Prayer:
 

I'm focusing in on prayer. In my studies I discovered that while prayer is rather simple, technically there are different types and methods of prayer. I wanted to list what I've found here and see if anyone had any insight on perhaps other types of prayer, forms of prayer, etc.

Types of Prayer:

Individual Prayer
Corporate Prayer
Repentance
Supplication (Request)
Thanksgiving
Worship
Consecration
Intercession
Imprecation
Mindfulness
Declaration
Binding/Loosing
Deliverance (Spiritual Warfare)
Contemplative (Meditation)
Soaking (Empowerment/Healing)
Tongues
Trance

There are also different bodily positions and approaches with regards to prayer. No specific one is "mandated" by Scripture. It appears that one's position and approach to prayer is more related to time, place, and individual preference.

Silent
Verbal (impromptu or read)
Standing
Kneeling
Laying
Prostrate
Sitting
Walking

There are also accessories to prayer. None of these are "mandated" by Scripture. Many aren't even found in Scripture. I note these things only because in the study of prayer I found that these things have often been used throughout history by various Christians. Accessories to prayer are designed to appeal to one or more of the five senses to set specific atmosphere to assist in focus and intentionality. Others are only to help count prayers or to help remind the individual to pray. Some are symbolic, and so they represent a spiritual truth or reality. Some Christian sects believe that some of these accessories might provide a means of spiritual grace and/or power. The use of accessories, and the accessories used, is often determined by a given sect's traditions or simply personal preference.

(Special note: Based on some schools of interpretation some of these accessories are believed by many to be prohibited by the Scriptures.)

Scripture
Anointing Oil
Prayer Cloths
Prayer Journals
Devotionals
Personal Item (for example a certain rocking chair)
Oil Lamps
Altars (personal, church, or natural)
Votive Candles
Incense
Blessed Water
Prayer Beads
Specialized Jewelry
Hand Held Crosses
Pocket Crosses
Coins/Tokens
Walking Sticks (rod or staff)
Pictures
Icons
Relics

Biblically speaking, I can only find the use of the following accessories mentioned in Scripture:

Scripture (Recitation during prayer)
Anointing Oil (New Testament)
Prayer Cloths (New Testament)
Altars (Old Testament)
Incense (Old Testament, New Testament/Symbolic)
Candles (Old Testament, New Testament/Symbolic)
Blessed Water (Old Testament)
Specialized Jewelry (Old Testament)
Walking Sticks/Rods/Staffs (Old Testament)

As for Apostolic Pentecostal Church tradition, I've only seen the following accessories used widely:

Scripture
Anointing Oil
Prayer Cloths

I have seen Apostolics use the following as accessories to prayer, but these are "oddities" of sorts:

Uncut hair
Cloth pocket cross
Prayer carpets (an evangelist that visited a church I attended was selling them)
Walking Stick/Rod/Staff

But after all my study and reflection on this, I think it should be said that regardless of tradition or personal preference, accessories are not needed in any way in the practice of prayer.

I think what caught my interest the most were all the different types of prayer there are. I've experienced all of them at some point or another in my prayer life. However, I didn't understand exactly how they were defined and distinguished from one another.

Re: Prayer:
 

The bold is new age garbage.

Re: Prayer:
 

Imprecation?

Word forms: plural imprecations 
variable noun
An imprecation is something rude, angry, or hostile that is said to or about someone.

Synonyms: curse, denunciation, anathema, blasphemy

Re: Prayer:
 

Apparently these must include other "prayers" which aren't to God. :blink

Where did you get this information, Aquila?

Re: Prayer:
 

I'm not very knowledgeable about "Contemplative" prayer. So, I cannot comment on it.

With soaking prayer, I have experienced much blessing. It's simply opening one's soul to the presence of God... and staying there. No talking. No chattering. No yelling. No screaming. No demonstrative demonstrations of tongues. Just... being in, enjoying, and receiving and experiencing the reality of God's love, power, and presence. It's enjoying His warmth, love, presence, power, and healing as one might bask in the sun on a warm sunny day.

Most of us have done this. We just never called it "soaking prayer". I remember in an old time United Pentecostal church we had prayer meetings and saints would be seated rocking back and forth silently. Some praying openly in tongues or words of praise, worship, or supplication. Others would be sitting or laying prostrate and just weeping. Many of us talked about how wonderful and empowering it was to just sit in the Lord's presence without a word sometimes.

Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God,

And when I speak of a "trance", I'm speaking of...

Peter...

Acts 10:10
And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,

Acts 11:5
I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me:

Paul...

Acts 22:17
And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;

A trance can be a powerful state of prayer wherein one receives visionary experiences or other revelatory understanding or experiences. When I was baptized in the Holy Spirit I spoke in tongues for over 40 minutes. I don't remember what was happening around me. I was just experiencing the reality of God. It felt like it was only 5 minutes. I was soaked. I don't remember crying and sweating so much.

On another occasion we had a blow-out service in church and people were laying scattered about the sanctuary like a bomb went off. Even musicians and praise singers were on the ground. I remember that sense of timelessness. And I remember the thought, "He's here.", and actually sensing Him. I remember the vision I had that night. It was very powerful and moving to me. Just the thought that He was present and that His very Spirit was bringing visions to the body brought me to weeping and tongues. Just that lasted at least 20 or 30 minutes. There was no sense of time.

Many of us (most likely even yourself) have had these experiences in prayer. And yes, they can contain visionary experiences. This depth of prayer in the Holy Spirit is known biblically as a "trance".

Re: Prayer:
 

Here's a decent explanation for those who aren't familiar with the term "imprecation" as it relates to prayer:

Question: "What is imprecatory prayer?"

Answer: First of all, let’s define imprecatory prayer. To imprecate means “to invoke evil upon or curse” one’s enemies. King David, the psalmist most associated with imprecatory verses such as Psalm 55:15, 69:28, and 109:8, often used phrases like, “may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them” (Psalm 35:6) and “O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!” (Psalm 58:6).

Psalms 7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 109, and 139 were written by David to ask God to bring judgment upon his enemies. (The other two imprecatory psalms, 79 and 137, were written by Asaph and an unknown psalmist.) These prayers were written not so much to exact revenge upon one’s enemies, but rather to emphasize God’s abhorrence of evil, His sovereignty over all mankind, and His divine protection of His chosen people. Many of these prayers were prophetic and could be seen taking place later in the New Testament in actual historical events.

When David prayed for God to shatter the teeth of his enemies, likening them to young lions pursuing him to his death, he was making the point that God is holy, righteous, and just, and He will ultimately judge the wicked for the evil they do. Jesus quoted some of the imprecatory psalms during His earthly ministry. In John 15:25, Jesus quotes Psalm 35:19 and 69:4. Paul also quoted an imprecatory prayer in Romans 11:9–10, which is a quote of Psalm 69:22–23. Since Jesus and Paul quoted verses from these imprecatory psalms, it proves those psalms were inspired by God and counters any allegation that they were sinful or selfish prayers of revenge.

Using imprecatory prayers from the Psalms today should only be done against our spiritual enemies (Ephesians 6:12). Praying imprecations on human foes is unjustifiable, as it would require taking these prayers out of context. In the New Testament, Jesus exhorts us to pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44–48; Luke 6:27–38), but praying for their death or for bad things to happen to them isn’t what He meant. Instead, we are to pray for their salvation first and foremost, and then for God’s will to be done. There's no greater blessing than a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and that’s what Jesus means by praying for and blessing those who curse us.

Praying in that manner allows God to work in our own lives to soften our hearts toward our enemies so that we’ll have compassion on them for their eternal destiny, and to remove bitterness and anger from our hearts. Praying for God’s will to be done means we agree with God and are submitting ourselves to His divine sovereignty, despite not always understanding perfectly what He’s doing in a particular situation. And it means we have given up the idea that we know best and instead are now relying on and trusting in God to work His will. If a personal wrong has truly been done to us, we seek God in prayer about it, and then leave room for God’s judgment and trust Him to do what is best. That is the way to be at peace with God and all men (Romans 12:17-21).

Recommended Resource: Prayer, The Great Adventure by David Jeremiah

https://www.gotquestions.org/imprecatory-prayer.html

Many of us have prayed prayers of imprecation against spiritual enemies, Satan, sin, sickness, or even circumstances. We just never called it "imprecation" or "imprecation prayer". It's been called rebuke, spiritual warfare, binding, cursing, etc. But that's all this is. No need to fuss.

Re: Prayer:
 

Is there one Biblical example of praying imprecations, AS PRAYER, against "demons, sickness, sin, satan, or even circumstances"?

I don't mean rebuking unclean spirits or casting out demons, or praying FOR a particular circumstance, I mean asking God to curse the things you listed.

Re: Prayer:
 

Please remember, I'm only reflecting on what I've discovered to be common practices. I'm sure that not all of these things are "biblical" in the sense of having proof texts to support them.

But let me look at your question.

The first things that come to my mind are the following examples. Each might be considered an imprecation depending upon how one views an imprecation. It helps if one remembers that in Scripture, while many imprecations are a prayer for God to avenge one of one's enemies (as we see in the Psalms), many imprecations are "declarative". I say this because the Israelites not only believed in prayer to God as a request for God to act (for good or for vengeance), they also believed that the spoken word had power. And so declarative imprecations bore the power of God when spoken by God's anointed. The Holman Bible Dictionary states the following:

The unique concept of the spoken word, especially in the context of worship or other formal settings, is important for understanding the significance of both cursing and blessing. According to Old Testament thought patterns, the formally spoken word had both an independent existence and the power of its own fulfillment. The word once spoken assumed a history of its own, almost a personality of itself. The word also had the power of its own fulfillment. Both of these concepts are fundamental to understanding Isaiah's emphasis on God's Word: “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I send it” (Isaiah 55:10-11 ; cf. Jeremiah 1:12 ). The Word of God exists as a reality and has within itself the power of its own fulfillment. Formal words of blessing or cursing also had the same power of self-fulfillment. When Isaac mistakenly blessed Jacob rather than Esau, he could not recall the blessing, for it existed in history (Genesis 27:18-41 ); it had acquired an identity of its own. Blessing and cursing released suprahuman powers which could bring to pass the content of the curse or the blessing.

So, one must understand that a prayer of imprecation doesn't necessarily have to be a "prayer" to God, it can be "declarative", spoken from the very lips of the saint of God. In our modern mind we see words spoken as just words spoken ("sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me"). This concept was alien to the ancient mind. A word spoken, a word written, a word declared had power the moment it was released.

Here are the examples I spoke of that immediately come to my mind:

Acts 5:1-10 King James Version (KJV)
5 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.
3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.
7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.
8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.
9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.
10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

Here, Peter speaks to Ananias and Sapphira. His words bear imprecation, and the judgment is carried out by the power of God. Although Peter doesn't specifically curse Ananias with death verbally, clearly the imprecation of God's judgment was carried out in response to Peter's declaration of his sin. Now, when Peter addresses Sapphira, we see that he essentially tells her that she will die as her husband did, and the imprecation of God's judgment was manifest as spoken.

Then we have Paul...

Acts 13:6-12 King James Version (KJV)
6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:
7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him.
10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

Paul's response to the sorcerer would be an example of an imprecation. I see a blending of two forms of prayer in Paul's response. Paul makes a declaration of imprecation through the power of the Holy Spirit and the sorcerer is cursed with blindness.

Paul also writes an imprecation against false teachers. For example:

1 Corinthians 16:22 King James Version (KJV)
22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.

Galatians 1:6-9 King James Version (KJV)
6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

When Paul is addressing the Judaizing influence of the Judaizers in Galatia, he addresses those who were demanding that gentile believers be circumcised in accordance to the Law of Moses by saying:

Galatians 5:11-13 King James Version (KJV)
11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.
12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you.
13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

What is interesting is that Paul writes of his desire to see those who trouble them with the demand to be circumcised "cut off". This speaks of being cut off, separated from God's covenant people. In addition, it is a double entendre seeing that these were requiring circumcision. The language can also mean that Paul would like to see those who troubled the Galatians not only circumcised, but completely castrated.

To Timothy Paul writes:

2 Timothy 4:12-15 King James Version (KJV)
12 And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus.
13 The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.
14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:
15 Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.

Here Paul writes about a coppersmith named Alexander. Paul specifically writes that his desire is to see the Lord reward the man for having opposed the spreading of the Gospel and for the "evil" he apparently perpetrated against Paul.

One should note, imprecations were not spoken against people for mere light offenses. Typically these were individuals who withstood the Gospel or caused great harm to one or more of God's saints. Imprecations were spoken or written against sin and rebellion.

TO BE CONTINUED:

Re: Prayer:
 

CONTINUED:

Now we come to Jesus. We see imprecations spoke by Jesus throughout the Gospels. These imprecations were spoken against the Pharisees, the nation of Israel, the city of Jerusalem, and perhaps others. One of Christ's longest imprecations can be found in Matthew 23...

Matthew 23 King James Version (KJV)

1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
2 Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

Christ speaks imprecation against the high priest:

Matthew 26:63-64 King James Version (KJV)
63 But Jesus held his peace, And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Believe it or not, this is rather serious prophetic language. Here Jesus tells the high priest that he will essentially see Himself returning in judgment. It would be tantamount to saying, "You said it... and after all is said and done here... I'm coming back to destroy you." Christ speaks imprecations against the Pharisees rather frequently in the Gospels. Christ also curses the fig tree, the nation, etc.

Peter writes an imprecation of sorts:

2 Peter 2:12-17 King James Version (KJV)
12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;
14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
17 These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

In the Revelation John writes:

Revelation 22:18-19 King James Version (KJV)
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

I could go on and on, but I think you most likely understand what I'm saying.

Re: Prayer:
 

Aquila, I asked about imprecations as prayer against demons, sicknesses, circumstances, etc. You provided examples of imprecations against people, some arguable, some not even prayers but simple curses, and none which met the question. Not trying to be a hard head here, but just pointing that out.

"Is there one Biblical example of praying imprecations, AS PRAYER, against "demons, sickness, sin, satan, or even circumstances"?

I don't mean rebuking unclean spirits or casting out demons, or praying FOR a particular circumstance, I mean asking God to curse the things you listed."