There are different types of prayer in the Bible. Not all prayers are the same so it is important to understand the different types of prayers.
There are 4 different types of prayer that follow the acronym ACTS: 1) Adoration, 2) Confession, 3) Thankfulness and 4) Supplication.
What are the 4 Main Types of Prayer?
Prayer is communication with God, that is, the God of the Bible. God communicates with us through His word and we communicate with God through prayer.
And the majesty of prayer is that God hears us. He hears us because He is always present. In theological terms we call this the omnipresent of God.
God is the only One who is always present. That’s why when I pray and you pray, God hears us both.
However, not all prayers are the same. There are different types of prayer. Following are brief descriptions of several major types of prayer.
1. Adoration
Adoration is prayer that adores the attributes of God. For example, we would adore his majesty, his mercy and grace, his love, his glory and power, etc. In other words, adoration is prayer that praises God for who He is and what He has done for us.
“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:9)
“The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy” (Psalm 65:8).
“Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever” (Psalm 111:3-7)
2. Confession
Confession is simply acknowledging our sinfulness and our need for forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (NKJV 1 John 1:9).
There is an old Scottish proverb that says: Open confession is good for the soul. In other words, something happens when we openly confess our sins. There is freshness to our life, freshness to our worship and freshness to our walk with God.
We read of King David’s prayer of confession in Psalm 51:1-4. “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight – that you may be found just when you speak, and blameless when you judge.”
3. Thankfulness
Thanksgiving is simply appreciating the goodness of God. Let’s face it, there is much to appreciate. God has given us so much and of course His greatest gift is His Son – Jesus Christ.
“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (NKJV 1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Psalm 100 is one of the best psalms of thanksgiving. “Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness, come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.”
4. Supplication
Supplication is simply asking God for something. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God” (Philippians 4:6).
We are most familiar with prayers of supplication. Sometimes, we tend to focus too much on supplication and not enough on adoration, confession and thanksgiving.
“May he give you the desires of your heart and make all your plans succeed” (Psalm 20:4).
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).
The four main types of prayer are: 1) adoration, 2) confession, 3) thankfulness and 4) supplication. However, there are several more types of prayer in the Bible. See below!
5. Intercession
Intercession is a form of supplication whereby you ask God for something in relation to someone else. In other words, you are asking God for something on behalf of someone else.
Many churches have prayer chains whereby these prayer warriors pray on behalf of others.
“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people–for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4).
“If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death” (1 John 5:16a).
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14).
6. Examination
A prayer of examination is simply asking God to search the heart for sin. We often justify sin rather than confess it. “Search me. O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).
The natural thing is to hide sin (note King David example). Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9). Therefore, prayers of examination help will help you deal with the sinful tendencies in your Christian life.
7. Relinquishment
A prayer of relinquishment is simply giving over to God our desires and our ambitions so that God’s will can be done in our lives. Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane is an example of relinquishment. “Not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
There is a popular song that encourages Christians to relinquish everything to God. “All of my ambitions, hopes and plans I surrender these into your hands. For it’s only in your will that I am free, Jesus, all for Jesus.”
8. Rest
You find rest when you embrace salvation in Jesus Christ. But also you find rest when you give your burdens over to Jesus. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Prayers of rest are prayers where you learn to release the burdens of life that you so often carry around with you. There are somethings that are just too heavy for you to bear. That’s when you need to give them to Jesus. “Come to me,” Jesus said, “And I will give you rest.” Learn to release your burdens to Jesus!
A sermon on the different types of prayer can be found by clicking the following link – Sermon on the Different Types of Prayer.