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Steps of Prayer

The Four Offerings

In Leviticus we read about the four scriptural steps for drawing near to God, each embodied by a type of offering:

  1. Olah (Ascent, Rising), in which we connect with God. Its traditional subsection is Pesookay D'Zeemrah (Verses of Praise) because after properly connecting with God then our instinctual reaction is to give God the praise he deserves.
  2. Minchah (Giving), in which we surrender ourselves to God. Its traditional subsections are Shema (Hear and Obey), in which we proclaim the reality of God's Kingdom and remember our role within it, Amidah (Standing before Adonai), in which we remember God's roles within his Kingdom, and Tachanoon (Supplication), which merge the Shema and Amidah sections by acknowledging that only when God does as he has promised to strengthen us and to sanctify our lives are we able to fulfil our role in his Kingdom.
  3. Chattat and Asham (Atonement for Offenses and Reparation for Guilt), in which we acknowledge God's provision of atonement and redemption, we repent as needed, and we intercede for all God's people.
  4. Sh'lamim (Peace Meal), in which we are nourished and made more holy in God's presence. Its traditional subsections are Torah (Teaching), is which we partake of God's Word, K'rooah (Commission), in which we partake of our calling, and Sof B'Shalom (Conclusion of Peace), in which we share food together.
Please refer to the essays about each for more information about each step. (Not all pages have been written yet. Sorry!)

Two Similar Sequences

These scriptural steps are also very much like the steps by which someone accepts Yeshua's covenant and his role as messiah. First a person must turn to God and reach out to God. Then a person must surrender his or her life to God. Then a person must recognize and confess his or her slavery to sin and repent. Then a person can enter into a previously unattainable intimacy with God and a new kind of spiritual life and growth.

Unsurprisingly, these sections are also the steps to our becoming refreshed and renewed in this covenant relationship with Adonai, and the steps for recognizing and honoring all that Adonai has done for us. This is the point of the traditional Jewish liturgy: to lead us through all the proper ways of thinking about Adonai, his Kingdom, his covenants, and our relationship with him. Thus the other things we do during a service (music, dance, non-liturgical prayer, sermon, discussion, eating together) are freed from this responsibility and may simply enhance the worship by their own merits.

Using the Four Steps

These steps are as appropriate for a private morning prayer time as a full congregational service. They are also useful at weekday prayer meetings, Erev Shabbat gatherings at someone's home, a Havdalah celebration, or even a time of "warm up" prayer before a full service begins.

During the first century, a different person would lead the service each week (including both leading liturgy and giving the sermon). To encourage more participation and discipleship, a group new to these scriptural steps of prayer might change this ancient tradition so that during each service a different congregant leads each of the four steps. At each step, the new leader should begin with some spontaneous prayer, as led by God's Spirit, before starting what has been planned.

In America, Protest Christianity has developed several models of "steps of prayer" which resemble this scriptural example but always fall slightly short. For example, a very popular model uses the acronym ACTS to stand for Adoration (used similarly to Olah), Confession (used similarly for Chattat and Asham), Thanksgiving and Supplication (these last two would sculpturally be part of Sh'lamim). Thus the ACTS model leaves out a distinct focus on giving, although people who use it may be led by God enough to include a time of giving in their Confession section.