Prayer

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Prayer and Praying

In every case where religion is involved prayer is always the method used to communicate with a deity . Some believe it must be done in solitude to be effective , others believe to do it openly shows a level of faith . Exploration of the word `prayer ' as it is used in the New Testament and mainly in the four Gospels will reveal definitions nature , method , value , personal relationship , and also why and how the answers come (or not

) to these prayers

The Greek and Aramaic texts from which the New Testament is translated has been handed down through generations of cultures which varied extensively so as to bring about , not necessarily better , but different view points on any therein . The first mention of prayer in the New Testament is found in Matthew 's Gospel . The occasion is a man who needed some help with his son due to lunatic actions prompting self injury Jesus seemed a bit disturbed that he was the only one who this man could consult . The occurrence of the lunatic boy is found in the seventeenth chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew and the fourteenth verse After Jesus performs the miracle of curing the boy , the disciples are curious why they could not do so

He replied "Because you have so little faith . I tell you the truth , if you have faith as small as a mustard seed , you can say to this mountain 'Move from here to there ' and it will move . Nothing will be impossible for you . But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17 : 20-21

The word for prayer here is proseuche ? which means `worship by implication an oratory (Strongs Concordance word number 4335 . Many find it difficult to do this type of prayer due to any number of reasons including , but not restricted to shyness or fear or lack of self esteem The Greek New Testament Dictionary gives five other definitions to this one word in the New Testament . They are , ara (ar-ah , deesis (deh '-ay-sis , enteuxis (ent '-yook-sis , euche (yoo-khay ) and proseuchomai (pros-yoo '-khom-ahee

In each of these there is a slight variation to proseuche , or oratory worship . Yet there is enough difference in each to make it apply to different conversational levels . For example , proseuchomai means to pray but with earnest . In the same Gospel and the twenty-first chapter Matthew records Jesus ' words deriding the people exchanging money and selling sacrifice animals . When prayer is used here , it is one of deeper meaning . It still holds the connotation of worship , but it bears a little more zeal to the word

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray , and spent the night praying to God (Luke 6 :12 ' This example of the use of the word prayer is much like the first only a lot longer and with more intensity . This is not readily seen on the...