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One structure for prayer is used by the English theologian and archbishop Thomas Cranmer in some of the corporate prayers he wrote for the Book of Common Prayer in the 1500s. The below prayer is probably the best known from that book:
“Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee and worthily magnify thy holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
There are five components in this prayer structure:
- First is the address, or a name of God. In this prayer: “Almighty God.”
- Second is doctrine — a truth about God’s nature or character that forms the basis of the prayer: “unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid.”
- Third is the petition, or request: “cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit.”
- Fourth is the aspiration — the result if the request is granted: “that we may perfectly love thee and worthily magnify thy holy name.”
- Fifth is the closing, such as “in Jesus’ name,” remembering Jesus’ mediatorial role. In this prayer: “through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
When I first learned this structure, I realized I often left out the aspiration, even though it is a powerful part of prayer. Many Bible passages include this kind of statement: “so that we might…” or “so that the world might…” After reading about this structure in a book, I began writing prayers using these five components. Since then, I’ve written hundreds of prayers this way.
We’ll now pray through four sample prayers. After each one, there will be a minute of silent reflection.
The first prayer is from Ezra 9:4–15.
“Lord our God, the just God, who knows that our iniquities have risen higher than our heads and that our guilt has mounted up to the heavens, yet who punishes us less than we deserve: forgive us our sins, show favor to us, and extend your steadfast love to us, so that our shame might be removed, our eyes might brighten, and we might know your protection. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.”
Let’s reflect silently on this prayer.
The second prayer is from Psalm 27.
“Lord, my light, my salvation, and the stronghold of my life, whose presence chases away fear and gives confidence: hide me in your shelter in the day of trouble. Conceal me under the cover of your tent and lift me high upon a rock, so that I might dwell in your house, gaze upon your beauty all the days of my life, offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, and sing and make melody to you. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.”
Let’s quietly meditate on this prayer.
The third prayer is from 2 Corinthians 12.
“Lord God, giver of revelations, whose grace is sufficient and whose power is available, may your power be made perfect in weakness, so that we may not become conceited, but instead live and serve in the strength of Christ. In His name we pray, amen.”
Let’s quietly reflect on this prayer.
The fourth prayer is from Revelation 21:5–8.
“Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, who is making all things new and whose words are trustworthy and true: may some who are currently heading toward destruction instead become among the thirsty, to whom you will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. In your name we pray, amen.”
Let’s spend a minute praying for relatives, friends, or co-workers who are not yet believers.
Now we’re going to write a prayer together based on Matthew 9:36–38.
“When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’”
What could be the address in this prayer? What name of God do you see?
Here is how I would write a prayer from this passage:
“Jesus, who sees the crowds and has compassion for them, send out laborers into the harvest so that harassed and helpless sheep might find you. For the glory of your name we pray. Amen.”
You will now have about 15 minutes to write one or two prayers. Choose a passage of Scripture and look for:
- A name of God
- A truth about God
- A petition
- An aspiration
What do you do when you get stuck writing a prayer?
Sometimes certain passages simply do not fit this structure. The first thing I do is expand the passage. I also ask others what they see in the text because different people notice different things.
And yes, when you get stuck writing a prayer, the first thing to do may simply be to pray.
Can we combine Scriptures from different parts of the Bible into one prayer?
Yes. The sample prayer from the Book of Common Prayer draws from multiple passages. I’ve done that as well, though I usually prefer focusing on one passage.
Can we include more than one petition?
Yes. Some Psalms contain many petitions. Sometimes I write short prayers with one petition; other times they are much longer. It depends on the situation. If I’m writing for personal prayer, it may be longer. If I’m sending a prayer to comfort someone, I usually keep it shorter.
Andy Smith serves with OMF International as a church planter, trainer and leader. He is also a prolific writer publishing dozens of articles and five books. He is currently writing devotional materials for Scripture Union and is working on two new book manuscripts.