The first type of prayer that I will be looking at is “Confession”.
Confession is saying sorry to God for sins or wrong doings that you’ve committed. Christians believe that it is very important to do this. They believe that God will forgive them if they are truly sorry and confess their sins.
Roman Catholic Christians go to confess their sins to a priest who gives them advice and helps them.
Confession helps Christians face up to their deeds. A true confession is apologising and meaning it.
All Christians should believe that committing a sin will spoil their relationship with God. Even the bible says that it is vital to confess all sins to God.
In the past, many people have written prayers of confession and there is evidence of it.
A confession prayer → “Forgive us the wrongs we have done as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.”
This confession prayer is asking for the forgiveness of their sins. It also says that forgive us because we forgive those people do bad to us.
Christians believe that unless they forgive others, they can’t be forgiven themselves. Therefore it says. “…as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.”
The second type of prayer I will look at is thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is thanking God.
When Christians want to thank God for something, they say a thanksgiving prayer. This kind of prayer helps Christians feel grateful and stops them from taking things for granted.
People can thank God for various things. For example: getting better/ recovering from an illness; giving them life; some good news they’ve received etc.
I interviewed a Christian on thanksgiving and this is what she said:
“Every time I go to church, I thank God for my loving husband and my two beautiful children who he’s blessed me with. I’m thankful for all that he’s given me- a place where I earn my living, a place that I can call home and so much more. Every time, I have a problem, I pray to him. I ask him for help and guidance.”
Looking at this interview, I can see that this person is very satisfied with her life and she thanks God for it. There are many people like her who might thank God for various things.
Jesus said that it is important to understand the essence of life and be thankful for it. If we’re not thankful for all that God’s given us, we cannot be grateful to him.
The last type of prayer I will be looking at is supplication.
Supplication is a prayer in which Christians ask God for something.
When Christians say a prayer of supplication, they might ask God to help them and other people. They can also request him for their needs and strength.
Christians’ views about whether a prayer of supplication is answered all depends on what they think of God. For example: If people believe that God is a power or force who lives in heaven and looks over them from up above, their prayers might not be answered because they might not be praying hard enough or because its something God doesn’t want them to think. However, if they believe that God’s within them, it might help them to create a connection with God. This will help new hopes arise in them and there’s a better chance of their prayers being answered because this is what God wants.
Things like keeping a sense of belief in life, facing guilt and confessing it instead of hiding it, not taking things for granted are all essential things for a good and healthy life. We all have to realise that we are dependant on each other at some point or the other. We’re not always able to survive on our own and therefore need help at times.
Christians are not forced to pray but they have to understand that praying helps them to get away from the everyday activities and seek serenity and guidance. It helps them to compose their insides and forget their problems for a little while.
Belief is a trust that demonstrates faith in one’s God. When a Christian prays, it shows that they have a belief in God. They say that you should only pray to God if you truly believe in him and his existence. Therefore, prayer expresses trust/faith.
If a Christians’ prayers are answered, their belief in God strengthens and they are likely to pray more. For example: If a Christian prays to be healed from a life-threatening disease and they are cured, they are encouraged to have more faith in God.
Christians believe that the more they believe, the more God is able to answer prayers therefore the more they pray, the more likely it is that their prayers are answered.
