What Is Prayer?
Prayer is the Bible's general name for speaking with God; it embraces praise, thanksgiving, confession, petition and intercession for others. The Bible's school of prayer is the book of Psalms, which shows that joy and anger, trust and complaint can all be said honestly to God. Prayer is constant in the life of Jesus; he is recorded praying alone early in the morning and before important decisions. The 'Our Father' he taught his disciples is the model of Christian prayer: it begins with the hallowing of God's name and continues with requests for daily bread, forgiveness and protection. Jesus warns against display and empty repetition in prayer and tells parables of asking with persistence and confidence. The letters present prayer as a way of life: 'Pray without ceasing'; 'in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.' According to the New Testament the one who prays is not alone: the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes where words run out.