Prayers can have a variety of expressions. Many appear in the few short verses of the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus taught (Matthew 6:9-13 RSV with some editing).
- Personal relationship with God (“Our Father who art in heaven”)
- Praise (“Hallowed be thy name”)
- Concern for society (“Thy kingdom come”)
- Obedience (“Thy will be done”)
- Petition (“Give us this day our daily bread’)
- Confession and request for forgiveness (for “our trespasses”)
- Forgiveness of others (“who trespass against us”)
- Guidance (“lead us not into temptation”)
- Protection (“deliver us from evil”)
- Acknowledgement of God’s supremacy (“the power and the glory forever”)
Elsewhere in the Bible we find other expressions (NRSV):
- Lamentation (“Out of the depths I cry to thee, O Lord!” Psalm 130.1)
- Thanksgiving (“O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.” Psalm 107.1)
- Commitment (“Here am I, send me.” Isaiah 6:8)
Howard W. Hallman lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He is author of Living in God’s Kingdom: Here and Now, available from Amazon.