Prayers of the Bible Test 1

What does prayer tell us about the petitioner, the petitioned, and the relationships between the two?

Prayer shows extensive faith in God, his ability to accomplish promises and requests, and the implication of a relationship between God and his creation.

Why does prayer have so many different words and meanings representing it?

Biblical prayer is varied and the options are rich for the type of prayers available

What are the seven “tags” of prayer?

Adoration, Thanksgiving, Petition, Confession, Intercession, Lament, Imprecation

Why do we refer to types of prayers as “Tags” instead of categories?

Prayer can be many things all at once and can change as the prayer continues

Why do we consider prayer as literature?

Prayer is documented in the text and shows imagery, parallelism, and structure

Prose

Embedded in the narrative

Poetic

Not in the narrative, but still makes sense outside of context

Formed speech

Not chain-of-thought, but impromtu and said, written, and studied like an art form

How is repetition considered in prayer?

Not in vain or arrogance, but under a sense of sincerity if it is meant in the right way

What does Jesus’ sayings in Matthew 6:7 have to do with prayer?

Prayers of repetition are said to a God that will hear them, unlike pagan gods which will not

What does the Bible mean by humans being “embodied spirits”?

As we pray to God, our spirit also goes before God

Standing

A symbol of attentiveness

Kneeling

A symbol of discomfort

Bowing/Postration

A symbol of distress

Sitting

A symbol of reverence

The focal point of prayer in the OT

The Temple (where God has placed His name)

What are two examples of people praying towards the Temple?

Daniel and Jonah

Why do some people pray in private?

To make prayer more intimate and allows for less distraction

How do the motivations of pray overlap with the motivations of sacrifice?

Prayer is like an offering to God in the terms of the NT

The first occassion God calls sacrifice a “pleasing aroma”

Genesis 8:20-22

Anthropomorphic Language

Ascribing human-like traits to non-human things

What sacrifice used frankencense?

Grain offering

What meaning does incense have in Rev. 5:8

Incense is representing the “prayers of the saints”

What example from the life of David shows that fasting correlates to prayer?

2 Samuel 12:15-23 when he is petitioning to God while his child is alive, rather than grieving when the child is dead

Lament

A complaint address to God

Argument

God’s character is called into question if He doesn’t act

Imprecation

God must not allow the evildoers actions to stand

How many Psalms are classified as laments?

Over 1/3

Lament assumes

God exists, God cares and he hears, God can act/do something, God desires or has promised something

List the parts of a lament

Compliant, request, resolution

What is unique about Psalm 88

There’s not resolution to the lament

What does disordered prayer mean?

The prayer is misaligned in some way with God that is being called upon

The 4 wrongs of disordered prayer

Audience, Mechanism, Life, Desire