Difference Between Wish and Prayer
The distinction between a wish and a prayer lies in their underlying nature and purpose. A wish is a desire or hope for something to happen, whereas a prayer is a deliberate act of communication with God, involving reverence, submission, and trust [4].
In biblical terms, prayer is described as "converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him" [1]. This definition highlights the interactive and relational aspect of prayer, distinguishing it from a mere wish. While a wish may be a casual or fleeting thought, prayer involves a conscious and intentional turning to God.
The Lord's Prayer, as taught by Jesus, exemplifies the characteristics of a prayer. It is a model that "embodies every possible desire of a praying heart, a whole world of spiritual requirements; yet all in the most simple, condensed and humble form" [3]. The petitions in the Lord's Prayer are not mere wishes but expressions of dependence on God and a desire to align one's will with His.
Theologians across various traditions have grappled with the nature and efficacy of prayer. According to John Calvin, prayer is an expression of our desires to God, and it is right to ask for something in prayer when it is right to desire it [5]. Thomas Aquinas also emphasizes the importance of aligning one's desires with God's will, arguing that the Lord's Prayer is most perfect because it contains everything that one can rightly desire [5].
In contrast, a wish may not necessarily be aligned with God's will or purposes. The biblical text notes that "the desire of the righteous [is] only good: [but] the expectation of the wicked [is] wrath" [2]. This highlights the importance of ensuring that one's desires and prayers are in line with God's character and purposes.
The Jewish tradition, as reflected in the Babylonian Talmud, also distinguishes between prayer and other forms of expression, such as blessings. Prayer is considered a rabbinic institution, distinct from Torah-law mitzvot like the recitation of Shema and Grace after Meals [7].
In Christian theology, the act of praying is seen as a means of participating in God's purposes and aligning one's will with His. According to Charles Hodge, prayer involves "manifest[ing] or express[ing] to Him our reverence, and love for his divine perfection, our gratitude for all his mercies, our penitence for our sins, our hope in his forgiving love, our submission to his authority, our confidence in his care" [4].
The early Church Fathers also emphasized the importance of prayer as a means of cultivating a right relationship with God. Augustine notes that prayer involves transforming one's human will to align with God's will, as exemplified in Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane [6].
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Prayer — Is converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him. Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant, ejaculatory or formal. It is a "beseeching the Lord" (Ex. 32:11); "pouring out the soul before the Lord" (1 Sam. 1:15); "praying and crying to heaven" (2 Chr. 32:20); "seeking unto God and making supplication" (Job 8:5); "drawing near to God" (Ps. 73:28); "bowing the knees" (Eph. 3:14). Prayer presupposes a belief in the personality of God, his ability and willingness to hold inter”
- Proverbs “Proverbs 11:23 (Webster) — The desire of the righteous [is] only good: [but] the expectation of the wicked [is] wrath.”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Lords Prayer — the prayer which Jesus taught his disciples. (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4) "In this prayer our Lord shows his disciples how an infinite variety of wants and requests can be compressed into a few humble petitions. It embodies every possible desire of a praying heart, a whole world of spiritual requirements; yet all in the most simple, condensed and humble form, resembling, in this respect, a pearl on which the light of heaven plays."--Lange. "This prayer contains four great general sentiments, which constitute the very soul of religion,--sentiments which”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 73: § 20. Prayer. Prayer is the converse of the soul with God. Therein we manifest or express to Him our reverence, and love for his divine perfection, our gratitude for all his mercies, our penitence for our sins, our hope in his forgiving love, our submission to his authority, our confidence in his care, our desires for his favour, and for the providential and spiritual blessings needed for ourselves and others. As religion, in the subjective sense of the word, is the state of mind induced by the due apprehension of the character of God and”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of Prayer, Art. 9: Article: Whether the seven petitions of the Lord's Prayer are fittingly assigned? I answer that, The Lord's Prayer is most perfect, because, as Augustine says (ad Probam Ep. cxxx, 12), "if we pray rightly and fittingly, we can say nothing else but what is contained in this prayer of our Lord." For since prayer interprets our desires, as it were, before God, then alone is it right to ask for something in our prayers when it is right that we should desire it. Now in the Lord's Prayer not only do we a”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 1: Augustine — Confessions, Letters — CHAP. XIV. -- 25. Perhaps you may still ask why the apostle said, "We know not what to pray for as we ought," 4 for it is wholly incredible that either he or those to whom he wrote were ignorant of th (part 2): this cup pass from me," transforming the human will which was in Him through His incarnation, He immediately added, "Nevertheless, O Father, not as I will but as Thou wilt."'° Wherefore, not without reason are many made righteous by the obedience of One." 27. But whoever desires from the Lord that "one thing," and seeks after it, 12 asks i”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 21a.2: The Gemara responds: Prayer is different in that it does not contain the acceptance of the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven. The Gemara rejects this: And Grace after Meals does not contain the acceptance of the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven, and yet we learned in the mishna: Over food, one recites a blessing afterward, but does not recite a blessing beforehand. Rather, the differences must be explained otherwise: The recitation of Shema and Grace after Meals are both mitzvot by Torah law, while prayer is only by rabbinic law. Therefore, one who is impure need no”