Faithfulness

What is Prayer?

Prayer can be defined as: Drawing close to God in friendship, fellowship, and

trust (Jas 4:8) Pouring out of our heart to God (Ps 62:8) A sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the

soul to God, through Christ Bringing our current emotional state into the

presence of God

Why do we pray?Brainstorm all the ideas that you can think of as to why people pray or offer prayer for others?

Why do we pray?

To develop our faith To show respect and our trust in God To further understand and demonstrate virtues, The

Beatitudes, and the Ten Commandments

How do we respond to those who think prayer is “useless”? How can we respond to them?

Garth Brooks “Unanswered Prayers”

1. If God is all-knowing, why do we need to pray?

We pray to bring ourselves closer to God and to build a relationship with Him.

The only benefit of prayer is psychological (to make a person feel better). God might not answer our prayer in the way

we might hope or image, but on His own time, and in His own way, God always responds. We must also understand that praying for something does not necessarily mean that it was part of God’s plan.

God hasn’t performed any miracles lately, so why pray?

God performs miracles every day. We must be open to the small miracles as well as the larger ones. Like his son, Jesus, God does not perform miracle to make us believe.

 

Types of Prayer…….there are five different types of prayer. What do you think the

five types might be?

Adoration and Blessing ……appreciating His greatness and acknowledging that through him, all things are possible. This type is more like a personal reflection than praise. EXAMPLES: A) “The Gloria” b) Taking 5 minutes to appreciate the Earth God has given us.

Petition A common type of prayer where we ask God for

something for ourselves, our community, or the Church. EXAMPLE: a) Prayers we share with God right after communion b) intentions during class

Intercession asking for someone to pray on our behalf Example: a) Prayer to saint Christopher b) The Hail Mary

Thanksgiving Thanking God for something that he has done for us, or

has provided for us. Example: Saying “Grace” before a meal

Praise An outward prayer in which we praise the greatness of

God. This type of prayer can be sung or said out loud. EXAMPLES: a) Hallelujah B) The Our Father