Prayer An act of communication with a Divine being.
- The use of prayer for healing is a common principle of
Christianity, Judaism and Islam as well as many other religions. In the west,
prayer healing has been documented for over 3,000 years. There are many stories
in the Bible of the Hebrew prophets and Jesus healing the sick and injured
through prayer.
- Prayer for healing continues to be common in the United States
today. A 1996 Gallup poll revealed that 9 out of 10 Americans pray,
and 75% report praying daily.
- Prayer for healing is pervasive in our
American culture from religiously associated hospitals, to church prayer
groups/chains, to television evangelists claiming to heal through prayer, to
internet prayer chat groups.
What do people pray for?
- 98% pray for family well-being
- 94% give prayers of thanks
- 92% pray for guidance and strength
- 92% pray for forgiveness
- 82% pray for personal health and healing
Most types of prayer can be classified into these four
categories:
- Petitionary Prayer: Praying directly to a divine being to request something, such as healing
from an illness. Intercessory
Prayer is a type of
petitionary prayer in which the petitioner requests something for another
person. Obviously, it is possible for the person being prayed for to be
aware or unaware of the petitioner. If the petitioner and person being
prayed for are not in each other’s company during the prayer, it is called
remote prayer.
- Meditative Prayer This
involves quieting the mind and focusing on a particular topic, word, sound,
or phrase. The Eastern type of meditative prayer commonly has persons
repeating a word, sound or phrase that induces deep relaxation and
concentration. Western meditative prayer focuses on quieting the mind to
allow one to listen to God speaking to them.
- Ritualistic Prayer Reciting
memorized standardized prayers that are part of a religious tradition. An
example is a church congregation reciting the “Our Father” together or a
person praying the rosary.
- Conversational/Colloquial Prayer
Speaking to a Divine being and sharing thoughts, feelings, and needs as if
you were speaking to a friend.
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