Prayer

Prayer is conversation with God: a response to God by thought, with or without words.

Christian prayer is a response to God the Father, through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The principal forms of prayer may be classified as Adoration, Praise, Thanksgiving, Penitence, Oblation, Intercession, and Petition.

In Adoration our hearts are lifted to God, seeking nothing but the light of God’s presence.

In Praise we acknowledge and acclaim God’s great glory, his holiness, his wonderful acts, his greatness, his power.

In Thanksgiving we acknowledge every blessing of this life, every good and true thing that shapes our path, everything that brings us closer to God.

In Penitence we make confession of our failings, with the intention of amendment.

In Oblation we offer ourselves, all that we are, and all that we do, to God.

In Intercession we pray for the needs of others.

In Petition we pray for our own needs.

Awareness of God’s presence shapes the response of prayer. In adoration we praise God for what he does and who he is. ‘Hallowed be your name’ asks that God be God, a petition that seeks blessing not for us, but for him. God’s holiness demands confession of sin; his grace invites supplication for pardon. We seek his will, not our own, as we bring our petitions for guidance, provision, deliverance, and vindication. The communion of prayer deepens faith and love for God, not only as we draw near to him, but as we reach out in intercession for fellow Christians and for a lost world.
                                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                               New Dictionary of Theology, Prayer, Theology of.