by Dave Thompson

Different types of prayer exist, and each has its own rules, so to speak. For our prayer lives to be effective, we need to use the right prayer for the right situation, and we need to know how each prayer is used.

In our study of prayer, we will examine nine types:

Certainly, we do not want to get stuck using formulas in our prayer. Our purpose is not to make our prayers so systematic that we get caught up in the steps rather than getting caught up in the spirit of prayer. Rather, we simply want to show the variety of types of prayer shown in the Bible and promote guidelines for making use of each.

Although addressing the Holy Spirit in prayer may not necessarily be wrong, it is not biblical. I have heard some believers pray to the Holy Spirit, but is it not best just to stick with how the Bible instructs us to pray?

It is also not proper to address dead loved ones or saints. It is not scriptural, and those who have left this life can no more answer your prayers than the man in the moon. Considering that the Bible says we ought to address God the Father or Jesus in prayer, then why do some believers feel they need to add to the list? Is it that they do not really have faith in what the Bible says about praying to God that they feel they need to invent their own methodologies?

When praying, do so in the name of Jesus. It is through Him that you have the privilege of praying in the first place:

Jesus said here that when you pray, you are to believe that you receive your answer right then: “...when ye pray, believe that ye receive….” In other words, from the time you say, “Amen,” you stand trusting God that you have received the answer to your prayer—even if you do not see results immediately.

For instance, if you need healing in your body—anything from a headache to cancer, from the common cold to AIDS—you might pray something like this: “Dear Father, your Word says in 1 Peter 2:24 that by Jesus’ stripes I was healed. I know that divine healing and divine health belong to me because of Jesus’ sacrifice at the Cross, and I ask that your healing virtue flow through my body in the name of Jesus, amen.”

Several years ago, for example, I suffered from walking pneumonia. Twice annually—in the Spring, and in the Fall—it would hit me. I also coped with pounding migraines several times every month for years.

With the pneumonia, I generally visited the doctor, and he would prescribe antibiotics and rest. I would miserably cough phlegm and have difficulty breathing very deeply until the antibiotics did their full work.

As for the migraines, at times my head was in such terrible pain, and my vision was so blurred, that I could not drive safely because I was unable to distinguish the objects before me—let alone stand up straight. It was excruciating.

However, once I realized from the Word that God’s desire was that every believer walk in divine health, I began reading out loud scriptures on the subject of healing each day—often twice daily. I also declared healing over my body in a similar fashion as the sample prayer of faith I shared with you. It was not long before my head no longer pounded each month from migraines, and I have not had a case of bronchitis or walking pneumonia for the past eight years either. Praise God!

The latter portion of Mark 11:24 says, “...believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Notice that it does not say, “...and ye shall immediately have them.” What should you do when you do not receive your miracle instantly?

Stand on God’s Word and release faith, trusting that what you have prayed for belongs to you. “...having done all, to stand.” (Eph. 6:13) Once you have prayed, you need to stand in faith believing God for your answer without giving up hope.

Now, if you believe you have received your answer according to Mark 11:24—even if you have not yet received it in the natural— then you will discontinue talking as if you do not have it, will you? To believe that you receive means to talk and act like you have it. Otherwise, your conduct proves that you do not really believe that you have received. Believing you have received is the meat to the prayer of faith, because it takes faith to believe you have received.

Notice that Mark 11:24 begins with the word “therefore.” As the saying goes, “If you see the word ‘therefore,’ stop to see what it is there for.”

No one begins a thought by saying, “Therefore….” For instance, if you were sitting in a lecture, and the instructor began class by stating, “Therefore, grass is green,” it would likely confuse you. You would have expected him to discuss why the grass is green and then conclude by saying, “Therefore, grass is green.” Since Mark 11:24 begins with the word “therefore,” then we need to read what precedes it to understand the complete thought behind why Jesus used it.

If you couple Mark 11:24 with the preceding verses, you will see that the prayer of faith is a matter of believing in your heart and confessing from your mouth what you believe:

Now let us look at the elements to salvation as defined in Romans:

Your greatest miracle, salvation, comes to pass by you doing two things according to Romans 10: You believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, and you confess with your mouth Jesus’ lordship over your life. Those are the same two ingredients Mark 11 states are necessary to receive any other miracle you need. Mark 11 says you “shall not doubt in your heart” which is exactly the same as “believing in your heart” that Romans 10 requires.

Secondly, Mark 11 states that you need to “say,” and saying involves using your mouth. That is exactly what Romans 10 dictates in its stipulation that you “confess with your mouth,” because to confess is to speak. Therefore, if you received salvation by believing and speaking, then based on the instruction of Mark 11:24, why do you not just go on ahead and receive whatever else you need in the same manner? Just apply Mark 11, and watch your miracle come to pass!

I realize some people argue that to confess that you have received the object of your prayer before it has manifested in the natural is lying. However, what is higher truth—what you see, or what you do not see?

The Bible declares we are not to have faith in what we see, and the inference is that we ought to have faith rather in the unseen.

Consider this: the spiritual world created the natural world. After all, God is a Spirit (John 4:24). Therefore, the supernatural is above and supersedes the natural, and the supernatural’s capabilities are more powerful than natural forces. Does it not then follow that when our supernatural God declares something to the natural that the natural must give way to the spiritual?

For example, 1 Peter 2:24 states that by Jesus’ stripes you were healed. Note that according to God that you were healed—not going to be healed. Even though a malady in the natural may be attacking your body, it is not lying to set your faith in alignment with God’s Word and declare that by Jesus’ stripes you were—and thereby are—healed. In saying so, you are not denying your circumstances and lying—rather, you are denying the sickness’ right to exist in your body because Jesus purchased your redemption from it. The supernatural God has asserted that sickness has no right to be in the body of a believer.

Also, consider this question: Is God a liar? Of course He is not. Therefore, if God said that by Jesus stripes you were healed, who are you to disagree with Him? The last time I checked, He was still on the throne calling the shots and not you.

Several years ago, I was an employee of a particular company, and they offered health insurance at a discounted rate. I elected not to take advantage of their offer—after all, I served a God who declared I was healed, so what did I need health insurance for?

News of my having no health insurance spread through the department like wildfire, and soon several co-workers were gathered around my desk asking why I was being so foolish. I simply told them, “Well, the Bible says I am healed,” and they all left in amazement, shaking their heads.

Be bold enough to agree with God in your prayer and how you speak to others. God really will not mind.

By the way, generally the prayer of faith is one you should use for only you. By that I mean that you cannot pray the prayer of faith and override another person’s will.

For instance, let us assume that you are single and like a particular person of the opposite sex. You cannot use the prayer of faith to bend that person’s will to want to be with you. What if that person was attempting to use the prayer of faith to convince yet another person to fall in love with him or her? God does not give us use of the prayer of faith to dominate the wills of others for our own selfish desires.

We have just discussed one form of prayer—the prayer of faith—but faith should be the basis for every type of prayer:

If we believe God is faithful—and He really is, you know—then we will discontinue any doubtful and unbelieving so-called prayers. Instead, we will stand confident that God is not only able but also willing to answer us.

Notice the writer did not say that the just shall live by doubt and unbelief—he said that the just shall live by faith. Living by faith is meant to be a lifestyle—not something you only do once in a while. As we truly live this lifestyle of faith, no room is afforded for anything we do to be in doubt or unbelief. In turn, that necessitates all our prayers be in faith, believing God for results.

Without faith, it is absolutely impossible to please God. Without living by faith, we displease Him. God expects us to live by faith.

“...for he that cometh to God must believe that he is….” We must believe that He is...what? We must believe that He exists, and we must believe that He is God. To believe that God truly is God is to discount all arguments against His ability to produce whatever you need.

“...and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” To please God, it is not enough to simply believe that He exists and that He is God. He also requires that you believe that His will is to reward you with the miracle you need. If you do not believe that God cares about your situation and that He does not want to lift a finger to help you, you displease Him. The majority of the Church believes in God, but sadly they fall short of believing that He wants to work supernaturally and mightily in their lives. In their disbelief, unfortunately most of the Church misses out on receiving His rewards for standing in faith for what they need.

Once again, faith is a lifestyle, and God requires it of every believer—and that includes both you and me. Many Christians say they want to please God, and the way to do so is to live by and base all prayer in faith.

The prayer of agreement is hooking up your faith with one or more believers, standing unified in your trust that God will bring to pass the answer. This is similar to the prayer of faith, but it requires that you join your faith with others rather than relying only on your own faith.

For example, say your faith level is at 80% for a particular need. You need others to agree with you to make up the lacking 20%. When you pray together, your total faith level is at 100%, and that is what will bring your answer to fruition.

The prayer of agreement requires exactly what it says—agreement. If one of the parties does not agree with the prayer, then it is not a prayer of agreement—rather, it is one of disagreement—and therefore it is null and void.

Often believers contact any and all Christians they know when they have a need because of the power in numbers. Certainly, more believers united in prayer wallops a heftier punch because “Two are better than one…” (Eccl. 4:9).

However, is it really effective to ask a hundred people to agree with you in prayer over a need when many of them do not agree that God wants to answer your particular prayer?

Consider an army. Even if they are many in number, will they defeat their enemy when they are not in harmony with the common goal of victory? If they are not united, they will fall.

I personally believe in keeping my needs hidden from those who would not agree that God wants to meet them. I contact those I know who will unite with me, but I keep secret my prayer from anyone I know will disagree with me.

This month, we have studied some of the basics of prayer. We have learned that biblical prayer is done to God the Father or Jesus.

We have also determined that all prayer should be based in faith. If we fail to use faith as our springboard, we fall short of pleasing God with our prayers.

We discussed two forms of prayer: the prayer of faith, and the prayer of agreement. We learned that they are somewhat similar, but the prayer of agreement requires you to connect your faith with one or more believers. Both effectively and powerfully cause the angels of God to move on our behalf.

Next month, we will learn about six more types of prayer: the prayer of dedication and consecration, the prayer of worship, the prayer of praise, united prayer, the prayer of commitment, praying in the Spirit, and the prayer of intercession. We should exercise every one of these prayers at one time or another as we walk with the Lord.

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