Eucharistia Meaning and How to Implement in Prayer

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people” (1 Timothy 2:1 ESV).

This month, we’ve been walking through the language of prayer—building up our fluency in that heavenly language as we prepare our hearts for Easter.

To review, we’ve explored:

• Deēsis—supplication—bringing our needs and brokenness to the Lord.
• Proseuchē—prayers and praise—celebrating who God is and our relationship with Him.
• Enteuxis—intercessions—praying for others.

And now, we’ve come to our final word of prayer, and perhaps the one that provides the biggest shift in perspective.

‘Eucharistia’ Meaning

Eucharistia: the “giving of thanks.” It is grateful language offered back to God for what He’s already done and what we believe He will do . . . even before we have the answer to our cries for help!

With eucharistia, we can thank God for Who He is and what He has promised to do, even before those promises come to be.

‘Eucharistia’ in Prayer

Every night, I force myself to name three specific gifts from the day—a hot shower, my husband’s sense of humor, the ridiculous pink sky. Some nights, it feels forced. But then, as my heart shifts to gratitude, awe floods in with it. It’s a heart-burst when God shows up in something tiny or huge and you realize you’re standing on holy ground in fuzzy socks.

And then . . . I’m speechless, able to utter nothing but a breathless “wow” to the Lord. But that speechless “wow” is eucharistia, too—that praise that springs forth from the root of wonder. With just simple gratitude, my entire heart melts before the Lord, and suddenly, I can’t help but praise.

The Four Ways of Prayer

Deēsis, Proseuchē, Enteuxis, Eucharistia.

Four words. One complete language.

I need—we all need—all four, every day, now more than ever.

So, here’s my very amateur, very honest resolution: I’m going to stumble through the whole vocabulary—deēsis when I’m broken and scared, proseuchē when I have no words, enteuxis when someone else has need, and eucharistia (plus a few breathless “wow”s) when gratitude and wonder remind me I’m already loved beyond reason.

Start Implementing Them

If your prayer life feels more like frantic texting than rich conversation, come stumble with me. We don’t have to be experts. We just have to start talking—really talking—with the God who already knows every Greek word we’re fumbling to learn.

As we approach Easter, let us make a practice of working through each of these words every single day. Let us prepare our hearts to celebrate who He is and all He’s done for us. Let us draw closer to the Lord through each element of prayer, becoming fluent in that Heavenly language.

Through it all, I am praying for you! As we build our fluency, I can’t wait to see how God transforms our hearts and minds and brings us closer to Him!

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Cathe Laurie is the founder and director of the Virtue women’s ministry. She is also a featured speaker on The Virtue Podcast, at Harvest events, and the author of As I See It. You can find her weekly articles here on harvest.org.