Prayer Medley
Some prayer types are mentioned frequently in the Bible (e.g., thanksgiving, praise, supplication). Others are practised without being specifically named (e.g., lament, adoration, declaration). Sticking to the most mentioned types of prayer isn’t wrong, but we could be missing the enjoyment of prayer medley.
The Bible encourages us to pray with all kinds of prayers (Eph 6:18). By ‘prayer medley’, I mean a mix or blend of different prayer types. Switching from one type to another adds variety to our praying. But the enjoyment of prayer medley goes deeper than that.
Whatever the focus of our praying – whether admiring the Lord, or asking for his help – the miracle of conversation with him is an opportunity to grow in knowing him. Prayer medley helps us to do that.
Each prayer type takes us down a particular avenue of response to the Lord. For instance, a prayer of adoration deepens us in the Lord’s love. Praise focuses our heart on the greatness and excellence of the Lord. Thanksgiving celebrates his goodness. Through prayers of lament, we identify with the feelings of the Lord regarding human failure, pain, and adversity. Warfare prayer helps us to know him as a Warrior-God, and prayer declarations strengthen our grasp of his authority and purpose.
By widening our use of different prayer types in our conversation with the Lord, we open up fresh avenues for knowing him through prayer.
It’s possible to practice prayer medley while focusing on a single topic or prayer point. Here’s an example from Ps 119:129-136. The psalmist blends five different types of prayer, and moves easily from one to another.
ADMIRATION v129 Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them
DECLARATION v130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
DESIRE v131 I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.
SUPPLICATIONS
- for MERCY v132-3
Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name. Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me. - for RESCUE v134
Redeem me from human oppression, that I may obey your precepts. - for more LIGHT v135
Make your face shine on your servant and teach me your decrees.
LAMENT v136 Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.
It isn’t a patchwork of unrelated prayers. They all share a single focus: the WORDS of the Lord. The psalmist ADMIRES them, DECLARES that they give true Light, and DESIRES to receive them. Each REQUEST concerns God’s words, and he LAMENTS that people disregard what the Lord has spoken.
He approaches the Lord with a single focus (love for his words), but along five different prayer avenues.
Choose a scripture, or a prayer topic, that points to a truth about the Lord. In your conversation with him about that truth, vary your prayer types (aim to include some that you rarely use in your praying). The prayer medley is worth taking time over. Our knowing of the Lord deepens as the Spirit guides us down the avenues which the various prayer types open for us.
REST
Inner REST isn’t a bonus add-on, a reward for strong faith or prize for repelling unrest. It’s a free gift embedded in our relationship with Christ and is as perfect and permanent as the nature of the Giver. Of course, our actual experience of that rest is less than...
NEW thing & COUNTER thing
How many Buddhists are there in the world? It depends on who is counting. Some cast the net wide to include all streams and forms of Buddhism, and arrive at 1.6 billion. In China, for example, many embrace a folk religion that includes aspects of Buddhism, Taoism...
Asking God for a NEW THING
Habakkuk is a herald of coming disaster. The Babylonian invasion of Judah would bring death, desolation and captivity. Jerusalem would be ravaged and its temple ruined. He is in lament mode and has reason to be. But the prophet’s complaints and questions (chap 1-2)...
When change starts in the one asking
Jesus’ disciples were attracted to his prayer life, so they asked him to coach them. He started immediately, and in lesson one put the Kingdom at the top of the wants list (Luke 11:1). Admiration prayers are a priority, but they must overflow into missional praying:...
Pray-ers in training: to do it better & enjoy it more
Ever since veil tearing day, the Spirit has been pointing people to the Throne. Our right to Throne access isn’t a gift of coupons for occasional visits. Access is a permanent, high-priced living space (costing Christ’s life) where prayer is a lifestyle response to...
Why pray HUNGER for God?
Earlier this week I returned from a church camp (mostly young gen) in North Thailand where the theme was ‘Hunger for God’s Glory’. They did more than listen and take notes; they put words and actions to their hunger for him. Anyone with a...
Pray with CONFIDENCE
A shuffling sound woke me. Sandra and our three small children were asleep; the only noise was the whirr of the ceiling fan…and the shuffling sound. I jumped up, looked through the window onto the gated driveway below and saw three figures moving around our vehicle....
Praying with a different spirit
Lines get moved and boundary markers are explained away. Wrong is called right and the impure becomes normal. There is pressure to conform; to step back into the crowd and blend in. But that means losing our set-apart identity and being reflectors of the world rather...
Led into STILLNESS (then pray into chaos)
When bad people prosper, don’t envy them; their time in the sun will end. That’s the opening line of one of David’s song. OK, that gives perspective, but is there some help on dealing with the ‘bad things’ that happen to God’s good people? There is. As Psalm 37 plays...
Mind the gap
Most of us believe the right things about prayer, but our score in doing it isn’t great. Unfortunately we can become so accustomed to it that we no longer mind the gap. The space between prayer beliefs and practice is unlikely to disappear completely, but learning...
