Prayer

Jesus and His disciples inherited from Judaism a long and rich tradition of personal approach to God, both in individual spontaneous prayer and community prayer (both types may be found in the Psalms). Prayer is simply talking with God, and Jesus introduced the idea of this being an intimate occasion by telling His followers to address God as 'Daddy" (Abba) when He taught them the Lord's Prayer (Matthew chp 6 vss 5-15, Luke 'chp 11 vss 1 4).

The New Testament assumes that prayer is an integral factor of the Christian's life (Romans chp 12 vs 12, Ephesians chp 6 vs 18, Colossians chp 4 vs 2). It is a normal part of a Christian's relationship with his Father that the believer will turn spontaneously to God with prayers for the world and for himself. Prayer is not meant to be a begging for necessities which might otherwise be withheld, for a Christian accepts that Cod knows in advance what is needed (Matthew chp 6 vs 32). Jesus Himself encouraged His followers to continue in a relationship of prayer (Matthew chp 7 vss 7f.)

The question of unanswered prayer or indeed of why one should expect God to alter the laws of nature on behalf of just one person is often asked. A Christian would accept that all prayers are answered, but not necessarily in the way the petitioner intended; even Jesus felt His prayers to be unanswered at times ( Mark chp 14 vss 32f Garden of Gethsemane). The believer will feel that God knows what is best in any given situation and trusts Him to act accordingly.

Prayer may be carried out corporately or privately; there is no restriction on numbers or place. In Anglican services there are formal set prayers which will be used on a regular weekly basis, as well as an annual cycle of prayers known as "collects". There is alsousually room in a service for "intercessions" where either the clergy or a member of the congregation will lead prayers on current problems or situations. Some churches encourage extempore prayer when anyone can share prayers freely as they feel called to do.

The position to adopt while praying in a service will be dictated by the instructions (rubrics) laid down in the prayer book or by local custom. Early Christians prayed like the Jews, standing with arms upraised to heaven, now it is more common for people to kneel or sit with head bowed as a sign of their reverence for God.