ABSTRACT
Prayer, the word, entered the English language via old French prier, which comes
from the old Latin precari ‘ask earnestly, beg, pray’; it is an old word for ‘pledge’ or ‘I
pray thee’. Prayer is the process of addressing a superhuman being for purposes of
praise, adoration, thanksgiving petition or penitence. It does not belong to any
particular religion or culture. The basis of prayer differs according to the under-
standing of God’s relationship to humans and their world. In Christian belief, God’s
concern for humanity is manifested in the incarnation of Jesus Christ who taught
his disciples the Lord’s Prayer.2
