How do you pray? A biblical explanation
Thank you for your interest and/or participation in Teleios surveys. Teleios’ most recent survey explored ways people pray. There were 428 responses. Below we have tried to provide Bible verses that support the specific responses. For full results please click here.
9/10. The Bible teaches Christians should pray for these categories:
- My own concerns – 1 Peter 4:11
- Other people’s concerns – Colossians 4:5 as an example
- Gratitude to God for my blessings – 1 Thessalonians 5:18
- Thankfulness for other Christians – Start of all of Paul’s letters Colossians 1:3 by example
- Forgiveness of my sins
- Recognize my sins, but not to ask for forgiveness as I am already forgiven through faith in Christ- Basically ‘we obey’ Romans 6:16
- Praise to God Hebrews 13:16
- My church
- Social justice
- For everyone – 1 Timothy 2:1
- Government and political leaders – 1 Timothy 2:1
- Health and wealth
- The peace of Jerusalem
- Other
- I am not sure
- No prayer guidance is given
11. The setting for my prayers to God at least weekly is: No direct guidance is given
- At home by myself
- Someplace private
- In public
- Outdoors
- In church Acts 2:42 as example
- Prayer group
- With a close friend
- Other
- I am not sure
- I do not pray
12. The timing of my prayers – No guidance is given
- In the morning
- At night
- Late afternoon
- When I exercise
- During breaks throughout the day at home, work or school
- Intermittent short prayers throughout the day (praying without ceasing)
- On an as needed basis
- Other
- I am not sure
- I do not pray
13. I typically organize my prayers by: No guidance is given
- Using a predetermined list of prayer concerns
- Using a rosary
- Using pre-written prayers developed from someone else
- Using a devotional
- My prayers are spontaneous
- Other
- I am not sure
- I do not pray
14. In regard to God answering prayers:
- God answers all prayers just as I pray them
- God answers all prayers according to His will – I John 5:13
- We should pray in faith – James 1:7; Romans 14:23
- A lack of answered prayer shows a lack of faith
- Getting the answers we want in prayer is a way to fulfill our desires
- Not being rich or healthy is a sign of lack of faith
- Other
- Unsure
15. Is tongues or your native language more effective in prayer?
For public prayer the native language is preferred as to not give the appearance of chaos in the church and so others can understand and be edified by the prayers (1 Corinthians 14:6-12) Prayer by nature is a communication to God so if one does not understand what they are hearing or saying then the communication is ineffective (examples Paul’s prayers in Ephesians 1 and 3 and Colossians 1).
16. Biblical spiritual aspects of prayer are the following
- Christ prays for us – Romans 8:34; Hebrews7:24
- The Holy Spirit prays for us – Romans 8:26
- Angels pray for us
- Christians should pray in faith – James 1:7; Romans 14:23
- The more people praying for us the more will likely our prayers will be answered
- Asking others to pray benefits them as they can see God’s faithfulness in the answer
- The more frequently we pray the more likely our prayers will be answered
- Praying in tongues will bring a better result than praying in a person’s native language
- We should pray according to scripture – 1 John 5:13
- Other
- Unsure
17. When I agree to pray for another person I typically – No guidance is given
- Tell my other friends about the prayer request
- Do not share the request unless asked to tell others
- Forget to pray
- Pray for them once
- Pray for them routinely for a while then stop
- Pray for them routinely until I follow up with the requesting person about the answer
- Follow up with the requesting person so I can rejoice in the answered prayer
- Follow up with the requesting person so I can learn of a follow-up prayer request
- Other
- I am not sure
- I do not pray for others
