It occurred to me the other day that it might be helpful to look at some historical definitions of prayer as we think about praying with the Psalms.
One definition that I have found helpful is from the Westminster Shorter Catechism (one of the historical documents of the Presbyterian Church):
Q. 98. What is prayer?
A. Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.
Q. 99. What rule hath God given for our direction in prayer?
A. The whole Word of God is of use to direct us in prayer; but the special rule of direction is that form of prayer which Christ taught his disciples, commonly called the Lord?s Prayer.
A second description of prayer can be found in the Catechism of the Episcopal Church
Prayer and Worship
| Q. | What is prayer? |
| A. | Prayer is responding to God, by thought and by deeds, with or without words. |
| Q. | What is Christian Prayer? |
| A. | Christian prayer is response of God the Father, through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. |
| Q. | What prayer did Christ teach us? |
| A. | Our Lord gave us the example of prayer knows as the Lord’s Prayer.??? |
| Q. | What are the principle kinds of prayer? |
| A. | The principle kinds of prayer are adoration, praise, thanksgiving, penitence, oblation, intercession, and petition. |
| Q. | What is adoration? |
| A. | Adoration is the lifting up of the heart and mind to God, asking nothing but to enjoy God’s presence. |
| Q. | Why do we praise God? |
| A. | We praise God, not to obtain anything, but because God’s Being draws praise from us. |
| Q. | For what do we offer thanksgiving? |
| A. | Thanksgiving is offered to God for all the blessings of this life, for our redemption, and for whatever draws us closer to God. |
| Q. | What is penitence? |
| A. | In penitence, we confess our sins and make restitution where possible, with the intention to amend our lives. |
| Q. | What is prayer of oblation? |
| A. | Oblation is an offering of ourselves, our lives and labors, in union with Christ, for the purposes of God. |
| Q. | What are intercession and petition? |
| A. | Intercession brings before God the needs of others; in petition, we present our own needs, that God’s will may be done. |
I have found both of these explanations and definitions to be helpful but tend to gravitate more toward the explanation of prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. I find that remembering those seven facets of prayer (adoration, praise, thanksgiving, penitence, oblation, intersession and petition) is a good way to shape my own prayers. What do you think?