Prayer
is a very broad term that refers to a wide range of religious communication. As
a matter of fact, prayer is nothing more than communication with another being,
Divine or human. We can, and should, pray directly to God, while we can, and
should, pray also to the Saints and our departed ancestors. PRAYER IS NOT WORSHIP, although it can
be that too when it is directed toward God.
From
the Orthodox Christian point of view, we exist as a community of believers
sharing our lives together as we grow closer to Jesus Christ. Prayer plays a
vital role in this process of communal spiritual growth. Here are three
examples of prayer.
Intercessory Prayer – This is
praying for each other to God for health and salvation and other human needs.
In times of trouble, we are often called upon to “pray for one another,” (James
5.16) as an expression of love for our fellow human beings. As Orthodox
Christians, this most normally takes the form of “Prayer Lists” where we ask
God to bless our family and friends BY NAME. With intercessory prayer, it is
not necessary to itemize the list of needs for our family since, “We do not know what we should pray
for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Romans 8.26) The simple of act of asking
God to bless our friends and family is sufficient.
Supplication Prayer – This is praying to the Theotokos
and the Saints, or even our departed family members, to offer their
intercessory prayer to God for our friends and family. This prayer is most
commonly expressed in services like the Paraklesis to the Theotokos (or other
Saints) when we ask her to pray to God for our salvation. We could also
consider this the same as calling a friend and asking them to pray for someone.
The Saints are our friends and family too and should be included in those we
ask to include us in their prayers. This does not replace prayer directly to
God; it merely increases those who are praying to Him for our needs.
Thanksgiving Prayer – We grow up being reminded to
always say ‘thank you’ when we receive something. We receive blessings every
day from God and we should thank Him. In the Divine Liturgy we even thank Him
for “blessings seen and unseen,” since our pride can, and does, so often blind
us to the blessings God has given to us. We should include this type of prayer
EVERY DAY in our daily devotions.
There are other types of prayer: confession, adoration,
and mediation on God for example. Notice I did not include anything about
prayer for OUR needs or OURselves. It isn’t that we should not also take our
needs to God; WE SHOULD. But when it comes to our needs, the most important
prayer is, “Lord, have mercy.” The need for God’s mercy in our life is
never-ending.
As we enter the Holy season of Great Lent this month, I
invite you to take time every day to include these types of prayer into your
life. Feel free to send me your prayer list and I will include your family and friends
in my daily prayers for Great Lent. In return, check with your local Church for
their prayer list. MOST Churches publish a list of names in the community of
people in need of prayers. Please include these names in your personal prayers
to God. In this way, YOU are praying for their needs, and THEY are praying for
your needs, and together WE are all praying for one another.
