7approached from the wrong direction andovershot the runway, he landed safely. Ashe taxied back to the hangar, the tiny holein the clouds closed into complete black-ness again. Later he learned that the smallbreak in the clouds lasted only a fewmoments and that it was the only break inthe ceiling all afternoon. The pilot conclud-ed his thoughts on prayer by saying:‘Passing the point of no return when onlydestruction lies ahead is a frighteningexperience, but knowing that our God cananswer prayers gives us comfort, courageand joy.’

That pilot’s dramatic experience is an example of the most common kind ofprayer, that of asking for help. While such prayer is very important, there are six other types of prayer. A balanced spirituality means engaging in all sevenways of praying.

Seven prayer types1. PetitionThis is prayer at its most basic level – asking. Prayers of petition are perhaps the

most frequent formsof prayer. It was the

prayer of thepilot. It is the

prayer of astudent ask-

ing for

help with school, the prayer of a father forhis child, the prayer of a wife concerned over her marriage. Wepray to God because we are in need or afriend is in trouble. The crisis may be majoror minor, but we approach God requestingaid.

In the Bible, Jesus stressed the impor-tance of telling God what we need. ‘Askand you will receive, and your joy will becomplete.’1 One of his followers told fellowChristians: ‘You do not have, because youdo not ask God.’2

2. ConfessionWhile the prayer of petition may be themost common and popular, the prayer ofconfession may be the most difficult formany people. It is never easy to confessand itemise our shortcomings and failures,and then ask forgiveness. Yet confession isthe path which leads to emotional and spir-itual cleansing. If offering a prayer of con-fession is difficult for you, consider thisinsight from writer Louis Cassels: ‘In con-fession . . . we open our lives to the heal-ing, reconciling, restoring, uplifting grace ofhim who loves us in spite of what we are.’

3. AdorationThis is the prayer offered when you simplywant to thank God. A prayer of adorationand praise should flow naturally from aheart fully aware of his many blessings. ‘It

is always springtime in the heart thatloves God,’ noted the nine-

teenth-century French pas-tor Jean Baptiste MarieVianney. Such prayers of

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When asked to share his thoughts onthe power of prayer, a retired mis-

sionary recalled an event which hadtaken place several years earlier whilehe was piloting a small Piper Cub aero-plane. After flying through the clear bluesky for several hours towards his desti-nation he saw a sight which filled himwith dread. ‘Directly ahead of me wasthe boiling, swirling black fury of a sum-mer storm. Below were the mountains. Alanding was impossible. I passed thepoint of no return and didn’t haveenough fuel to get back,’ he recalled.His plane was not equipped to flythrough a storm. Not knowing what todo, he began to fly in a circle while try-ing to determine a course of action. Withhis fuel gauge registering empty, heknew he had to attempt a landing at a

nearby airport, but it meant flying into the storm.

As he flew into the clouds, the rainbegan to come down in torrents. Withinseconds of entering the storm, the littleplane was tossed about like a canoe on anangry sea. The plane’s instruments werespinning crazily. The pilot had no way ofknowing if he was flying upside down orright side up! He couldn’t see the groundor the sky, only a swirling blackness. ‘I wascompletely helpless to do anything exceptpray to God to help me,’ he said.

Immediately after he uttered his prayer,a tiny break appeared in the clouds directlybelow him. He could see the ground. Witha shout of joy he flew the little Cub throughthe small hole in the clouds. Directly belowwas the airport. Desperately he guided hisplane towards the runway. Even though he

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experiencing inner turmoil, because prayerful silence soothes the anxious soul,calms the spirit, helps us think more clearlyand ultimately pray more wisely.

6. ThanksgivingIf we believe God has blessed us abun-dantly, prayers of thanksgiving should flowfrom our hearts and lips naturally, routinelyand frequently. American poet and essayistRalph Waldo Emerson often offered thisprayer of gratitude:‘For each new morning with its light,Father, we thank thee,For rest and shelter of the night,Father, we thank thee.

For health and food,for love and friends,For everything thy goodness sends,Father, in heaven, we thank thee.’

7. ConsecrationThis prayer involves surrendering com-pletely to God’s will and service. It isoffered by sensitive, responsive Christians.When they see a need, they desire to fulfilit, and when they see a hurt, they work toheal it. History is filled with ordinarywomen and men who did extraordinarythings because they consecrated theirlives to God. Such committed individualsinclude Mother Teresa, working among thedestitute in Calcutta, India; Sir WilfredGrenfell, the British physician wholaboured among Eskimos, Indians, andWhites in Labrador, Canada; GeneralWilliam Booth, founder of the SalvationArmy, working in the slums of London. StVincent De Paul, who ministered to thepoor in France and ransomed slaves fromNorth Africa; Dorothy Day, whose deepsense of justice led her to open dozens ofshelters providing food, housing and cloth-ing for America’s impoverished citizens.

Of course, consecrated lives are alsofound among those overlooked by histori-cal accounts: the husband who remainsfaithful and serves compassionately at theside of his terminally ill wife; the motherwho prays earnestly and fervently for awayward child; the young person who con-sistently resists peer pressure to engage inwrong activities; an executive who appliesthe highest moral and ethical standards tohis work.

Cultivating these seven types of prayerwill result in a more rounded and satisfyingspiritual life, because prayer is a way ofeducating the soul. The Russian novelist,Feodor Dostoyevsky noted: ‘Every time youpray, if your prayer is sincere, there will bea new feeling and new meaning in it, whichwill give you fresh courage, and you will

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adoration and praise are commonly foundin the book of Psalms: ‘I sing praises to you; you, O God, are myfortress, my loving God.’3 Those with thedeepest spirituality are able to offer prayersof praise and adoration even in the most depressing circumstances.

One splendid example of that is EttyHillesum, a young Jewish woman impris-oned by the Nazis. From the bleakness ofher concentration camp Hillesum was ableto offer this prayer of adoration and praise:‘The misery here is quite terrible, and yet Ioften walk with a spring in my step. . . .Time and again, it soars straight from myheart, this feeling that life is glorious andmagnificent . . . you have made me so rich,O God: please let me share your beautywith open hands.’

4. IntercessionThese prayers are offered on behalf of oth-ers, especially those who suffer and hurtfrom life’s blows. A biblical example ofintercessory prayer is that of Moses, whoprayed for his sister Miriam, suffering withleprosy. ‘So Moses cried out to the Lord,“O God, please heal her!”4 Miriam was fully

healed seven days later.A more recent example is shared by

Sandy, a 35-year-old mother of two. Sadlyshe and her husband had decided to sepa-rate. That decision had an immediate neg-ative impact upon their 8- and 3-year-oldboys, who were having difficulty sleeping.Deeply distressed by the separation andthe turmoil it brought upon her sons, Sandy confided her marital troubles to aneighbour whom she barely knew. Theneighbour listened compassionately,offered to help in any way she could, and said she would pray for Sandy, herhusband and the boys.

‘My neighbour’s kindness and offer ofprayer brought some hope to my life.Shortly after our conversation I was amazedwhen my husband called suggesting we gofor counselling to see if the marriage couldbe salvaged,’ Sandy recalls. ‘We were bothafraid of what would come of the coun-selling, but we did go. Sometimes our dis-cussions were painful, but in the end wedecided to try a six-month reunion. Today,more than a year later, we have a greatsense of peace and happiness in our mar-riage and with our children. In the monthssince I confided in my neighbour, she hascontinued her prayers on our behalf. I willalways appreciate deeply her prayers.’

5. Meditation‘If I were a physician, and I were allowed toprescribe one remedy for all the ills of theworld, I would prescribe silence. For even ifthe word of God were proclaimed in themodern world, how could one hear it withso much noise? Therefore, create silence!’That insight comes from the nineteenth-century Danish Christian, SørenKierkegaard. Meditation is an importantspiritual discipline. In those quiet momentswe open our soul to God’s love, direction,and admonition. Being silent in the presence of God is an effective way of re-establishing contact with eternity. Quietmeditation is also ideal when we are

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