Prayer typically has several components that make up a Biblical prayer. The Bible portrays each of these components with abundant examples. These components can be thought of as the ingredients of a cake. Most cakes use the same, or similar, ingredients: eggs, flour, sugar, etc. However, there are vegan cakes without eggs, keto cakes without sugar, and gluten-free cakes without flour. It is similar with prayer. Though a Biblical prayer will typically include adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication, and intercession, there will be plenty of times in a Christian’s life where one or two components are highlighted above the others. Some prayers will be primarily confession, thanksgiving, or intercession.
Adoration is often the first, or primary, component of prayer. Adoration is “worshipping and adoring God for all that he is.” In Psalm 145, David worships and adores God: “Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.” Confession, similarly, is an integral part of a Christian’s prayer. Confession is the first steps of every child of God. Truly, every Christian’s testimony includes the first, and regular, confession of sin. In Daniel, we read his own confession to God: “I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, ‘Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances.’”