The word ‘prayer’, however, is usually understood in a broad sense. For example, the Westminster Shorter Catechism says: ‘Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgement of his mercies.’3 According to this definition, prayer is not merely petition, but includes confession of sins and thanksgiving. Similarly, contemporary theologians define prayer in a broad sense.4 Roland E. Murphy