Prayer
1 Timothy 2:1-2 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”
I think if I had known there are many kinds of prayer from the beginning, it would have helped me. For me, prayer was something you recited at the end of a service that meant you got to leave. I later found out that praying was something powerful and enjoyable, and it was more than making requests or only doing it when you were in trouble. The Bible teaches us that there are many kinds of prayer, and that is what I want to look at today.
In Ephesians 6:18-19 and 1 Timothy 2:1-4, we see several different kinds of prayer listed, but it is just a partial list of the types of prayers. In studying and teaching on this subject for many years, I want to give you a list of ten different prayers that I teach on: 1. Supplication; 2. Intercession; 3. Prayer of Faith or Petition; 4. Prayer of Consecration; 5. Prayer of Praise and Worship; 6. United or Corporate Prayer; 7. Prayer of Agreement; 8. Watching in Prayer; 9. Praying in Other Tongues (praying out mysteries); and 10. Prayer of Fellowship.
I will give you a brief description of each one, and I encourage you to begin to investigate prayer and the different types for yourself. Ask the Holy Spirit, the great Teacher, to teach you how to pray, like the Apostles asked Jesus to teach them to pray.
1. The Prayer of Supplication is a prayer that seems to be prayed earnestly and heartfelt for the saints. This is a good place to pray the Epistle prayers over people, like those in Ephesians and Colossians.
2. The Prayer of Intercession is a prayer you pray for the lost. Did you know praying for laborers to go across someone’s path is the prayer of intercession? Intercession is not always done when praying in other tongues.
3. The Prayer of Faith or Petition, which is what Jesus taught about in Mark 11:23-24 and 1 John 5:14-15, is also another great place to receive all that Jesus has purchased for you.
4. The Prayer of Consecration, just like Jesus prayed in the Garden, is one we all need to pray to consecrate ourselves to the plan of God for our lives. Praying, “Not my will, but Yours be done,” may be a lost art that we need to revive. James 4:13-17 is another place we see that we ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will do this or that.” That is not a living-or-dying Scripture; this is a consecration Scripture.
5. Praise and Worship is really a type of prayer. Most of us look at it as singing, but in truth, worship is prayer.
6. United or Corporate Prayer is when people gather together in unity and one accord and pray on the same thing. In Acts 4:23-31, we see a perfect example of corporate prayer.
7. The Prayer of Agreement is a powerful prayer that always comes to pass when prayed by two people in total agreement. The problem is that most people do not really stay in agreement. If you are in the prayer of agreement, you must stick with it until you see it. It is more than a momentary thing you do at the end of a service. I think we use the term “agreement” way too lightly. If it is Bible agreement, it will come to pass.
8. Watching and Praying is something we are told to do in the Epistles. It is like being on the wall, like they were in the Old Testament. You can see things in the spirit as you wait and listen with the Lord. We must develop the prayers in the watching.
9. Praying in Other Tongues is so vast and effective. The Lord wants us to spend a lot of time praying out mysteries because He knows what is coming and wants to show us those things in the spirit.
10. The last one is the Prayer of Fellowship. Get very good at this one. You were created to fellowship with the Father, so make sure you are not just doing business with God, but that you are spending some time with your Heavenly Father.