Devotional Practices
Focus Question
Describe the different types of personal prayer.
Students learn about:
Prayer
Students learn to:
Describe the different types of personal prayer
Prayer plays a significant role in the tradition, as all Christians are called to be people of prayer following the example of Jesus. Traditional and formal prayers encompass a wide variety of occasions and are often adapted from biblical texts Lord's Prayer (Our Father) - this prayer is taken from the occasion in the Gospel where the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray The Lord's Prayer is used throughout all Christian denominations and is commonly included in liturgy as well as personal prayer …show more content…
Prayers of intercession and petition encompass many forms of prayer ranging from formal prayers such as the Lord's prayer to informal and spontaneous prayers In the Orthodox and Catholic communities the belief in the Communion of Saints means that in some cases Christians will offer their prayers to a particular saint, who is believed to intervene on behalf of the person on earth Prayers of reflection and meditation involve finding a time and place free from distraction and centring one's thoughts on God The main purpose of prayers of reflection and mediation is to create an inner stillness which allows a person to deeply contemplate the nature of God and the meaning of events and circumstances in life to more clearly see these events in the light of God's love There is a strong emphasis across the spectrum of Christian denominations but particularly amongst the Protestant denominations on the reflective reading of the bible as a form of prayer Praise and thanksgiving which allows an individual to acknowledge the greatness of the person of God, finds expression in many forms such as praying the Psalms In recent times the growth in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, where praise is an integral element of prayer has brought a renewed emphasis to the place of praise in Christian