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prayermore about prayer

prayer


  4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Prayer  \Pray"er\,  n. 
  One  who  prays;  a  supplicant. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Prayer  \Prayer\  (?;  277),  n.  [OE.  preiere,  OF  preiere,  F. 
  pri[`e]re,  fr  L.  precarius  obtained  by  prayer,  fr  precari 
  to  pray.  See  {Pray},  v.  i.] 
  1.  The  act  of  praying,  or  of  asking  a  favor;  earnest  request 
  or  entreaty;  hence  a  petition  or  memorial  addressed  to  a 
  court  or  a  legislative  body.  ``Their  meek  preyere.'' 
  --Chaucer 
 
  2.  The  act  of  addressing  supplication  to  a  divinity, 
  especially  to  the  true  God;  the  offering  of  adoration, 
  confession,  supplication,  and  thanksgiving  to  the  Supreme 
  Being  as  public  prayer;  secret  prayer. 
 
  As  he  is  famed  for  mildness,  peace,  and  prayer. 
  --Shak. 
 
  3.  The  form  of  words  used  in  praying;  a  formula  of 
  supplication;  an  expressed  petition;  especially,  a 
  supplication  addressed  to  God;  as  a  written  or 
  extemporaneous  prayer;  to  repeat  one's  prayers. 
 
  He  made  those  excellent  prayers  which  were  published 
  immediately  after  his  death.  --Bp.  Fell. 
 
  {Prayer  book},  a  book  containing  devotional  prayers. 
 
  {Prayer  meeting},  a  meeting  or  gathering  for  prayer  to  God. 
 
  Syn:  Petition;  orison;  supplication;  entreaty;  suit. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  prayer 
  n  1:  the  act  of  communicating  with  a  deity  (especially  as  a 
  petition  or  in  adoration  or  contrition  or  thanksgiving) 
  [syn:  {supplication}] 
  2:  reverent  petition  to  a  deity  [syn:  {communion},  {petition}, 
  {orison}] 
  3:  earnest  or  urgent  request  [syn:  {entreaty},  {appeal}] 
  4:  a  fixed  text  used  in  praying 
  5:  someone  who  prays  to  God  [syn:  {supplicant}] 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Prayer 
  is  converse  with  God;  the  intercourse  of  the  soul  with  God,  not 
  in  contemplation  or  meditation,  but  in  direct  address  to  him 
  Prayer  may  be  oral  or  mental,  occasional  or  constant, 
  ejaculatory  or  formal.  It  is  a  "beseeching  the  Lord"  (Ex. 
  32:11);  "pouring  out  the  soul  before  the  Lord"  (1  Sam.  1:15); 
  "praying  and  crying  to  heaven"  (2  Chr.  32:20);  "seeking  unto  God 
  and  making  supplication"  (Job  8:5);  "drawing  near  to  God"  (Ps. 
  73:28);  "bowing  the  knees"  (Eph.  3:14). 
 
  Prayer  presupposes  a  belief  in  the  personality  of  God,  his 
  ability  and  willingness  to  hold  intercourse  with  us  his 
  personal  control  of  all  things  and  of  all  his  creatures  and  all 
  their  actions. 
 
  Acceptable  prayer  must  be  sincere  (Heb.  10:22),  offered  with 
  reverence  and  godly  fear,  with  a  humble  sense  of  our  own 
  insignificance  as  creatures  and  of  our  own  unworthiness  as 
  sinners,  with  earnest  importunity,  and  with  unhesitating 
  submission  to  the  divine  will  Prayer  must  also  be  offered  in 
  the  faith  that  God  is  and  is  the  hearer  and  answerer  of  prayer, 
  and  that  he  will  fulfil  his  word  "Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive" 
  (Matt.  7:7,  8;  21:22;  Mark  11:24;  John  14:13,  14),  and  in  the 
  name  of  Christ  (16:23,  24;  15:16;  Eph.  2:18;  5:20;  Col.  3:17;  1 
  Pet.  2:5). 
 
  Prayer  is  of  different  kinds,  secret  (Matt.  6:6);  social,  as 
  family  prayers,  and  in  social  worship;  and  public,  in  the 
  service  of  the  sanctuary. 
 
  Intercessory  prayer  is  enjoined  (Num.  6:23;  Job  42:8;  Isa. 
  62:6;  Ps  122:6;  1  Tim.  2:1;  James  5:14),  and  there  are  many 
  instances  on  record  of  answers  having  been  given  to  such 
  prayers,  e.g.,  of  Abraham  (Gen.  17:18,  20;  18:23-32;  20:7,  17, 
  18),  of  Moses  for  Pharaoh  (Ex.  8:12,  13,  30,  31;  Ex  9:33),  for 
  the  Israelites  (Ex.  17:11,  13;  32:11-14,  31-34;  Num.  21:7,  8; 
  Deut.  9:18,  19,  25),  for  Miriam  (Num.  12:13),  for  Aaron  (Deut. 
  9:20),  of  Samuel  (1  Sam.  7:5-12),  of  Solomon  (1  Kings  8;  2  Chr. 
  6),  Elijah  (1  Kings  17:20-23),  Elisha  (2  Kings  4:33-36),  Isaiah 
  (2  Kings  19),  Jeremiah  (42:2-10),  Peter  (Acts  9:40),  the  church 
  (12:5-12),  Paul  (28:8). 
 
  No  rules  are  anywhere  in  Scripture  laid  down  for  the  manner  of 
  prayer  or  the  attitude  to  be  assumed  by  the  suppliant.  There  is 
  mention  made  of  kneeling  in  prayer  (1  Kings  8:54;  2  Chr.  6:13; 
  Ps  95:6;  Isa.  45:23;  Luke  22:41;  Acts  7:60;  9:40;  Eph.  3:14, 
  etc.);  of  bowing  and  falling  prostrate  (Gen.  24:26,  52;  Ex 
  4:31;  12:27;  Matt.  26:39;  Mark  14:35,  etc.);  of  spreading  out 
  the  hands  (1  Kings  8:22,  38,  54;  Ps  28:2;  63:4;  88:9;  1  Tim. 
  2:8,  etc.);  and  of  standing  (1  Sam.  1:26;  1  Kings  8:14,  55;  2 
  Chr.  20:9;  Mark  11:25;  Luke  18:11,  13). 
 
  If  we  except  the  "Lord's  Prayer"  (Matt.  6:9-13),  which  is 
  however,  rather  a  model  or  pattern  of  prayer  than  a  set  prayer 
  to  be  offered  up  we  have  no  special  form  of  prayer  for  general 
  use  given  us  in  Scripture. 
 
  Prayer  is  frequently  enjoined  in  Scripture  (Ex.  22:23,  27;  1 
  Kings  3:5;  2  Chr.  7:14;  Ps  37:4;  Isa.  55:6;  Joel  2:32;  Ezek. 
  36:37,  etc.),  and  we  have  very  many  testimonies  that  it  has  been 
  answered  (Ps.  3:4;  4:1;  6:8;  18:6;  28:6;  30:2;  34:4;  118:5; 
  James  5:16-18,  etc.). 
 
  "Abraham's  servant  prayed  to  God,  and  God  directed  him  to  the 
  person  who  should  be  wife  to  his  master's  son  and  heir  (Gen. 
  24:10-20). 
 
  "Jacob  prayed  to  God,  and  God  inclined  the  heart  of  his 
  irritated  brother,  so  that  they  met  in  peace  and  friendship 
  (Gen.  32:24-30;  33:1-4). 
 
  "Samson  prayed  to  God,  and  God  showed  him  a  well  where  he 
  quenched  his  burning  thirst,  and  so  lived  to  judge  Israel  (Judg. 
  15:18-20). 
 
  "David  prayed,  and  God  defeated  the  counsel  of  Ahithophel  (2 
  Sam.  15:31;  16:20-23;  17:14-23). 
 
  "Daniel  prayed,  and  God  enabled  him  both  to  tell 
  Nebuchadnezzar  his  dream  and  to  give  the  interpretation  of  it 
  (Dan.  2:  16-23). 
 
  "Nehemiah  prayed,  and  God  inclined  the  heart  of  the  king  of 
  Persia  to  grant  him  leave  of  absence  to  visit  and  rebuild 
  Jerusalem  (Neh.  1:11;  2:1-6). 
 
  "Esther  and  Mordecai  prayed,  and  God  defeated  the  purpose  of 
  Haman,  and  saved  the  Jews  from  destruction  (Esther  4:15-17;  6:7, 
  8). 
 
  "The  believers  in  Jerusalem  prayed,  and  God  opened  the  prison 
  doors  and  set  Peter  at  liberty,  when  Herod  had  resolved  upon  his 
  death  (Acts  12:1-12). 
 
  "Paul  prayed  that  the  thorn  in  the  flesh  might  be  removed,  and 
  his  prayer  brought  a  large  increase  of  spiritual  strength,  while 
  the  thorn  perhaps  remained  (2  Cor.  12:7-10). 
 
  "Prayer  is  like  the  dove  that  Noah  sent  forth,  which  blessed 
  him  not  only  when  it  returned  with  an  olive-leaf  in  its  mouth, 
  but  when  it  never  returned  at  all.",  Robinson's  Job. 
 




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