Prayer of Petition Examples & Definition
For many of us, the “prayer of petition” is the most common type of prayer, especially for those who are newer Christians (or not even religious at all!) It is basically a prayer that asks something from God. Examples vary from less serious things such as asking for help on a test or good weather, to serious issues such as improved health or safety for a loved one. This is the type of prayer that people in desperate need will turn to, even if they have no deep relationship with God.
This type of prayer can be very simple, but is often misunderstood. And when it seems that God will not grant us our request, it can turn us off to God and religion and make us bitter or cynical. Sometimes we lose faith that God hears us at all, or even that there is a God.
Although we are encouraged to ask God for our wants and needs, we need to remember that God has the final answer, and can say no. God has our best interests in mind and knows what we need, even if we can’t see it. God sees how our relationships and actions all weave together, and has a plan of his own. We need to understand that what we are asking needs to be in accordance with his will.
If our relationship is strong enough, we will trust in his answer. If our request is denied, we will then be confident that we were heard, but the denial must be because God has a different path for us or the person we are praying for. It doesn’t mean that he doesn’t love or hear us, or that he doesn’t exist.
Therefore, some types of petitions have a better chance of being granted than others. Prayer of petition examples that have a good chance of not being granted could be:
- Praying to hit the lottery, even if making a deal with God to give half to charity
- Praying that harm will come to someone that you can’t stand
- Praying that Team A will beat Team B at the game tomorrow
But petitions that are more selfless, loving or pure-hearted are more pleasing to God. These prayer of petition examples are often granted as part of God’s plan for us and others:
- Praying for strength to get through a tough situation
- Praying for healing for someone else
- Praying for God to reveal himself in your life.
What we ask of God is a reflection of our relationship with Him. Keep asking God to be involved in your life – you won’t regret it.
Visit https://lostflock.com daily for a roundup of insightful and enlightening Christian content from around the blogosphere…
