Prayer

Definition and Meaning

Prayer is an act of faith in which one speaks to God and seeks His will; Protestants commonly describe it as "conversation with God." Prayers may be classified by content as praise, thanksgiving, confession of sin, petition (asking for what one needs), and intercessory prayer offered on behalf of others. Protestant prayers usually close with "In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen." This closing reflects the understanding that believers approach God through Christ (1 Timothy 2:5).

Biblical and Historical Background

The Psalms of the Old Testament contain many prayers of lament and praise. In the Gospels, Jesus taught His disciples the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). The Acts of the Apostles records that the early church gathered and devoted itself to prayer (Acts 2:42), and Paul exhorted believers, "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). After the Reformation, Protestants rejected prayers seeking the intercession of saints. Instead, they emphasized the principle of the priesthood of all believers, according to which every believer may pray directly to God through Christ.

Practice in the Korean Church

Korean churches are known for their many prayer gatherings. The early morning prayer meeting is widely held to have been started by Kil Sun-ju around 1906 at Jangdaehyeon Church in Pyongyang. Today, Friday prayer meetings (Friday all-night vigils) and special early morning prayer meetings are also held in many denominations. Tongseong gido, in which members of a group pray aloud at the same time, each offering his or her own prayer, is said to have been a prominent feature of the Great Pyongyang Revival. In Sunday worship, an elder or another leader offers a representative prayer on behalf of the congregation. There is also a tradition of fasting and praying at prayer retreat centers outside the cities.

Emphases differ by denomination.

• Many denominations, including Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, and Baptist churches, center on free prayer without set wording, while the congregation recites the Lord's Prayer together during worship.
• The Anglican Church of Korea and the Lutheran Church in Korea make greater use in worship of set prayers from a prayer book or service book.
• Full Gospel and other Pentecostal churches actively encourage praying in tongues. By contrast, some Reformed Presbyterian churches view tongues with caution from the standpoint of cessationism.
• Assessments of contemplative prayer, which emphasizes silence and meditation, vary among denominations and theologians.