(a) What is Prayer? (b) List four types of prayers and give four reasons why some people's prayers are not answered by God

Answer Details

(a) What is prayer?

Prayer is the act of communicating with God. It is a means by which human beings talk to God, worship Him, express their needs, thanksgiving and confession, and listen for His guidance. It is the raising of the heart and mind to God in reverence, faith and dependence. Through prayer the believer maintains a personal relationship and fellowship with God, whether in words spoken aloud, in songs, or in silent meditation of the heart.

(b) Four types of prayer

1. Adoration or worship - praising and honouring God for who He is.
2. Thanksgiving - expressing gratitude to God for His blessings and mercies.
3. Confession - acknowledging one's sins and asking God for forgiveness.
4. Supplication or petition (including intercession) - making requests to God for oneself and on behalf of others.

Four reasons why some people's prayers are not answered by God

1. Unconfessed sin and disobedience - persistent, unrepented sin separates people from God and hinders their prayers.
2. Lack of faith - praying with doubt rather than believing that God is able and willing to answer.
3. Wrong or selfish motives - asking amiss, to spend on one's own pleasures or out of greed and pride.
4. An unforgiving spirit - refusing to forgive others, since Jesus taught that God forgives us as we forgive those who wrong us.