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Region: England, Wales and Northern Ireland

RE:QUEST

A space for resources to help RE teachers and their students explore the Christian faith
“A huge resource to treasure.”
Lat Blaylock, Editor, RE Today

We are delighted to share with you our library of resources. You can use the filter feature below to find topics most relevant to your curriculum.

Types of Prayer and Their Purpose

Prayer: Communication with God. 'Raising the hearts and minds to God.'

TYPES OF PRAYER

In Christianity, there are three different types of prayers. They have different types of prayers for different occasions, and these prayers are often connected to different denominations. :grayscale photo of man wearing white shirt and black sunglasses

  • Traditional set prayers: A prayer book is used in Sunday services, with prayers that reflect the main Christian beliefs. The Book of Common Prayer is used in many Anglican services. Additionally, the Lord's Prayer may be said aloud by the whole church congregation together.
  • Spoken prayers: These prayers are often informal; Christians pray out loud about their concerns or they offer praise to God.
  • Silent prayers. Christians sometimes spend time alone or in small groups praying silently.

 

The Purpose of Prayer

Christians say prayers at church together, in small groups and on their own. These prayers have five key purposes:

  • They enable Christians to communicate with God, bringing them closer to him.
  • They give them opportunities to thank him for everything he has done for them.
  • They ask for God's help at times when they are struggling.
  • They say sorry to God when they've done something wrong.
  • They ask God for guidance in their lives. They believe that he has the best plan for them so they want to do his will.