8 Different Types of Prayer and How to Use Them
Let’s look at a partial list of the different types of prayer the Bible describes.
1. The Prayer of Petition (Request)—1 John 5:14-15
“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.”
You can be certain God hears you when you pray in what way?
If you know God hears you, what else can you be certain of?
REVELATION DROP: The key to having our Prayer of Petition answered is to know that God heard our prayer. The difference between a prayer God can hear and one He doesn’t hear is whether or not we are asking “according to His will.” His will is found in His Word, so it turns out that God doesn’t even hear our prayers if we’re not praying according to His will. In other words, when we petition God, we don’t ask Him if it is His will, rather we do our homework and pray from a position of knowing His will—as it is revealed in His Word. God wants to hear and answer our petitions, and He has made it easy for us to pray according to His will, because His Word is His will. So, if the secret to answered prayers is for God to hear them, then we want our prayers to be heard. If in order for God to hear our prayers, we must ask according to His will, then we need to know His will before we pray. If His will is His Word, then the more we know and pray His Word, the more effective our prayers will be! Kenneth E. Hagin puts it this way, “The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is God’s ‘I Will’ to every seeker for full salvation of spirit, soul, and body.”
2. The Prayer of Faith—Mark 11:24
“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
What can you ask for?
When you pray, what else are you supposed to do?
If you believe you receive what you ask for when you pray, what will be the result?
REVELATION DROP: Notice the two tenses in this verse: present tense and future tense. When we pray and ask the Father for things according to His will, we should believe we receive them (in the present tense) and we will have them (future tense.) When we pray the prayer of faith, we ask the Father for things that are according to His will (His Word), and at the same time we pray, we believe we receive what we’ve asked for. If, in the present, we believe we receive the things we asked for when we prayed, we will have them at some point, in the future. It could be one second after we believe we receive it, or it could be five years after we believe we receive it. The timing is in God’s hands. Our job is to believe we receive what we ask for when we pray. Can you see that? This is a very important truth to understand; otherwise, we will be tempted to get discouraged or throw away our confidence if we do not get the things we prayed about within 24 hours.
3. The Prayer of Supplication—Hebrews 5:7 AMPC
“In the days of His flesh [Jesus] offered up definite, special petitions [for that which He not only wanted but needed] and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him Who was [always] able to save Him [out] from death, and He was heard because of His reverence toward God [His godly fear, His piety].”
What type of prayers did Jesus pray? What did the Father do?
REVELATION DROP: Jesus offers up both the Prayer of Petition and the Prayer of Supplication. Both types of prayer are asking prayers, but one of them has more emotion and fervency to it. We can see that Jesus’s Prayer of Petition includes definite, special requests for the things He wants and needs. His Prayer of Supplication is a pleading prayer with the emotions of strong crying and tears. Notice the distinction. Sometimes we pray and ask God for things without emotion but purely on the basis of His Word; and at other times, there is an earnest, fervent, heartfelt pleading. Both types of prayer are necessary at different times for different things.
4. The Prayer of Agreement—Matthew 18:19-20
“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
How many people are needed for the Prayer of Agreement?
How would you describe asking?
How would you describe agreement?
If you do both of these things in prayer, of what can you be assured?
REVELATION DROP: The key to the Prayer of Agreement is that two or more people on earth ask the Father. It’s not enough to just be on earth. It’s not enough to just have two or more people. It’s not enough to just agree. The secret is to put all of these things together and then do the most important thing—ask!
5. The Prayer of Consecration—Matthew 26:36-39
“Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, ‘Sit here while I go and pray over there.’ And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.’ He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.’”
What is the tone and spirit of this type of prayer?
What does “if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” mean?
How does “nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” mean?
REVELATION DROP: The Prayer of Consecration is a prayer of submitting our lives to God’s plan. Jesus submits His will to the Father’s will, and although He prays “if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me,” He also consecrates Himself to God’s purpose and adds “not as I will, but as You will.” He surrenders Himself to God’s higher plans.
When we don’t know God’s will (or we desire something different than His will), we can pray a Prayer of Consecration to submit to His will and purpose for our lives. In this type of prayer, we would add “not as I will, but as You will” to submit our life to God’s plan.
However, when it comes to the Prayer of Petition, the Prayer of Faith or the Prayer of Agreement, we don’t add the phrase “not as I will, but as You will” because when we know God’s will as revealed in His Word, we are supposed to believe we receive it when we pray.
For example, if we are praying for God’s wisdom, we know He has already promised to give His wisdom to anyone who asks for it (James 1:5). So, we pray the Prayer of Faith and ask God for His wisdom. We believe we receive it, and we trust God to give us His wisdom. There is no need to add but “not as I will, but as You will.” Can you see that?
6. The Prayer of Intercession—1 Timothy 2:1-4
“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
What should you do “first of all”?
What should you pray for?
What is acceptable to God?
What does God desire?
REVELATION DROP: When we pray the Prayer of Intercession, we take the place of another in prayer; we stand between God and them. We pray for them in the way that we’d want someone to pray for us if we were them. We see an amazing example of intercession in Genesis 18 where Abraham intercedes for the people of Sodom. To do that, he stands between the Lord and the people of Sodom, and he prays for them as if he himself needs to be spared.
7. The Prayer of Forgiveness—Mark 11:25
“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”
When you pray to your Father in heaven, what must you do to others on earth?
REVELATION DROP: It’s a good practice to keep your heart free from offense by making a decision to forgive anyone of anything at all times. When you don’t “feel” like forgiving others because of the hurt, disappointment, betrayal, abuse, or other pain they caused you, you can pray in the same way Jesus did when He was on the cross. Do you remember? He looked upon those who were crucifying Him and prayed, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). When you don’t “feel” forgiveness for another, pray, “Father, forgive them.” This will keep your heart free from unforgiveness and a root of bitterness and the Lord will help your feelings catch up eventually.
8. The Prayer of Thanksgiving—Philippians 4:6-7 AMPC
“Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
How much should you fret or be anxious?
What should you do in every circumstance and in everything?
What should accompany your prayers?
What has God promised?
REVELATION DROP: When we pray with definite requests and with thanksgiving, this displaces our anxiety and makes it possible to truly cast our cares on the Lord knowing He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). It turns out, God appreciates appreciation! Remember the story of the ten lepers who are cleansed (Luke 17:11-19)? Only one of the ten comes back to thank Jesus, and do you know what happens? That one leper is not only cleansed, but he receives the bonus of being made whole! The most courteous and faith-filled thing to do when someone blesses you is to say, “Thank you.” How much more should we thank the Lord when we pray and believe He will grant our requests?
