The Main Types of Christian Prayer Every Believer Prays?

Types of Prayer in Christianity

One of the most confused religions today is Christianity. One of the areas chaos is evident in, is the discussion on types of Christian prayer.

I will have you understand that the types of prayers in Christianity, today, are in the Church and the Bible.

No two “Christian Writers” agree on this topic. Even pastors disagree on this!

Below you will find a partial list of some of the main types of prayers that they postulate exists in the Bible.

What Is a Prayer?

However, by the time you get to the end of this short study, you will learn some interesting things!

What do you think is a prayer to the Lord God? Similarly, does the Holy Bible agree or disagree with your opinion?

What Are The Different Types of Christian Prayer?

They write about these weird and strange types of prayer yet they have not substantiated their claims with authentic biblical examples.

Kinds Of Christian Prayer

Here are some of the many types of prayer they claim that Believers pray:

Prayers of Worship: This type of prayer involves praising and glorifying God for His attributes, power, and majesty. It focuses on acknowledging His greatness and expressing love and reverence toward Him.
Gratitude Prayers: Prayers of thanksgiving involve expressing gratitude to God for His blessings, provisions, answered prayers, and the goodness He has showered in one’s life.
Petition Prayers: These prayers are requests made to God, seeking His intervention in specific situations, such as healing, guidance, provision, protection, or forgiveness. Petitions can be personal or on behalf of others.

Intercessory Prayers: Intercessory prayers are offered on behalf of others. Believers pray for the needs, well-being, and salvation of others, including family, friends, community, leaders, and even enemies.
Confession Prayers: This type of prayer involves acknowledging and confessing one’s sins and shortcomings before God. It is an opportunity to seek forgiveness, repent, and turn away from sinful behaviors.
Prayers of Lament: Lament prayers are expressions of sorrow, grief, and anguish. Believers pour out their hearts to God, sharing their pain, suffering, and struggles. Lament prayers often seek comfort, solace, and a sense of God’s presence in times of distress.

Prayers of Contemplation: This form of prayer focuses on reflection, silence, and listening to God. It involves meditating on Scripture, contemplating God’s character, and seeking spiritual insight and communion with Him.
The Lord’s Prayer: The Lord’s Prayer, taught by Jesus to His disciples, serves as a model for prayer. It covers various aspects, including acknowledging God’s holiness, seeking His will, and asking for daily provision, forgiveness, and deliverance from evil.

Google Types Of Christian Prayer!

Nevertheless, do this, Google “types of Christian prayers” and you will discover that these writers failed to supply correct biblical examples of each or they don’t provide any at all! Why?

Because these types of Christian prayer are not in the Bible. They made them up!

What is a biblical example of each of those prayers above and who used them? If you cannot locate them in the Bible, then why say that they are there?

Folks, the only thing necessary for a prayer to be a prayer, in the eyes of our Lord, is our heart! If it has not entered into our prayer, we have not prayed!

This is one main prerequisite for every Christian prayer!

Are These Different Types of Prayer From the Bible?

Adoration?

If they are, we need at least two examples of each and Jesus and his twelve Leaders doing them.

Did These Men Pray For The Dead?

None of these prayers appears in the Holy Bible! It’s not a Christian or Church practice to pray for the dead.

Neither Apostle Peter, Paul, nor our Lord and King, Jesus Christ, pray for any dead.

Did Peter pray for Dorcas while she was dead? In Acts 9:36 to 42, Tabitha died and when Peter came he prayed. But did he pray for her? No!

Instead, he did this:

“But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.”
Acts 9:40

Peter did what all Kingdom Citizens should do in similar circumstances, speak to the dead!

Directly address your circumstances and situations! They will respond!

This Is What Kindom Citizens Do

How about Apostle Paul, did he offer any prayers for the dead? No, not once.

According to Doctor Luke, in Acts 20:8-12, while Paul was long in preaching Eutychus fell asleep, like many Believers do today, and he fell from a third-floor window and died.

Then, Paul went down. But did he pray for him? No!! Instead, he spoke to him like Peter did to Dorcas.

“And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.”
Acts 20:10

What Was Jesus’ Response?

Similarly, when Jesus stopped the funeral procession with the widow’s son, did he pray for the young man? Or when he went to Lazarus’ grave did he pray for him? No in both instances.

So, Christians, Citizens of the Kingdom of God, don’t make any prayers for the dead. It’s not biblical. It’s demonic and pagan!

If these holy men of God didn’t, why should Christians today start this pagan practice? Believers run far from this!

All that I wrote, above, concerning “Prayer For The Dead” equally apply to the remaining types of prayer above. They are not biblical.

Why is this happening? Because you have people who write about Christian topics, yet they themselves know not Christ.

They are not Christians! They have had no encounters with Christ!

But, that’s why the Lord has placed His Word into my heart, to defend the Truth! I’m a Defender of The Word of God!

Nevertheless, there are indeed types of Christian prayer with biblical examples.

4 Types Of Christian Prayer With Biblical Examples

Broadly speaking, there are only three categories of things we could do in any prayer; mainly, asking, thanking, and worshipping God.

That’s it! Those are the only things we could do in our prayers. Yet, we could pray to God about every and anything!

Since there is a limit to the categories of things we could do while praying, how come so many people write about so many diverse types of prayers?

But we don’t need to create new types of prayer because the Bible explains them to us.

How Many Types of Prayers Are in The Bible?

However, the Holy Bible speaks only about the following types of Christian prayer:

Supplications
Prayers
Intercessions and

Giving of Thanks (Thanksgiving).

These are all the prayers that the Lord speaks about in His Word! And every Christian prayer that we could make to the Lord, should contain at least one or all these categories.

Apostle Paul made this classification of prayers known to Timothy and us! He informs us:

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.”
1 Timothy 2:1

If there were any other type or kind of Christian prayer he would have mentioned it.

Everything or anything that we could possibly say to the Lord God falls into one or all of the four categories of prayers above.

Is This a Prayer of Adoration?

They say that a Prayer of Adoration is a type of prayer that focuses on praising and worshiping God for His attributes, character, and greatness.

It involves expressing love, reverence, and adoration towards God. One biblical example of the Prayer of Adoration can be found in Isaiah 6:1-4:

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ At the sound of their voices, the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke.”
Isaiah 6:1-4

In this passage, the prophet Isaiah has a vision of the heavenly throne room, where he witnesses the majestic presence of God.

The seraphim surrounding God’s throne declare His holiness and glory with the words, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

This vision prompts Isaiah to recognize and adore God’s holiness, power, and glory. Isaiah’s response to the awe-inspiring vision reflects the Prayer of Adoration in this context.

It shows him acknowledging God’s supreme authority, His separation from all imperfection, and His divine presence filling the entire earth.

But Jesus taught us that we should include adoration of the Father in all of our petitions!

What Constitutes a Prayer of Confession?

Again, they say that a Prayer of Confession is a type of prayer that involves confessing one’s sins before God. It is a humble and repentant prayer seeking forgiveness, cleansing, and reconciliation with God.

But, didn’t Jesus instructs his disciples (and us) to incorporate confessions in all of our prayers? Yes!

An example of it is in Psalm 51, which was written by King David after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan regarding his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah.

Psalm 51 begins with David’s plea for mercy and forgiveness:

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.” (Psalm 51:1-3).
Psalm 51:1-3

The Essence of a Prayer of Confession!

In this prayer, David acknowledges his guilt and recognizes the gravity of his actions. He confesses his transgressions before God, expressing his deep remorse and the awareness that his sins are constantly before him.

David appeals to God’s unfailing love and great compassion, seeking mercy and forgiveness. As the prayer continues, David asks for cleansing and renewal:

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psalm 51:10-12)

David desires a transformed heart and a renewed spirit. He recognizes the need for God’s presence in his life and pleads for restoration and the restoration of the joy of salvation.

He seeks a willing spirit to sustain him on the right path. This example from Psalm 51 demonstrates the essence of the Prayer of Confession.

Does This Make It a Prayer Of Confession?

Because every prayer, we make to God, according to Jesus’ teachings should contain a segment for confessing our sins.

Nobody uses the entire duration of prayer only to confess his or her sins. There is no prayer of confession, for, confession should be part of every prayer!

The Giving of Thanks

The Prayer of Thanksgiving involves expressing gratitude and thankfulness to God for His blessings, provisions, and answered prayers.

It is a prayer that acknowledges God’s faithfulness and recognizes His hand in one’s life. An example of the Prayer of Thanksgiving can be found in Psalm 136:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever. To him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever. Who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever. Who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever. Who made the great lights— His love endures forever. The sun to govern the day, His love endures forever. The moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1-9).
Psalm 136:1-9

The Prayer of Thanksgiving

In this psalm, the Psalmist repeatedly talks about the enduring love of God and gives thanks for His mighty works.

Each verse starts with the phrase “His love endures forever,” showing God’s steadfast and unchanging love. The psalmist expresses gratitude for God’s creation, wonders, and provision.

The Prayer of Thanksgiving in Psalm 136 demonstrates a pattern of gratitude and praise for God’s goodness, power, and faithfulness.

It celebrates His role as the Creator of the heavens and the earth and acknowledges His sovereignty over all things. The psalmist invites others to join in giving thanks to God and recognizing His enduring love.

Prayer of Supplication

The Prayer of Supplication is a type of prayer that involves making specific requests or petitions to God, seeking His intervention, guidance, and provision in personal or other needs.

An example of the Prayer of Supplication can be found in the prayer of King Solomon at the dedication of the temple in 1 Kings 8:22-53.

In this prayer, Solomon begins by acknowledging God’s faithfulness and the fulfillment of His promises:

“Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven, and said: ‘Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.'” (1 Kings 8:22-23).

For Forgiveness

Solomon then proceeds to offer supplications for various circumstances and needs. He prays for God’s presence, forgiveness, guidance, and justice.

He says:

“Now, Lord, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me faithfully as you have done.'”
1 Kings 8:25

“When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to their enemies, who take them captive to their own lands, far away or near; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly’; and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.”
1 King 8:46-49

This example encourages believers to bring their specific requests before God, trusting in His sovereignty.

Conclusion

Don’t allow people who write Christian Articles but are not Christians to feed you with ignorance. They write about prayer, yet, most of them don’t even know how to make an effective petition to God.

Because the class of actions we could take in any prayer is limited to asking, thanking, and praising God the types of Christian prayer are also few.

Therefore, our petitions to the Lord God fall into one of four groups. They are either supplications, prayers, intercessions, or giving of thanks.

The reason we are praying coupled with the current situations and circumstances in our lives dictate the type of prayer we make.

What Determines The Types Of Christian Prayers That We Make?

If we pray for our political leaders, country, and ourselves we make supplications. If we are just petitioning God for a cause, then we are making a prayer.

On the other hand, if I’m praying for my friend to get pregnant, then I’m making intercessions on her behalf.

Finally, after she has had the baby, then I would make a prayer of thanksgiving because I’m happy she conceived and gave birth to a baby boy.

Nevertheless, the Lord’s Prayer is the only model that contains all of these four types of prayer. Consequently, Jesus Christ taught His disciples to pray using it in order to make comprehensive prayers to God!

Thanks to Jack Sharp for the photo I used above!