What is prayer walking?
Prayer walking is the practice of praying on location, a type of intercessory prayer that involves walking to or near a particular place while praying. Some people believe that being close to a location allows them to “pray nearer to pray clearer.” Prayer walks are taken by individuals, groups, and even whole churches. They can…
How and why should we pray for our leaders?
The concept of praying for our leaders is not unique to democratic nations, and it did not begin with the United States’ National Day of Prayer. The Bible contains many commands to pray for our leaders—national and local, secular and religious. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:1–4, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions,…
If Jesus condemned the Pharisees for praying out loud, should we pray aloud?
There are several references in the New Testament to public prayers that are unacceptable, and it is true that Jesus condemned the Pharisees’ manner of praying. But Jesus Himself prayed out loud on occasion (see John 17), as did the apostles (Acts 8:15; 16:25; 20:36). Acts 1:14 says, “They all joined together constantly in prayer,…
Is there anything wrong with repetitive prayer?
The phrase repetitive prayer can mean a few different things. Depending on what exactly is meant by “repetitive,” there may or may not be a problem with repetitive prayer. Repetitive Prayer—Mantras Prayer that is repetitive in the sense that a person repeats the same phrase over and over as some sort of mantra or formula…
What sort of prayers should we pray for unbelievers?
We can learn how to pray for unbelievers by modeling the prayers Jesus prayed. John 17 is Jesus’ longest recorded prayer and shows us how He prayed. Verse 3 says, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” He prayed that people come…
What is the proper way to pray?
Is it best to pray standing up, sitting down, kneeling, or bowing down? Should our hands be open, closed, or lifted up to God? Do our eyes need to be closed when we pray? Is it better to pray in a church building or out in nature? Should we pray in the morning when we…
Is it allowable to use candles in connection with prayer?
There is no biblical reason why we can’t light candles while we pray or while we do anything else, for that matter. Candles are inanimate objects. They have no power, no strength, and no mystical or supernatural abilities. They are nothing more than wax and a piece of string with maybe some scent added in.…
Why is praying for others important?
Praying for others—and this applies to prayer in general—is an easy thing to question. Why should we pray if God already has our best interests at heart? He is wiser than we are, by a long shot. Why does He need us to pray? Wouldn’t it be better to just trust Him to do what’s…
What does it mean to pray for your enemies?
Several places in the Bible command us to pray for our enemies (Luke 6:27, 35; Romans 12:20). Most familiar to us is the passage from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:43–45, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your…
What does the Bible say about bowing or kneeling in prayer?
Psalm 95:6 says, “Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.” Bowing and kneeling have long been associated with worship and reverence (see 2 Chronicles 6:13; Psalm 138:2; Daniel 6:10). In fact, the Hebrew word for “worship” actually means “bow down.” But is bowing or kneeling the only…