“Why do we pray?” asked a 6 year old on a visit to church.
Why indeed why do we pray? Prayer is two way communication between God and ourselves. It involves both listening and speaking either silently or out loud. We pray to give to praise God Father, Son and Holy Spirit or to admit we are wrong or to give thanks or to make requests.
The letter of James 5:13 to 14 puts it this way
Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
The Our Father or the Lord’s Prayer is the most well known of all prayers. It is called the Lord’s prayer because it is the prayer which Jesus himself taught his disciples to pray. People have their own preferences of the two versions available but both are equally effective!
Version 1:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen
Version 2:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name;
your kingdom come;
your will be done;
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen
Did you know we pray for you? Each week we take a number of streets by name in the village of Bramhope and pray for the people who live there.
We pray for the sick and those who are in need of support and love at difficult times of their lives or for those who have suffered bereavement.
Did you know that we will pray for you personally if you have need? There are two groups who will pray for you; our Healing Prayer Group and our monthly prayer meeting. Alternatively or as well, we will pray for you in church either in the public prayers or privately after a service. Simply contact the vicar, Rev Janice Smith (contact us), ask at any of our services or leave a message on our prayer board in the entrance hall.