’s grace and power and victory in advance.

When we feel God’s Spirit leaping and rejoicing in us over that which He has promised us in prayer, that is praise.  Without that Spirit of praise, we would not have the motivation or the persistence to pray.  Therefore, I see that praise is a necessary motivation for prayer; for it is our assurance in our spirit that God will surely answer our prayers.

We may also look at it this way: The leaping of the Spirit in us, which is praise, awakens in us protest against God’s apparent absence.  It makes God’s absence intolerable to us and drives us to prayer.  In prayer we cry out for God to come to us; in praise God comes to us.  Insofar as God comes to us, we sing His praises; insofar as God is not yet come to us, we pray for His coming— “Thy Kingdom come.”  Thus, we see that praise brings us to prayer and prayer then directs us back to praise.11

Source: Basics of Prayer

6 Ibid., p. 11.

7 Ibid., p. 82.

8 Ibid, p. 83.

9 Ibid, p. 87.

10 Ibid, p. 87.

11 Ibid, pp. 128,129.

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Prayer and Praise

Posted on November 9, 2026 by Stephen Nielsen

I previously pointed out that prayer is mainly two things: petition and soul to soul communication with God.  And I said that the heart of prayer is this second thing, soul to soul communication with God.  This I believe is the very basis of prayer.  Then, from this kind of prayer flows other forms of prayer, mainly petition; however, I also see that conversational prayer flows out of it, confession of sin flows out of it, and yes, praise flows out of it. 

Now, to better understand how this works we need to go back and review.  As I said, I think the heart of prayer is soul to soul communication with God.  For true prayer is when our soul communicates and communes with God and finds rest in Him.  The following Psalms suggests this idea:

Psalm 25:1-2

To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.

O my God, I trust in You;

Let me not be ashamed;

Let not my enemies triumph over me.

Psalm 130:6

My soul waits for the Lord

More than those who watch for the morning–

Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.

Also, because the soul contains the mind, the affections, and the will, true prayer will involve all of these elements. When we exercise our mind toward God as we meditate on the Word—and on other good things (Phil. 4:8)—the Holy Spirit is activated in our soul, and the life of Christ begins to flow in our blood. 

When we meditate on the Word, we also open the door of our soul to what is in our heart and to what is in the heart of God.  Therefore, meditation on the Word also gives us that emotional connection to God.

Thirdly, in true prayer we use our will.  With the will, when we listen to God, we choose to obey Him.  This obedience keeps the door of our soul open to His soul and keeps the life of Christ flowing to our soul.  Moreover, by our obedience we prove our love to God, and He in return floods our life with His love and power (Jn. 14:21).

Now, from the prayer we are calling soul to soul communication will flow other kinds of prayer.  First of all, there is the type of prayer that is horizontal or earthly—or having to do with our own needs on this earth.  This would be the prayer of confession, and also of petition.  The prayer of confession begins like this: as we are meditating on the Word and communing with God with our soul, the Holy Spirit makes us realize our sin.  Accordingly, our regular prayers of communion turn to confession.

Likewise, here is how prayers of petition start: when we are having our soul-to-soul prayer time with God (as we are meditating on the Word) the Holy Spirit will use that precious time to help us realize what God’s will is and what our real needs are.  Consequently, the Holy Spirit at that time begins to direct our prayers toward petition.

There are also the kinds of prayer that are vertical, or heavenly.  These are prayers that are not about our needs so much, but rather about what God desires from us. 

I think the grandest and the most selfless kind of vertical prayer is the prayer of praise.  Some would not call praise prayer, but I would.  It is the highest kind of prayer there is, a special kind of prayer.  It is prayer that is intended more for God, not so much for us.  It is prayer that we offer because we love Him; the kind of prayer that flows from a heart of love.  We will naturally use this high form of prayer when our soul meets with the soul of God through meditation on the Word or perhaps through our meditation on the words of a song—when the Holy Spirit brings to our mind a truth about God or any of the mercies of God.

The prayer of thanksgiving is also a more vertical prayer, which I think is really a type of praise.

Another kind of prayer is conversational prayer. This is just plain talking to God and enjoying him.  This kind of prayer I think should be used whenever we pray.  It should be mixed in with our prayers of confession, our petitions, as well as our prayers of praise.  This kind of prayer is not horizontal or vertical.  It is that which links all types of prayer together.  It is what makes our praying interesting and enjoyable. I think it could be termed the small talk of prayer, or the love talk of prayer, or even the intimate talk of prayer.  It is the prayer that opens up the life and that gets personal and intimate.  It is also the prayer of humor and silliness, which opens up the real self to God and likewise lets His healing touch enter the heart.

Source: Basics of Prayer

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Praise as Adoration — from barak

Posted on November 6, 2026 by Stephen Nielsen

According to Erpestad in his Ten Studies in Prayer, “Adoration overlaps with praise in its meaning, yet it goes even further in its contemplation of the glory of God.  In adoration, the worshipper permits his consciousness of the reality and the nature of God to move him to genuine and spontaneous expressions of the deepest devotion.”3

As you can see, Erpestad seems to separate praise from adoration; but I think, since praise is so broad in its meaning we may see adoration as a heightened form of praise.  It is a praise that goes beyond words to include acts of worship such as, taking off the shoes, bowing the knee, or lifting the hands, etc.

Our Hebrew word, barak, may describe (and translate) this kind of praise in most cases as “bless,” but also as “praise,” as “extol,” and as “kneel down.”  The Psalmist, using this word in Psalms 63:3-4 writes,

Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise Thee.

4  So I will bless Thee (barak) as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Thy name.

Here, when the Psalmist says, “I will bless thee as long as I live,” he is not just saying the words or lifting up his hands; he is committing himself to God in devotion and service for the rest of his life, which is what adoration is all about.

In Psalms 103:20-23 we see the word bless (barak) used in conjunction with service and obedience, as the Psalmist calls on the angels to bless the Lord. And rightly so, for the one who wishes to bless the Lord must also serve Him in obedience.

Bless the Lord, you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform His Word, obeying the voice of His Word!

21  Bless the  LORD, all you His hosts, you who  serve Him, doing His will. 22  Bless the LORD all you works of His, In all places of His dominion; bless the LORD, O my soul!

Source: Basics of Prayer

3 Emil Erpestad, Ten Studies in Prayer, (Augsburg Publishing House: Minneapolis, Minnesota) 1951, p. 54.

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Praise as Jubilation — from halal

Posted on November 5, 2026 by Stephen Nielsen

This Hebrew word halal, found more than 160 times in the Old Testament, is in most cases translated as praise, and gives us the idea of celebration, singing, shouting, boasting, and jubilation.  Whereas praise as thanksgiving is more personal and specific, this kind of praise is more universal, and is used more in public worship.  In fact, this praise gives us the idea of a grand celebration where all the saints are present, if not in body, in spirit.  And isn’t that what our praise should be? —A celebration of God and all He means to us and has done for us.  It is as a grand party with all the saints and with God who is the focus of our joy.  At this party we sing and shout and boast of how good and how great and majestic He is.  It is a party where not only humans are invited, but all of His creation.  The Psalmist writes in Psalms 148,

1  Praise the LORD!  Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise Him in the heights!

2  Praise Him all His angels; praise Him all His host!

3  Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all stars of light!

4  Praise Him, highest heavens, and the waters that are above the heavens

5  Let them praise the name of the LORD, for He commanded and they were created.

6  He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away.

7  Praise the LORD from the earth, sea monsters and all deeps;

8  Fire and hail, snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling His Word;

9  Mountains and all hills; fruit trees and all cedars;

10  Beasts and all cattle; creeping things and winged fowl;

11  Kings of the earth and all peoples; princes and all judges of the earth;

12  Both young men and virgins; old men and children;

13  Let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven.

At this party there is much singing (Ps. 149:1), much gladness (Ps. 149:2), and the making of beautiful music to the Lord.  In Psalms 150:3-6 the Psalmist writes,

3  Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with harp and lyre.

4  Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.

5  Praise Him with loud cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals.

6  Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.  Praise the LORD!       

Source: Basics of Prayer

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Praise as Thanksgiving — from yadah

Posted on November 3, 2026 by Stephen Nielsen

Thanksgiving by itself or thanksgiving without praise is the mere acknowledgement of God’s past mercies; it is gratitude only for God’s goodness toward us.  But thanksgiving as praise (from yadah) is not only giving thanks for past mercies, but for all His works—past, present, and future—and for all his attributes.  It is also showing gratitude to God not only for His goodness to us, but for His goodness to all people. 

This Hebrew word yadah, found 120 times in the Old Testament, including some 70 times in the Psalms, is translated as praise but it gives us the idea of giving thanks to God.  It not only gives the idea of giving thanks for His works, but also of giving thanks to Him who performed the works. 

For an example, we see in Psalms 42:5, that David, while being in great despair, remembered how God helped him in the past.  And so, he said to himself, “Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him [yadah] for the help of His presence.”  So, we see that David thanked God not only for His help, but also for His presence, or for His person, who is the source of help.

Again, we see this word yadah in Psalms 67.  The Psalmist writes in verses 5 & 6, “Let the peoples praise Thee, O God; Let all the peoples praise Thee.  The earth has yielded its produce.”   

Source: Basics of Prayer

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The Origin and Basis of Praise

Posted on November 2, 2026 by Stephen Nielsen

We have already spoken of how praise flows out of our prayer time with God as we meditate on the Word.  Now here is how praise actually begins.  As we are having our time of meditation, the Holy Spirit works on our mind and heart and will.  He helps us to see in our mind many wonderful things about God.  He helps us feel uplifted, and gives us joy.  Then He energizes our will, as He puts the idea in our mind and heart to sing and clap and raise our hands toward heaven. 

I like what Jennings has said: “The origin of praise is the leaping of the Spirit within us, the outpouring of God’s Spirit upon us.4 This “leaping of the Spirit” in us, I would say, has its basis in what God did for us in the life, death and resurrection of His Son, because had He not lived, died and rose, we would therefore have no reason to rejoice at all. Moreover, the Spirit rejoices in us, and makes us rejoice because of our new life in Christ.

Jennings wrote, “Praise…is grounded in the sense of joy and gratitude that corresponds to the experience of more than enough.  But this is not the only basis for praise… Praise has its basis in God’s action and presence… In praise we rejoice that God has come to us.”5

And we know that “God’s action” and the way God “has come to us,” is in His Son and through His Spirit.  When we receive His Son and when we pray to be filled with His Spirit, God’s Spirit then rushes toward us and is poured out upon us.  And His Spirit leaps within us.  From then on, we feel the heart of God and we share both the joys and the sorrows of God.  When He sighs and grieves, we also sigh and grieve within our spirit—which, in a sense, is the very heart of prayer.  And when He is glad and joyful we are glad and joyful—that, in a sense, is praise.

Source: The Basics of Prayer

4 Theodore W. Jennings, Jr. (Life as Worship, Prayer and Praise in Jesus Name, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.) 1982, p. 85.

5 Ibid., p. 89.

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The Praise of Prayer

Posted on October 28, 2026 by Stephen Nielsen

In Christ we have obtained a great inheritance (Eph. 1:12)—eternal life, which is to know God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son (Jn. 17:3). Such knowledge is not just intellectual.  It is a deep and intimate knowledge.  It is an experiential knowledge.  By this knowledge of God, we possess him, and enjoy Him.

We were also made His inheritance.  We, the church, are the Father’s love gift to His Son.  We are the bride of Christ, which He delights in.  Our purpose as His bride is to be “the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:12), that is, to praise Him for His many attributes and His ways.1

With that purpose before us, our greatest desire in prayer should be that God would be honored, worshiped, and magnified among all people.2 It is no wonder that the very first petition in the Lord’s Prayer is, “Hallowed be Thy name.”

In general terms, praise may be defined as approval or admiration toward someone.  Praise to God is the acknowledgement of who He is.  It is exalting Him and thanking Him for His attributes and His ways.  It is expressing to Him and to the world how great He is.

I think this is a good definition of praise.  But there is so much more we can say about it.  To start, we will examine three Hebrew words in the Bible, yadah, halal, and barak, which help us to see what praise is.  We will take a look at these, one at a time in upcoming posts. 

Source: Basics of Prayer

1 Warren Wiersbe, Be Rich (Wheaton, Illinois: Victor Books. A division of SP Publications, Inc., 1976), p. 22.

2 D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991), p.65.

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Forms of Prayer

Posted on October 26, 2026 by Stephen Nielsen

The forms of prayer are simply the various expressions of our personal life toward God that agree with the various moods or attitudes we have or choose to have.  Thus, the many forms of prayer are quite endless, for there are as many forms of prayer as man has characteristics of personal life—as he has moods or attitudes.  Here are ten forms of prayer, which I will describe briefly:

1.  The prayer of adoration. We should adore God in all our praying, but generally, this is the way we should begin our prayers (and our day)—saying, “Hallowed be Thy name.”

2.  The prayer of confession. This is the only form of prayer that should come out of our lips when we have sinned.  For, it is the only form (or expression) that would be true and honest.  Moreover, without confession fellowship with God would be impossible.

3. The prayer of thanksgiving. We ought to give God thanks continually for all things.  For it is God’s will for us (1 Thess. 5:18), it is the way to keep ourselves in the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19), and it is the way we glorify Him (Rom. 1:21).  Thus, all of our prayers of petition should be with the attitude of thanksgiving (Phil. 4:6).

4.  Supplication. This is a special kind of petitionary prayer, marked by a sense of urgency for a desperate need, requiring an earnest humility. Thus, to make supplication means to ask for humbly or earnestly. The Latin words supplicans and supplicant mean to kneel down.  We would use this form of prayer only when the proper mood strikes us, that is, only when the Spirit of God moves upon us with desire and a sense of need.

5.  Simple and short prayers. These are the meal time prayers when we thank God for our food, and the prayers of benediction at the end of a church service.   These are the prayers offered throughout the day while working, when we can’t take time to pray long.

6.  Long and conversational prayers. These are the prayers that we offer during the night when we can’t sleep.  They are the prayers offered on a Sunday afternoon when we have set aside a whole hour to pray.  These also are the prayers offered when we take a long walk—when we commune with God about every little thing. 

7.  Meditative prayers. These are the prayers offered when we study the Word and muse on deep meanings.  They are the prayers offered when we are lying down and are gazing into the sky contemplating the wonder and glory of God.

8. The prayer of relinquishment. This form of prayer often comes after the prayer of confession.  It is the prayer of dedication.  It is the kind of prayer offered when we see how good and great God is—when we are moved to give Him everything.

9. The prayer of sorrow, suffering and tears. This is the type of prayer we pray for the sick, the elderly, the lonely and the depressed.  It is prayer from the heart. 

10.  The prayer of authority. We pray this kind of prayer against the forces of evil when the Holy Spirit assures us that He is with us and will help us. By the prayer of authority, we command in Jesus’ name for Satan to be gone, and we summon the angels of heaven to come to our aid.  Likewise, with the promises of God’s Word and with the agreement of the saints, we take great confidence in offering this form of prayer.

Source: Basics of Prayer

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Descriptions Of Prayer

Posted on October 23, 2026 by Stephen Nielsen

So far, we have defined prayer as being basically two things: soul to soul communication with God, and petition.  And I will hold to those meanings.  However, with those two meanings prayer may have various descriptions.  Here are eight different descriptions of prayer, by various authors, which will fall under either or both of the two meanings.

1.  Prayer is asking and receiving. According to E.M. Bounds, “Prayer is the outstretched arms of the child for the Father’s help.  Prayer is the child’s cry calling to the Father’s ear…Prayer is the seeking of God’s greatest good, which will not come if we do not pray.”17

Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

2.  Prayer is approaching God’s throne. According to Spurgeon, “True prayer is an approach of the soul by the Spirit of God to the throne of God.”18 I would say it this way: it is the approach of the Holy Spirit in our soul that drives us to the throne.

3.  Prayer is our service due Him. According to E. M. Bounds, “Prayer is not a duty which must be performed, to ease obligation and to quiet conscience… [it is rather] a solemn service due to God, an adoration, a worship…”19

4.  Prayer is letting Jesus come to us and heal us. According to O. Hallesby,

Our prayers are always a result of Jesus ‘knocking at our heart’s doors…He knocks in order to move us by prayer to open the door…giving Jesus access to our needs and permitting Him to exercise His own power in dealing with them…To pray is nothing more involved than to lie in the sunshine of His grace, to expose our distress of body and soul to those healing rays which can in a wonderful way counteract and render ineffective the bacteria of sin.20

5.  Prayer is an expression of our fellowship with God.  Emil Erpestad gives us another look at prayer.  Prayer, he says, is an expression of our fellowship with God.  “[It is] the means by which fellowship with Him can become a part of our daily experience.”21

6.  Prayer is something we do naturally. God has created in us a natural tendency to cry out to Him when we need help.  Even if one is not a Christian, or even if he says that he is an atheist, God nevertheless has created in him a natural desire to get to know Him and to be dependent on Him and to cry out to him when he is in trouble and needing help.

7.  Prayer is dominant desire. This description of prayer I think instructs us well and helps us to see clearly what real, effective prayer is, in contrast to prayer that is not genuine and not effective. We know that all petitionary prayer begins with a wish or a desire; then we express that desire with a request.  This is the basic meaning of prayer—from the Greek word deesis. In fact, this Greek word can actually be translated as either desire or prayer. However, real prayer, prayer that is heeded by God, must have a desire that dominates, or over rides, all other desires that are more of the flesh and not of the spirit. 

8. Prayer is a struggle. If prayer is dominant desire, then prayer must also be a struggle to keep the mind and the desires of the mind on God’s will—and to keep those Godly desires dominant. Certainly, every Christian struggles in prayer to keep himself on the narrow road as he journeys through this evil world.  Our struggle in prayer is obviously not only a struggle against outward forces of the world, but also with inward forces of our own flesh. We struggle in prayer with selfishness, our love of ease, and all kinds of lusts.  We struggle with our pride and with our temper and with our unwillingness to obey God and to forgive others and to pray for them. And of course, perhaps most of the time unknowingly, we struggle in prayer against the devil and his demons, who are constantly urging us to relax in prayer.

17 E. M. Bounds, The Reality of Prayer, p. 21.

18 Charles Spurgeon, The Power of Prayer in a Believer’s Life (Lynnwood, Washington, Emerald Books, 1993), p. 15.

19 E. M. Bounds, The Reality of Prayer, pp. 20-21.

20 O. Hallesby, Prayer, pp. 11, 13, 15.

21 Emil Erpestad, Ten Studies in Prayer (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Augsburg Publishing House, 1951), pp. 83-88.

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Prayer Is Soul to Soul Communication with God

Posted on October 21, 2026 by Stephen Nielsen

We have said that prayer is petition. Now we are saying that prayer is not only petition, it is also something more basic—it is soul to soul communication with God.  And this really must come first, before we ask God for anything.  For this is the heart of prayer.  Before we can expect Him to listen to our requests we must have contacted His soul by our soul.

I got this idea from Jim Downing in his book Meditation, where he suggests that various passages in the Psalms (e.g., Ps. 62:5, 130:6, 25:1) “indicate that coming into contact with God involves the soul.”10 And he stated that “Theologians in general agree as to the soul’s principle powers…the mind, the affections and the will.”11

So, I am suggesting that “coming into contact with God” with our souls is really what prayer is.  True prayer, therefore, will involves the mind, the affections (the heart or the emotions), and the will (that part of us that makes choices).

All prayer begins with the exercise of the mind toward God.  We may call it meditation.  And we can meditate on all kinds of good things, but we must make the primary source of our meditation the Word.  We can’t go wrong by meditating on the Word of God.  “As we meditate on the Word of God [says Jim Downing], the life of Jesus Christ flows out of Him, through the Word, and becomes a part of our spiritual bloodstream.”12

Secondly, to engage our soul with the soul of God we must exercise our emotions (or our heart) toward God in communion.  How do we do this?  Well, our meditation on the word is how we start.  It will open the door to heart-to-heart communion.  When we study and meditate on His Word, He speaks to us and then we listen. 

Communion is also speaking back to God.  It is talking to God and listening.  But it is even more than that.  It is fellowship on the highest level.  It is the sharing of His holy nature.  According to Downing, “Communing…is engaging our heart with the heart of God.  The result of that communion is that our soul is watered (Jer. 31:12).”13 Downing goes on: “Communion…is a two-way communication, an alternating impact of two personalities where we listen intently and then share intently with the other person; there is an actual sharing of lives involved.”14

The third part of the soul is the will.  With the will we make choices; we choose to obey God or not.  The exercise of this part of the soul is vitally important.  Our listening to God and choosing to obey Him keeps the door of our soul open to His soul; it keeps our soul in contact and in communication with Him.  Accordingly, our willful obedience is the key to bringing life to our soul.  For by it we receive His love and power (Jn. 14:21).  Without obedience our prayers drop dead; but with obedience our prayers come alive and are continually energized by His life.

Now, as I said earlier, we can’t begin to make petitions without having this soul-to-soul communication with God.  For this is the nature of true prayer.  It is how we pray in Jesus name, that is, according to God’s will.  Accordingly, when we know what His will is we can make petitions based on His will.

But this kind of prayer—soul-to-soul communication—is not only for a basis of petition; it is also just for the sake of conversation and for enjoying God.  As E. M. Bounds has said, “[Prayer]…is communion and intercourse with God.  It is enjoyment of God.”15 I also like what Bill Bright has said: “Prayer is simply communicating with God…It is a dialogue between two people who love each other—God and man.”16

Therefore, if prayer is simply communicating with God, it is more than just petition.  It is talking to God about anything we choose and listening to Him.  I think prayer then would include such things as praise, thanksgiving, and confession (which we will talk about in another chapter).

Furthermore, although prayer normally always includes petitions (because we are so needy and dependent on Him for everything), in-between those petitions that we make we normally just make conversation—that is, we just talk to Him.  In Jesus prayer to His Father for example (in John 17), Jesus makes basically six petitions (in verses 1, 5, 11, 15, 17, and 21), but in-between all of them is conversation.  I challenge you to look at it.

If you count the number of lines of petition in your Bible, and then count the number of lines of conversation (as I did) you will find that 85% of the prayer is conversation and only 16% is petition. I analyzed a few of the prayers of David, in the Psalms, and I came up with the same results. When I made this discovery, it surprised me and really convicted me.  Most of my prayers and the prayers I’ve heard from others, I would say, are almost the opposite, more petitional then conversational.  What does that say about us?  Well, whatever it says, I think we should work toward the model prayer that Jesus gave us here.  His prayers were petitional, yes, but they were surrounded with ample conversation.  And so, since Jesus prayed this way, we must conclude that it is the natural, normal way to pray.

10 Jim Downing, Meditation, The Bible Tells You How (Colorado Springs, Colorado: NAVPRESS, 1976), p. 18.

11 Ibid., p. 18.

12 Ibid., p. 27

13 Ibid., p. 55

14 Ibid., p. 55.

15 E. M. Bounds, The Reality of Prayer, p. 9.

16 Bill Bright, How to Pray (Canada and the USA: Campus Crusade for Christ, Inc., 1971), p. 7.

Source: Basics of Prayer

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