Prayer
Prayer is conversation with God - the heart of our relationship with him. Jesus himself prayed regularly and taught his disciples to pray. We can come to God with everything - thanksgiving, requests, needs, and praise. He hears and answers.
The Lord's Prayer
Jesus taught this prayer to his disciples as a pattern for all prayer life.
9This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
Οὕτως οὖν προσεύχεσθε ὑμεῖς· Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου,
10your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου, γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ⸀ἐπὶ γῆς·
11Give us today our daily bread.
τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον·
12And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ⸀ἀφήκαμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν·
13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ ⸀πονηροῦ.
Pray Without Giving Up
Jesus encourages us to be persistent in prayer.
1Then Jesus told them a parable about the need to pray always and not lose heart.
Ἔλεγεν ⸀δὲ παραβολὴν αὐτοῖς πρὸς τὸ δεῖν πάντοτε προσεύχεσθαι ⸀αὐτοὺς καὶ μὴ ἐγκακεῖν,
7Will not God then bring justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
ὁ δὲ θεὸς οὐ μὴ ποιήσῃ τὴν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν αὐτοῦ τῶν βοώντων ⸀αὐτῷ ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός, καὶ ⸀μακροθυμεῖ ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς;
8I tell you, he will give them justice, and quickly. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"
λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ποιήσει τὴν ἐκδίκησιν αὐτῶν ἐν τάχει. πλὴν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐλθὼν ἆρα εὑρήσει τὴν πίστιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς;
9So I say to you: ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
Κἀγὼ ὑμῖν λέγω, αἰτεῖτε, καὶ δοθήσεται ὑμῖν· ζητεῖτε, καὶ εὑρήσετε· κρούετε, καὶ ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν·
10For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks the door will be opened.
πᾶς γὰρ ὁ αἰτῶν λαμβάνει, καὶ ὁ ζητῶν εὑρίσκει, καὶ τῷ κρούοντι ἀνοιγήσεται.
17pray without ceasing,
ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε,
Pray in Jesus' Name
We have access to the Father through Jesus.
13And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
καὶ ὅ τι ἂν αἰτήσητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου τοῦτο ποιήσω, ἵνα δοξασθῇ ὁ πατὴρ ἐν τῷ υἱῷ·
14If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
ἐάν τι αἰτήσητέ ⸀με ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου ⸀ἐγὼ ποιήσω.
23On that day you will not ask me anything. Truly, truly, I tell you: whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.
καὶ ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἐρωτήσετε οὐδέν· ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ⸂ἄν τι⸃ αἰτήσητε τὸν πατέρα ⸂δώσει ὑμῖν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου⸃.
24Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
ἕως ἄρτι οὐκ ᾐτήσατε οὐδὲν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου· αἰτεῖτε καὶ λήμψεσθε, ἵνα ἡ χαρὰ ὑμῶν ᾖ πεπληρωμένη.
16So let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, to receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
προσερχώμεθα οὖν μετὰ παρρησίας τῷ θρόνῳ τῆς χάριτος, ἵνα λάβωμεν ἔλεος καὶ χάριν εὕρωμεν εἰς εὔκαιρον βοήθειαν.
The Spirit's Help in Prayer
The Holy Spirit helps us when we do not know what to pray for.
26In the same way, the Spirit also helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
Ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα συναντιλαμβάνεται ⸂τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ⸃ ἡμῶν· τὸ γὰρ τί ⸀προσευξώμεθα καθὸ δεῖ οὐκ οἴδαμεν, ἀλλὰ αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα ⸀ὑπερεντυγχάνει στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις,
27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to God's will.
ὁ δὲ ἐραυνῶν τὰς καρδίας οἶδεν τί τὸ φρόνημα τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅτι κατὰ θεὸν ἐντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἁγίων.
18Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. And to that end stay alert, persevering in prayer for all the saints.
διὰ πάσης προσευχῆς καὶ δεήσεως, προσευχόμενοι ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ ἐν πνεύματι, καὶ εἰς ⸀αὐτὸ ἀγρυπνοῦντες ἐν πάσῃ προσκαρτερήσει καὶ δεήσει περὶ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων,
20But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith, pray in the Holy Spirit,
ὑμεῖς δέ, ἀγαπητοί, ⸂ἐποικοδομοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς τῇ ἁγιωτάτῃ ὑμῶν πίστει⸃, ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ προσευχόμενοι,
The Power of Prayer
Prayer works - the prayer of a righteous person has great power.
16So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
ἐξομολογεῖσθε ⸀οὖν ἀλλήλοις ⸂τὰς ἁμαρτίας⸃ καὶ ⸀εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων, ὅπως ἰαθῆτε. πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη.
17Elijah was a man just like us, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain—and no rain fell on the land for three and a half years.
Ἠλίας ἄνθρωπος ἦν ὁμοιοπαθὴς ἡμῖν, καὶ προσευχῇ προσηύξατο τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι, καὶ οὐκ ἔβρεξεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐνιαυτοὺς τρεῖς καὶ μῆνας ἕξ·
18Then he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its harvest.
καὶ πάλιν προσηύξατο, καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς ⸂ὑετὸν ἔδωκεν⸃ καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐβλάστησεν τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς.
14And this is the confidence we have before him: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
καὶ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ παρρησία ἣν ἔχομεν πρὸς αὐτόν, ὅτι ἐάν τι αἰτώμεθα κατὰ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ ἀκούει ἡμῶν.
15And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked of him.
καὶ ἐὰν οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἀκούει ἡμῶν ὃ ⸀ἐὰν αἰτώμεθα, οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἔχομεν τὰ αἰτήματα ἃ ᾐτήκαμεν ⸀ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ.
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
μηδὲν μεριμνᾶτε, ἀλλʼ ἐν παντὶ τῇ προσευχῇ καὶ τῇ δεήσει μετʼ εὐχαριστίας τὰ αἰτήματα ὑμῶν γνωριζέσθω πρὸς τὸν θεόν·
7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
καὶ ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ ὑπερέχουσα πάντα νοῦν φρουρήσει τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ νοήματα ὑμῶν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ.