Easton's Bible Dictionary

PRAYER

Prayer: translation

Is converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him. Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant, ejaculatory or formal. It is a "beseeching the Lord" (Ex. 32:11); "pouring out the soul before the Lord" (1 Sam. 1:15); "praying and crying to heaven" (2 Chr. 32:20); "seeking unto God and making supplication" (Job 8:5); "drawing near to God" (Ps. 73:28); "bowing the knees" (Eph. 3:14).
Prayer presupposes a belief in the personality of God, his ability and willingness to hold intercourse with us, his personal control of all things and of all his creatures and all their actions.
Acceptable prayer must be sincere (Heb. 10:22), offered with reverence and godly fear, with a humble sense of our own insignificance as creatures and of our own unworthiness as sinners, with earnest importunity, and with unhesitating submission to the divine will. Prayer must also be offered in the faith that God is, and is the hearer and answerer of prayer, and that he will fulfil his word, "Ask, and ye shall receive" (Matt. 7:7, 8; 21:22; Mark 11:24; John 14:13, 14), and in the name of Christ (16:23, 24; 15:16; Eph. 2:18; 5:20; Col. 3:17; 1 Pet. 2:5).
Prayer is of different kinds, secret (Matt. 6:6); social, as family prayers, and in social worship; and public, in the service of the sanctuary.
Intercessory prayer is enjoined (Num. 6:23; Job 42:8; Isa. 62:6; Ps. 122:6; 1 Tim. 2:1; James 5:14), and there are many instances on record of answers having been given to such prayers, e.g., of Abraham (Gen. 17:18, 20; 18:23-32; 20:7, 17, 18), of Moses for Pharaoh (Ex. 8:12, 13, 30, 31; Ex. 9:33), for the Israelites (Ex. 17:11, 13; 32:11-14, 31-34; Num. 21:7, 8; Deut. 9:18, 19, 25), for Miriam (Num. 12:13), for Aaron (Deut. 9:20), of Samuel (1 Sam. 7:5-12), of Solomon (1 Kings 8; 2 Chr. 6), Elijah (1 Kings 17:20-23), Elisha (2 Kings 4:33-36), Isaiah (2 Kings 19), Jeremiah (42:2-10), Peter (Acts 9:40), the church (12:5-12), Paul (28:8).
No rules are anywhere in Scripture laid down for the manner of prayer or the attitude to be assumed by the suppliant.There is mention made of kneeling in prayer (1 Kings 8:54; 2 Chr. 6:13; Ps. 95:6; Isa. 45:23; Luke 22:41; Acts 7:60; 9:40; Eph. 3:14, etc.); of bowing and falling prostrate (Gen. 24:26, 52; Ex. 4:31; 12:27; Matt. 26:39; Mark 14:35, etc.); of spreading out the hands (1 Kings 8:22, 38, 54; Ps. 28:2; 63:4; 88:9; 1 Tim. 2:8, etc.); and of standing (1 Sam. 1:26; 1 Kings 8:14, 55; 2 Chr. 20:9; Mark 11:25; Luke 18:11, 13).
If we except the "Lord's Prayer" (Matt. 6:9-13), which is, however, rather a model or pattern of prayer than a set prayer to be offered up, we have no special form of prayer for general use given us in Scripture.
Prayer is frequently enjoined in Scripture (Ex. 22:23, 27; 1 Kings 3:5; 2 Chr. 7:14; Ps. 37:4; Isa. 55:6; Joel 2:32; Ezek. 36:37, etc.), and we have very many testimonies that it has been answered (Ps. 3:4; 4:1; 6:8; 18:6; 28:6; 30:2; 34:4; 118:5; James 5:16-18, etc.).
"Abraham's servant prayed to God, and God directed him to the person who should be wife to his master's son and heir (Gen. 24:10-20).
"Jacob prayed to God, and God inclined the heart of his irritated brother, so that they met in peace and friendship (Gen. 32:24-30; 33:1-4).
"Samson prayed to God, and God showed him a well where he quenched his burning thirst, and so lived to judge Israel (Judg. 15:18-20).
"David prayed, and God defeated the counsel of Ahithophel (2 Sam. 15:31; 16:20-23; 17:14-23).
"Daniel prayed, and God enabled him both to tell Nebuchadnezzar his dream and to give the interpretation of it (Dan. 2: 16-23).
"Nehemiah prayed, and God inclined the heart of the king of Persia to grant him leave of absence to visit and rebuild Jerusalem (Neh. 1:11; 2:1-6).
"Esther and Mordecai prayed, and God defeated the purpose of Haman, and saved the Jews from destruction (Esther 4:15-17; 6:7, 8).
"The believers in Jerusalem prayed, and God opened the prison doors and set Peter at liberty, when Herod had resolved upon his death (Acts 12:1-12).
"Paul prayed that the thorn in the flesh might be removed, and his prayer brought a large increase of spiritual strength, while the thorn perhaps remained (2 Cor. 12:7-10).
"Prayer is like the dove that Noah sent forth, which blessed him not only when it returned with an olive-leaf in its mouth, but when it never returned at all.", Robinson's Job.

  1. prayer—Prayer translation Prayer has been defined as the souls converse with God or communion with God in devotional exercises and may be said to be a universally recognized nec...American Church Dictionary and Cyclopedia
  2. prayer—Prayer translation Prayer The raising of the heart and mind to God dd Catholic Encyclopedia.Kevin Knight prayer Prayer Catholic_Encyclopediau Prayer Greek euchestha...Catholic encyclopedia
  3. prayer—prayer translation nounADJECTIVE little quick short She whispered a little prayer private quiet silent She uttered a silent prayer special fervent heartfelt ...Collocations dictionary
  4. prayer—prayer bersetzung . Gebet n . Antrag m...Englisch-Deutsch Worterbuch gesetz
  5. prayer—prayer translationSynonyms and related wordsAngelus Ave Ave Maria Hail Mary Kyrie Eleison Mass Paternoster adjuration adoration aid prayer appeal application asker beadro...Moby Thesaurus
  6. prayer—[pr pre]молитвамольба просьбамолебен богослужениепросьба прошениемолящийсяпроситель податель просьбы...Англо-русский большой универсальный переводческий словарь
  7. prayer—молитва молебен просьба мольба проситель...Англо-русский дополнительный словарь
  8. prayer—молящийся...Англо-русский онлайн словарь
  9. prayer—молящийся...Англо-русский онлайн словарь
  10. prayer—n молитва...Англо-русский словарь Лингвистика-98
  11. prayer—prayer [pre] nu молитва молебен просьба мольба not to have a prayer амер.u не иметь никаких шансов на успехem и т.п. prayer [pre] nu проситель...Англо-русский словарь Мюллера
  12. prayer—I [] сущ. молитва to answer a prayer внять мольбе услышать молитву to offer say utter a prayer молиться daily prayer ежедневная молитва evening prayer вечерняя молит...Англо-русский словарь общей лексики
  13. prayer—n .strong молитва обращение к сверхъестественным силам .strong текст обращения к божеству .strong ходатайство. strong молитва обращение к сверхъестественным силам stro...Англо-русский словарь по социологии
  14. prayer—n. молитва молебен богомолье мольба просьба молящийся проситель...Англо-русский словарь редакция bed
  15. prayer—сущ.emstrong молитва обращение к сверхъестественным силам текст обращения к божеству ходатайство....Англо-русский социологический словарь
  16. prayer—просьба ходатайство в судеprayer for alternative relief ходатайство о предоставлении альтернативного средства судебной защиты часть искового заявления с ходатайством о п...Англо-русский юридический словарь
  17. prayer—n той хто молиться блага прохач молитва прохання просьба...Англо-украинский словарь
  18. prayer—прохання клопотання в судem прохальна частина скарги прохач prayer for alternative relief prayer for discharge prayer for relief prayer in aid prayer in the alternative ...Англо-украинский юридический словарь
  19. prayer—прохач просьба молебень молитва прохання...Англо-український словник
  20. prayer—прохання клопотання в суд прохальна частина скарги прохач prayer for alternative reliefprayer for dischargeprayer for reliefprayer in aidprayer in the alternativeprayer o...Англо-український юридичний словник
  21. prayer—[pre] n. молитваto say ones prayers молиться читать молитвыthe Lords Prayer Отче наш часто pl богослужениеcommon prayer литургия в англиканской церквиto be at ones pr...Новый большой англо-русский словарь
  22. prayer—prayer [pre] ni . молитва to say ones s молиться читать молитвы the Lords Prayer Отче наш часто pl iбогослужение common литургия в англиканской церквиi to be at one...Новый большой англо-русский словарь II
  23. prayer—pre n . молитва to say ones s молиться читать молитвы the Lords Prayer Отче наш часто pl emбогослужение common литургия в англиканской церквиem to be at ones s...Новый большой англо-русский словарь под общим руководством акад. Ю.Д. Апресяна
  24. prayer—трудный бросок часто на последних секундах букв. молитва...Сборный англо-русский словарь