How should we ask God?

For the past couple of months at Catford Community Church we've been thinking through prayer, in various different forms, based on Pete Grieg's How to Pray - Pause, Rejoice, Ask, Yield.

In the middle of exploring 'Asking-Prayer' I was interested to come across a new little book focussed on how we can revitalise our asking prayers by looking at the pattern of prayer in the Bible and in the church.  In To You All Hearts Are Open Scot McKnight identifies a particular pattern of prayer in prayers recorded in the Bible, which is reflected in the prayers of many churches known as 'Collects'.

McKnight sees five elements that commonly appear in biblical prayers that ask something of God, so that the person praying:

  • Addresses God - often in the Old Testament this was simply addressing God as 'Lord' or 'Lord Almighty'.  Jesus and the New Testament writers encourage us to approach God as Father.
  • Reminds God - mentions some quality of God or something that God has done, which gives a reason to expect that God will be interested in what is to be asked.  Although McKnight doesn't mention this, it seems good to remind ourselves as well as God!
  • Asks God - this is the heart of what the prayer is about, and the reason for praying this particular prayer.
  • Expects God - this gives a reason for asking, and refers to what we hope or expect to be the outcome of God's answering the prayer
  • Accesses God - through Christ, in the Holy Spirit.

The book gives lots of examples from the Bible, for instance Hezekiah's prayer in Isaiah 37:15-20.  Here, Hezekiah addresses God as 'Lord Almighty, the God of Israel' and reminds God (and himself) that God is 'enthroned between the cherubim, [and is] alone God over all the kingdoms of the earth.'

On this basis, Hezekiah then asks God to deliver Israel from the Assyrian king Sennacherib, with the expectation that 'all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are the only God.'

A similar pattern is picked up in the New Testament, for example in the Paul's prayers for the churches he writes to - Ephesians 3:14-21 shows the different parts of prayer mentioned above.

As the church has gathered and written prayers over the years, this pattern has been used especially in the prayers known as 'Collects'; the book takes its name from one of the best known, which is below set out showing the different elements.  

I have found this a helpful way of thinking about and structuring asking-prayer.  It makes prayer more than simply than a list of requests to God, and it's good to think about why I might expect God to be willing to answer my prayer.

The Collect for Purity:

Almighty God

to you all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from you no secrets are hid:

Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit

that we may perfectly love you
and worthily magnify your holy Name;

through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

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