But First, How to Pray in Public
Prayer Series 003: Introducing the Collect Prayer
Overthinking Praying Out Loud
I still get nervous when people ask me to pray for the meal.
I want to offer a prayer that sounds sincere. You know? Because I’m a sincere guy.
I want to offer a prayer that is concise. You know? Because the food is getting cold.
I want to offer a prayer that is Scripturally sound. You know? Because the Bible.
I want to offer a prayer that is semi-profound. You know? Because that’s cool.
I want to offer a prayer that is not too profound. You know? Because that’d be pretentious.
So a sincere, concise, biblical prayer with a moderate amount of profundity is what I’m aiming for in prayer.
I’ve said some really strange and awkward public prayers because of this kind of overthinking.
The Collect Prayer
Below is a simple formula for offering a sincere and meaningful prayer at any given time.
It’s a form of prayer that dates all the way back to the earliest Christians and is still practiced in Anglican, Catholic, and Methodist traditions called The Collect Prayer.
Here is the basic formulation:
God Who… Name a Scriptural action or attribute of God
As We… Name the particular moment or occasion of your gathering
Help us… Offer one request of God
So that… Name the hoped outcome of your prayer
In the Name… Close in the name of Christ or the Father Son and Holy Spirit
Examples
God who guides our path with your word… As we gather to study your Scriptures Help us to hunger for your Word like a deer pants for water… So that we might be a people who live not on bread alone but your living Word. In the Name of Christ our LORD, we pray. Amen.
God who calls us to carry one another’s burdens… As we gather in this home to break bread… Help us to be attentive to what you’re doing in one another’s lives… So that we might help one another continue our journey towards you. In the Name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen.
God who called Moses to lead your people out of Egypt… As we gather in protest of the injustice in our world… We ask that you would make us as bold and courageous as that stuttering prophet… So that your voice of justice would be heard in our land. In the Name of Christ, we cry out. Amen.
Principles of Prayer
The collect prayer gifts us with a few principles for prayer:
001 Prayer begins with God
Like a bad date, we often speak to God without really taking notice of God. Assuming that what we have is so important, we often don’t take time to remember who God is.
Instead of focusing first on our desires or anxieties, the collect prayer invites us to begin by placing our attention on God….
002 Praying with Scripture Centers Us in the Particular God Revealed in Jesus
It’s ok and beautiful and incarnational to use our own vernacular and language when addressing God in prayer. Please recall my previous post about youth pastors who mention Star Wars in public prayer…
But when we use Scriptural images and phrases, it casts our imagination on the God revealed in Scripture.
As followers of Christ, we do not pray to a generic God, but a particular One revealed most fully in the life death and resurrection of Jesus.
When we say things like, “God who calls us to be makers of peace…” “God revealed in Christ who prayed for his accusers…”
These words center us in God’s presence and character.
003 Prayer is the Intersection of Heaven and Earth
When the phrase God who… interacts with the words As we…
We are engaging our spiritual capacity to name, feel, see, hope, and commune with God in the actual context of our lives.
This is the ultimate aim of spiritual maturity — to live in unending union with God in real time.
I invite you to practice just that… Name an attribute of God and name your present circumstance and surroundings…
As you… go through your day, address the God who… walked with Enoch in the cool of the day…
As you… interact with your children, address the God who… said the Kingdom of God belongs to children…
As you… show up for work, address the God who… invites us to work as if working for the LORD…
As you… wait in line at the grocery store, address the God who… looks upon the rise in consumer price index with — oh wait that wasn’t in the Bible.
But I hope you get the picture.
Next time you are asked to pray in public, try the collect prayer. Name an attribute of God. Name the particular moment. Ask God to move. Close in the Name of Jesus. Your friends will thank you for the concise and scriptural moment of relative profundity.