The Greek verb deomai means to beg, beseech, entreat, or earnestly request — used both of human petitions to other humans and of prayer directed to God. It conveys urgent, heartfelt supplication.
Deomai is used for some of the most fervent prayers and appeals in the New Testament. Paul 'begs' (deomai) the Corinthians to be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20). Lepers, fathers of sick children, and the desperate all deomai Jesus in the Gospels. Jesus himself describes prayer with intensity: 'Ask (aiteite), seek (zēteite), knock (krouete).' The word family around deomai (including deēsis — petition) appears in Paul's call for 'requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving' (1 Timothy 2:1). The model of urgent, persistent prayer that deomai embodies is exemplified supremely in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed with such intensity that 'his sweat was like drops of blood' (Luke 22:44).