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prayer
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English Dictionary: prayer by the DICT Development Group
4 results for prayer
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
prayer
n
  1. the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving); "the priest sank to his knees in prayer"
    Synonym(s): prayer, supplication
  2. reverent petition to a deity
    Synonym(s): prayer, petition, orison
  3. earnest or urgent request; "an entreaty to stop the fighting"; "an appeal for help"; "an appeal to the public to keep calm"
    Synonym(s): entreaty, prayer, appeal
  4. a fixed text used in praying
  5. someone who prays to God
    Synonym(s): prayer, supplicant
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
   Prayer \Pray"er\, n.
      One who prays; a supplicant.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
   Prayer \Prayer\ ([?]; 277), n. [OE. preiere, OF. preiere, F.
      pri[8a]re, fr. L. precarius obtained by prayer, fr. precari
      to pray. See {Pray}, v. i.]
      1. The act of praying, or of asking a favor; earnest request
            or entreaty; hence, a petition or memorial addressed to a
            court or a legislative body. [bd]Their meek preyere.[b8]
            --Chaucer
  
      2. The act of addressing supplication to a divinity,
            especially to the true God; the offering of adoration,
            confession, supplication, and thanksgiving to the Supreme
            Being; as, public prayer; secret prayer.
  
                     As he is famed for mildness, peace, and prayer.
                                                                              --Shak.
  
      3. The form of words used in praying; a formula of
            supplication; an expressed petition; especially, a
            supplication addressed to God; as, a written or
            extemporaneous prayer; to repeat one's prayers.
  
                     He made those excellent prayers which were published
                     immediately after his death.               --Bp. Fell.
  
      {Prayer book}, a book containing devotional prayers.
  
      {Prayer meeting}, a meeting or gathering for prayer to God.
  
      Syn: Petition; orison; supplication; entreaty; suit.

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:
   Prayer
      is converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not
      in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him.
      Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant,
      ejaculatory or formal. It is a "beseeching the Lord" (Ex.
      32:11); "pouring out the soul before the Lord" (1 Sam. 1:15);
      "praying and crying to heaven" (2 Chr. 32:20); "seeking unto God
      and making supplication" (Job 8:5); "drawing near to God" (Ps.
      73:28); "bowing the knees" (Eph. 3:14).
     
         Prayer presupposes a belief in the personality of God, his
      ability and willingness to hold intercourse with us, his
      personal control of all things and of all his creatures and all
      their actions.
     
         Acceptable prayer must be sincere (Heb. 10:22), offered with
      reverence and godly fear, with a humble sense of our own
      insignificance as creatures and of our own unworthiness as
      sinners, with earnest importunity, and with unhesitating
      submission to the divine will. Prayer must also be offered in
      the faith that God is, and is the hearer and answerer of prayer,
      and that he will fulfil his word, "Ask, and ye shall receive"
      (Matt. 7:7, 8; 21:22; Mark 11:24; John 14:13, 14), and in the
      name of Christ (16:23, 24; 15:16; Eph. 2:18; 5:20; Col. 3:17; 1
      Pet. 2:5).
     
         Prayer is of different kinds, secret (Matt. 6:6); social, as
      family prayers, and in social worship; and public, in the
      service of the sanctuary.
     
         Intercessory prayer is enjoined (Num. 6:23; Job 42:8; Isa.
      62:6; Ps. 122:6; 1 Tim. 2:1; James 5:14), and there are many
      instances on record of answers having been given to such
      prayers, e.g., of Abraham (Gen. 17:18, 20; 18:23-32; 20:7, 17,
      18), of Moses for Pharaoh (Ex. 8:12, 13, 30, 31; Ex. 9:33), for
      the Israelites (Ex. 17:11, 13; 32:11-14, 31-34; Num. 21:7, 8;
      Deut. 9:18, 19, 25), for Miriam (Num. 12:13), for Aaron (Deut.
      9:20), of Samuel (1 Sam. 7:5-12), of Solomon (1 Kings 8; 2 Chr.
      6), Elijah (1 Kings 17:20-23), Elisha (2 Kings 4:33-36), Isaiah
      (2 Kings 19), Jeremiah (42:2-10), Peter (Acts 9:40), the church
      (12:5-12), Paul (28:8).
     
         No rules are anywhere in Scripture laid down for the manner of
      prayer or the attitude to be assumed by the suppliant. There is
      mention made of kneeling in prayer (1 Kings 8:54; 2 Chr. 6:13;
      Ps. 95:6; Isa. 45:23; Luke 22:41; Acts 7:60; 9:40; Eph. 3:14,
      etc.); of bowing and falling prostrate (Gen. 24:26, 52; Ex.
      4:31; 12:27; Matt. 26:39; Mark 14:35, etc.); of spreading out
      the hands (1 Kings 8:22, 38, 54; Ps. 28:2; 63:4; 88:9; 1 Tim.
      2:8, etc.); and of standing (1 Sam. 1:26; 1 Kings 8:14, 55; 2
      Chr. 20:9; Mark 11:25; Luke 18:11, 13).
     
         If we except the "Lord's Prayer" (Matt. 6:9-13), which is,
      however, rather a model or pattern of prayer than a set prayer
      to be offered up, we have no special form of prayer for general
      use given us in Scripture.
     
         Prayer is frequently enjoined in Scripture (Ex. 22:23, 27; 1
      Kings 3:5; 2 Chr. 7:14; Ps. 37:4; Isa. 55:6; Joel 2:32; Ezek.
      36:37, etc.), and we have very many testimonies that it has been
      answered (Ps. 3:4; 4:1; 6:8; 18:6; 28:6; 30:2; 34:4; 118:5;
      James 5:16-18, etc.).
     
         "Abraham's servant prayed to God, and God directed him to the
      person who should be wife to his master's son and heir (Gen.
      24:10-20).
     
         "Jacob prayed to God, and God inclined the heart of his
      irritated brother, so that they met in peace and friendship
      (Gen. 32:24-30; 33:1-4).
     
         "Samson prayed to God, and God showed him a well where he
      quenched his burning thirst, and so lived to judge Israel (Judg.
      15:18-20).
     
         "David prayed, and God defeated the counsel of Ahithophel (2
      Sam. 15:31; 16:20-23; 17:14-23).
     
         "Daniel prayed, and God enabled him both to tell
      Nebuchadnezzar his dream and to give the interpretation of it
      (Dan. 2: 16-23).
     
         "Nehemiah prayed, and God inclined the heart of the king of
      Persia to grant him leave of absence to visit and rebuild
      Jerusalem (Neh. 1:11; 2:1-6).
     
         "Esther and Mordecai prayed, and God defeated the purpose of
      Haman, and saved the Jews from destruction (Esther 4:15-17; 6:7,
      8).
     
         "The believers in Jerusalem prayed, and God opened the prison
      doors and set Peter at liberty, when Herod had resolved upon his
      death (Acts 12:1-12).
     
         "Paul prayed that the thorn in the flesh might be removed, and
      his prayer brought a large increase of spiritual strength, while
      the thorn perhaps remained (2 Cor. 12:7-10).
     
         "Prayer is like the dove that Noah sent forth, which blessed
      him not only when it returned with an olive-leaf in its mouth,
      but when it never returned at all.", Robinson's Job.
     
No guarantee of accuracy or completeness!
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