Christian prayer is an important activity in Christian piety, with several different forms. Prayers may be spontaneous or read from written texts such as a breviary, which contains the canonical hours observed at fixed times. Common prayer gestures include folding hands, bowing the head, kneeling, and prostration.
The most prominent prayer among Christians is the Lord's Prayer, which according to the gospel accounts (e.g. Matthew 6:9-13) is how Jesus taught his disciples to pray. The injunction for Christians to pray the Lord's Prayer thrice daily was given in Didache 8, 2 f., which, in turn, was influenced by the Jewish practice of praying thrice daily found in the Old Testament, specifically in , which suggests "evening and morning and at noon", and , in which the prophet Daniel prays thrice a day. The early Christians thus came to recite the Lord's Prayer thrice a day at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm, supplanting the former Amidah predominant in the Hebrew tradition; as such, many Lutheran and Anglican churches ring their church bells from belltowers three times a day: in the morning, at noon and in the evening summoning the Christian faithful to recite the Lord’s Prayer.
From the time of the Early Church, the practice of seven fixed prayer times has been taught; in Apostolic Tradition, Hippolytus instructed Christians to pray seven times a day "on rising, at the lighting of the evening lamp, at bedtime, at midnight" and "the third, sixth and ninth hours of the day, being hours associated with Christ's Passion." Oriental Orthodox Christians, such as Copts and Indians, use a breviary such as the Agpeya and Shehimo to pray the canonical hours seven times a day at fixed prayer times while facing in the eastward direction, in anticipation of the Second Coming of Jesus; this Christian practice has its roots in , in which the prophet David prays to God seven times a day. Church bells enjoin Christians to pray at these hours. Before praying, they wash their hands and face in order to be clean and present their best to God; shoes are removed to acknowledge that one is offering prayer before a holy God. In these Christian denominations, and in many others as well, it is customary for women to wear a Christian headcovering when praying. Many Christians have historically hung a Christian cross on the eastern wall of their houses to indicate the eastward direction of prayer during these seven prayer times.
There are two basic settings for Christian prayer: corporate (or public) and private. Corporate prayer includes prayer shared within the worship setting or other public places, especially on the Lord's Day, when many Christian assemble collectively. These prayers can be formal written prayers, such as the liturgies contained in the Lutheran Service Book and Book of Common Prayer, as well as informal ejaculatory prayers or extemporaneous prayers, such as those offered in Methodist camp meetings. Private prayer occurs with the individual praying either silently or aloud within the home setting; the use of a daily devotional and prayer book in the private prayer life of a Christian is common. In Western Christianity, the prie-dieu has been historically used for private prayer and many Christian homes possess home altars in the area where these are placed. In Eastern Christianity, believers often keep icon corners at which they pray, which are on the eastern wall of the house. Among Old Ritualists, a prayer rug known as a Podruchnik is used to keep one's face and hands clean during prostrations, as these parts of the body are used to make the sign of the cross. Spontaneous prayer in Christianity, often done in private settings, follows the basic form of adoration, contrition, thanksgiving and supplication, abbreviated as A.C.T.S.
Historical development New Testament Prayer in the New Testament is presented as a positive command (; ). The people of God are challenged to include prayer in their everyday life, even in the busy struggles of marriage () as it is thought to bring the faithful closer to God. Throughout the New Testament, prayer is shown to be God's appointed method by which the faithful obtain what he has to bestow (; ; ). Prayer, according to the Book of Acts, can be seen at the first moments of the church (). The apostles regarded prayer as an essential part of their lives (; ; ). As such, the apostles frequently incorporated verses from Psalms into their writings. for example is borrowed from and other psalms.
Lengthy passages of the New Testament are prayers or canticles (see also the Book of Odes), such as the prayer for forgiveness (), the Lord's Prayer, the Magnificat (), the Benedictus (), Jesus' prayer to the one true God (), exclamations such as, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (), the Believers' Prayer (), "may this cup be taken from me" (), "Pray that you will not fall into temptation" (), Stephen's Prayer (), Simon Magus' Prayer (), "pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men" (), and Maranatha ().
Early Christianity
Prayer and the reading of Scripture were important elements of Early Christianity. In the early Church worship was inseparable from doctrine as reflected in the statement: lex orandi, lex credendi, i.e. the law of belief is the law of prayer.The Formation of Christian Doctrine by Malcolm B. Yarnell 2007 page 147 Early Christian liturgies highlight the importance of prayer.Introducing Early Christianity by Laurie Guy 2011 page 203
The Lord's Prayer was an essential element in the meetings held by the very early Christians, and it was spread by them as they preached Christianity in new lands.The Lord's Prayer in the Early Church by Frederic Henry Chase 2004 pages 13-15 Over time, a variety of prayers were developed as the production of early Christian literature intensified.The Encyclopedia of Christian Literature, Volume 1 by George Thomas Kurian 2010 pages 135-138
As early as the 2nd century, Christians indicated the eastward direction of prayer by placing a Christian cross on the eastern wall of their house or church, prostrating in front of it as they prayed at seven fixed prayer times.
By the 3rd century Origen had advanced the view of "Scripture as a sacrament".Reading to live: the evolving practice of Lectio divina by Raymond Studzinski 2010 pages 26-35 Origen's methods of interpreting Scripture and praying on them were learned by Ambrose of Milan, who towards the end of the 4th century taught them to Augustine of Hippo, thereby introducing them into the monastic traditions of the Western Church thereafter.The Fathers of the church: from Clement of Rome to Augustine of Hippo by Pope Benedict XVI 2009 page 100
Early models of Christian monastic life emerged in the 4th century, as the Desert Fathers began to seek God in the deserts of Palestine and Egypt.Christian spirituality: themes from the tradition by Lawrence S. Cunningham, Keith J. Egan 1996 page 88-94Globalization of Hesychasm and the Jesus Prayer: Contesting Contemplation by Christopher D. L. Johnson 2010 pages 31-38 These early communities gave rise to the tradition of a Christian life of "constant prayer" in a monastic setting which eventually resulted in meditative practices in the Eastern Church during the Byzantine period.
Meditation in the Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages, the monastic traditions of both Western and Eastern Christianity moved beyond vocal prayer to Christian meditation. These progressions resulted in two distinct and different meditative practices: Lectio Divina in the West and hesychasm in the East. Hesychasm involves the repetition of the Jesus Prayer, but Lectio Divina uses different Scripture passages at different times and although a passage may be repeated a few times, Lectio Divina is not repetitive in nature.Reading with God: Lectio Divina by David Foster 2006 page 44
In the Western Church, by the 6th century, Benedict of Nursia and Pope Gregory I had initiated the formal methods of scriptural prayer called Lectio Divina.After Augustine: the meditative reader and the text by Brian Stock 2001 page 105 With the motto Ora et labora (i.e. pray and work), daily life in a Benedictine monastery consisted of three elements: liturgical prayer, manual labor and Lectio Divina, a quiet prayerful reading of the Bible.Christian Spirituality: A Historical Sketch by George Lane 2005 page 20 This slow and thoughtful reading of Scripture, and the ensuing pondering of its meaning, was their meditation.Holy Conversation: Spirituality for Worship by Jonathan Linman 2010 pages 32-37
Early in the 12th century, Bernard of Clairvaux was instrumental in re-emphasizing the importance of Lectio Divina within the Cistercian order.Christian spirituality: themes from the tradition by Lawrence S. Cunningham, Keith J. Egan 1996 pages 91-92 Bernard also emphasized the role of the Holy Spirit in contemplative prayer and compared it to a kiss by the Eternal Father which allows a union with God.The Holy Spirit by F. LeRon Shults, Andrea Hollingsworth 2008 page 103
The progression from Bible reading, to meditation, to loving regard for God, was first formally described by Guigo II, a Carthusian monk who died late in the 12th century.Christian spirituality: themes from the tradition by Lawrence S. Cunningham, Keith J. Egan 1996 pages 38-39 Guigo II's book The Ladder of Monks is considered the first description of methodical prayer in the western mystical tradition.An Anthology of Christian mysticism by Harvey D. Egan 1991 pages 207-208
In Eastern Christianity, the monastic traditions of "constant prayer" that traced back to the Desert Fathers and Evagrius Pontikos established the practice of hesychasm and influenced John Climacus' book The Ladder of Divine Ascent by the 7th century.Orthodox Church: Its Past and Its Role in the World Today by John Meyendorff 1981 page These meditative prayers were promoted and supported by Gregory Palamas in the 14th century.
Contemplative prayer In the Western Church, during the 15th century, reforms of the clergy and monastic settings were undertaken by the two Venetians, Lorenzo Giustiniani and Louis Barbo. Both men considered methodical prayer and meditation as essential tools for the reforms they were undertaking.The church in Italy in the fifteenth century by Denys Hay 2002 page 76 Barbo, who died in 1443, wrote a treatise on prayer titled Forma orationis et meditionis otherwise known as Modus meditandi. He described three types of prayer; vocal prayer, best suited for beginners; meditation, oriented towards those who are more advanced; and contemplation as the highest form of prayer, only obtainable after the meditation stage. Based on the request of Pope Eugene IV, Barbo introduced these methods to Valladolid, Spain and by the end of the 15th century they were being used at the abbey of Montserrat. These methods then influenced Garcias de Cisneros, who in turn influenced Ignatius of Loyola.Christian spirituality in the Catholic tradition by Jordan Aumann 1985 Ignatius Press page 180
The Eastern Orthodox Church has a similar three level hierarchy of prayer.Orthodox prayer life: the interior way by Mattá al-Miskīn 2003 St Vladimir Press, "Chapter 2: Degrees of Prayer" pages 39-42 The art of prayer: an Orthodox anthology by Igumen Chariton 1997 pages 63-65 The first level prayer is again vocal prayer, the second level is meditation (also called "inward prayer" or "discursive prayer") and the third level is contemplative prayer in which a much closer relationship with God is cultivated.
Language in prayer Many conservative Christians use "Thee, Thou, Thy and Thine when addressing God" in prayer; in the Plymouth Brethren catechism Gathering Unto His Name, Norman Crawford explains the practice:
When referring to God, "thou" (as with other pronouns) is often capitalized, e.g. "For Thou hast delivered my soul from death" ().
Types of prayer