# God’s Social Media: Prayer—Part 4

- Link: https://fontlife.com/gods-social-media-prayer-part4/
- Published: 2013-12-02T08:00:01-05:00
- Author: Victor Font

[⌊God's Social Media: Prayer—Part 4⌉⌊God's Social Media: Prayer—Part 4⌉[

Image Courtesy of [Cheryl Empey](http://www.sxc.hu/profile/cempey)

While some people today think prayer ought to be very formal, the Bible documents
that people prayed in many different circumstances. Here are a few of the circumstances
in which they prayed:

They prayed wearing sackcloth:

> But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing _was_ sackcloth: I humbled my 
> soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.—Psalm 35:13

## Sitting in Ashes

> And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the
> ashes.—Job 2:8

## Smiting their Breasts

> And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as _his_ eyes unto
> heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.—Luke
> 18:13

## Crying Tears

> I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch
> with my tears.—Psalm 6:6

## Throwing Dust on their Heads

> And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark
> of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon
> their heads.—Joshua 7:6

## Tearing Garments

> And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and
> put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.—
> 1 Kings 21:27

## Fasting

> And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights:
> I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned,
> in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.—Deuteronomy
> 9:18

## Sighing

> Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of
> Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and 
> I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice. And at the evening sacrifice I arose
> up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my
> knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, And said, O my God, I am 
> ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased
> over _our_ head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. Since the days
> of our fathers _have_ we _been_ in a great trespass unto this day; and for our
> iniquities have we, our kings, _and_ our priests, been delivered into the hand
> of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to 
> confusion of face, as _it is_ this day. And now for a little space grace hath 
> been _shewed_ from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give
> us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a 
> little reviving in our bondage. For we _were_ bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken
> us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of
> Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the
> desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. And now,
> O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,
> Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto
> which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people
> of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another
> with their uncleanness. Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons,
> neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth
> for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave _it_ 
> for an inheritance to your children for ever. And after all that is come upon 
> us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast
> punished us less than our iniquities _deserve_, and hast given us _such_ deliverance
> as this; Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the
> people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst
> consumed _us_, so that _there should be_ no remnant nor escaping? O LORD God of
> Israel, thou _art_ righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as _it is_ this day: 
> behold, we _are_ before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee
> because of this.—Ezra 9:4–15

## Groaning

> Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies’ sake. For in death
> _there is_ no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks? I 
> am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch
> with my tears.—Psalm 6:4–6

## Crying out Loud

> Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications
> with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and
> was heard in that he feared;—Hebrews 5:7

## Sweating Blood

> And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great
> drops of blood falling down to the ground.—Luke 22:44

## Agonizing with Broken Hearts

> The LORD _is_ nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be
> of a contrite spirit.—Psalm 34:18

## Making a Vow

> And Paul _after this_ tarried _there_ yet a good while, and then took his leave
> of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila;
> having shorn _his_ head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.—Acts 18:18

## Making Sacrifices

> The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend 
> thee; Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; Remember
> all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.—Psalm 20:1–3

## And Singing Songs

> And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners
> heard them.—Acts 16:25

<= [God’s Social Media: Prayer—Part 3](https://fontlife.com/blog/gods-social-media-prayer-part3/)

[God’s Social Media: Prayer—Part 5](https://fontlife.com/blog/gods-social-media-prayer-part5/)
=>