One of our greatest privileges in God is the privilege of communication with Him. Prayer is one of the major ways in which our communication together with Him is established, expanded and enhanced.

Our expectation of what can and should transpire in prayer is very much tied to our understanding of prayer. Just as we have different kinds of conversation with those around us, there are different "kinds" of conversation the Lord wishes us to have with Him.

The following are some of the forms of prayer as revealed in the New Testament. They range from the casual and informal to the extremely intense and profound.

1. COMMON PRAYER
• Is the reiteration of Biblical prayers: David's prayer (Psalm 5 1) from the Old Testament; the disciples' prayer (Matthew 6) from the New Testament.
• Is the recitation of the saintly prayers from church history.
• Is the repetition of traditional family prayers.
2. CONVERSATIONAL PRAYER
• "Eratao" (to ask, to interrogate; simple conversation)
• John 4:31 "His disciples PRAYED Him to eat..."
• John 14:16 "1 will PRAY the father, to give you another comforter..."
• John 17:9, 15, 20 "1 PRAY..." (The true "Lord's Prayer")
• Acts 23:18 "Paul, the prisoner, called me and PRAYED me to bring..."
3. COMPANIONABLE PRAYER
• "Euche," "Euchomai;" (verb meaning to WISH -- in some instances, to make a VOW)
• 3 John 2: 1 "I WISH you to prosper, and be in health even as your soul..."
• 2 Cor. 13:9 "...we are weak you are strong, this we WISH, even your perfection."
• Rom. 9:3 "...WISH that I were accursed from Christ for my brethren..."
• Acts 27:29 "...cast forth four anchors and WISHED for the day..."
• Acts 26:29 "I WOULD to God, that not only you, but all that hear me this day were both and altogether as I, except for these bonds."
• James 5:15 "...prayer of faith, PRAY for one another."
• It is basically the articulation of one's heart for another's well being.
4. CONGENIAL PRAYER
• "Parak," "Aleo" (To call alongside of)
• 2 Cor. 5:20 "God did BESEECH you by us..."
• 2 Cor. 8:4 "...PRAYING with much ENTREATY to receive the gift.
5. COMPASSIONABLE PRAYER
• "Deomai" (Want, pry, beseech; the pressure of imploring)
• 2 Cor. 5:20 "God did beseech you by us, we PRAY you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
• 2 Cor. 8:4 "...PRAYING with much entreaty, to receive the Gift."
6. CONVULSIVE PRAYER
• "Pros" (to pour out); "Euchomai" (wish or desire); "the pouring out of oneself to the Lord."
• James 5:17 "He PRAYED fervently." Literally, He prayed with desire.
• Eph. 6:18 "...with all prayer and supplications." (DEESIS)
• Phil. 4:6 "...be careful for nothing, but with all PRAYER and SUPPLICATION..."
• I Tim. 2:1 "1 exhort therefore that first of all supplications (DEESIS), PRAYERS (PROSECHUE), intercessions (ENTEUXIS) and thanksgiving be made..."
• It is what the Lord expected from his "Inner Three." Matt. 26:42,44
• It is what the "House of the Lord" is supposed to be. Matt. 21:13
• This is what the Church did for Peter. Acts 12:5
• It is called the Incense of the Church. Rev. 5:8
7. CREATIVE PRAYER
• The prayer which flows from the release of the Spirit.
• Rom. 8:26 "The Spirit helpeth our infirmities."
• I Cor 14:15 "1 will pray with the Spirit..."
• Eph. 6:8 "Pray with all prayer... in the Spirit."
8. CORRECTIVE PRAYER
• Intercession; "Enteux" (noun) "Entunchano" (verb)
• To make appeal, to meet with, the going to a superior as one who would go to a king. It is the coming between situations with a view to correcting them.
• The Hebrew equivalent is "Pagha." In I Sam. 22, it is the expression of a servant doing the will of his master.
• In Joshua 19, six times the word is translated "boundaries" or "reaching to"
• Intercession is the setting of limits, the enlarging of boundaries, in the grace of God.
9. CONTRACTURAL PRAYER
• Bringing into being the will of God. Praying for that which was ordained before the foundations of the world to be actualized in time. It is a plea for the evidence and expression of divine order. It is the "crying for time to be overshadowed with eternity," for His Kingdom to come, His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
• According to Heb. 5:7, this is the kind of prayer the Lord offered up in the Garden "When He had offered up PRAYERS (Deesis) and SUPPLICATION." The Lord was praying into being the express will of the Father when He said "Thy will be done."
10. CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER
• The art of meditation; waiting upon the Lord and focusing upon Him! The setting of the mind on that which is HOLY and TRUE. Psalm 62:1 'My soul WAITETH (silently) upon God."

(Reprinted by permission; based on a study series by Des Evans.)