Prayer is one of the outward and ordinary means by which Christ strengthens His people. It is not merely a spiritual exercise or a way of organizing our thoughts. In prayer, God invites His children to draw near to Him, bringing before Him our worship, confession, thanksgiving, needs, and desires.
The Westminster Larger Catechism gives a beautifully Trinitarian definition of prayer:
Q. 178. What is prayer?
A. Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, in the name of Christ, by the help of his Spirit; with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.
Westminster Larger Catechism, Q. 178
Prayer therefore begins with God, not with us. We come to the Father, through the Son, by the help of the Holy Spirit.
To God Alone
Prayer is an act of worship and therefore belongs to God alone. He alone searches the heart, hears the requests of His people, pardons sin, and is able to answer according to His perfect wisdom and power. We do not pray to saints, angels, or departed Christians. We pray to the living God.
Prayer, with thanksgiving, being one special part of religious worship, is by God required of all men: and, that it may be accepted, it is to be made in the name of the Son, by the help of his Spirit, according to his will, with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance; and, if vocal, in a known tongue.
Westminster Confession of Faith 21.3
To the Father, Through the Son, By the Spirit
Jesus teaches us to address God as “Our Father.” We come with reverence before the sovereign Lord, but also with the confidence of children approaching a gracious Father. We have this access only through Jesus Christ, our one Mediator. To pray in Jesus’ name is not merely to add a phrase to the end of a prayer; it is to come trusting His mediation, resting upon His promises, and seeking what is agreeable to His will.
We also pray by the help of the Holy Spirit. Because we do not naturally know what or how to pray as we ought, the Spirit helps our weakness and works in us the understanding, affections, faith, and grace necessary for prayer.
What Should Fill Our Prayers?
Scripture teaches us to pray much more broadly than a list of our immediate needs. We pray for the glory of God, the welfare and purity of Christ’s Church, the spread of the gospel, civil magistrates, ministers, ourselves, our brothers and sisters, our enemies, all kinds of people, and even generations yet to come.
The Westminster Confession summarizes this breadth by teaching that prayer is to be made for lawful things and for all sorts of people living, or who shall live hereafter (WCF 21.4).
How Should We Pray?
Christian prayer should be marked by reverence and humility, but also confidence and affection. We come with an awareness of God’s majesty and our own weakness and sin. We pray with penitent and thankful hearts, with understanding, faith, sincerity, fervency, love, and perseverance, while humbly submitting ourselves to God’s will.
The Lord’s Prayer: A Pattern for Prayer
When the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray,” He gave them the Lord’s Prayer. It is not only a prayer to be recited, but a pattern that teaches us what should fill our prayers. The Westminster Larger Catechism expands the Lord’s Prayer as a rich guide for the whole life of prayer.
The prayer can helpfully be viewed in two parts. The first three petitions are the “Thy” petitions, directing us toward God’s name, kingdom, and will. The final three are the “Us” petitions, teaching us to bring before Him our daily needs, forgiveness, and deliverance.
The Three “Thy” Petitions
“Hallowed Be Thy Name”
We pray that God would enable us and others to know, honor, and glorify Him in thought, word, and deed, and that He would order all things for His own glory. (WSC 101; WLC 190)
“Thy Kingdom Come”
We pray for the destruction of the kingdom of sin and Satan, the spread of the gospel, the conversion of sinners, the strengthening and purity of the Church, and the return of Christ. (WSC 102; WLC 191)
“Thy Will Be Done”
We pray that God would overcome our blindness, weakness, and rebellion and make us willing to know, obey, and submit to His will with humility, cheerfulness, faithfulness, diligence, zeal, sincerity, and constancy. (WSC 103; WLC 192)
The Three “Us” Petitions
“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread”
We acknowledge our dependence upon God for every good gift and ask Him to provide what we truly need, bless what He gives, and make us content with His provision. (WSC 104; WLC 193)
“Forgive Us Our Debts”
We confess that we cannot satisfy the debt of our sin and ask God, for Christ’s sake, freely to forgive us, restore us, and enable us to forgive others as we have been forgiven. (WSC 105; WLC 194)
“Lead Us Not into Temptation”
We recognize our weakness before the world, the flesh, and the devil, and ask God to keep us from temptation, strengthen us when tempted, restore us when we fall, and finally deliver us completely from sin and evil. (WSC 106; WLC 195)
Prayer at Seven Springs
Prayer is woven throughout the life of Seven Springs. On the Lord’s Day we pray before the service begins, and throughout the service our prayers ordinarily include an invocation, confession of sin, thanksgiving, prayer for illumination, a pastoral prayer or prayers of the people, and prayer following the sermon. Prayer is not an interruption to worship; it is one of the central ways in which the congregation responds to God.
We also gather for prayer on Wednesday evenings and pray frequently throughout the week for the needs of the congregation, the advance of the gospel, the work of Christ’s Church, our community, and the glory of God.
Our desire is not merely that Christians say more prayers, but that we increasingly learn to pray according to Scripture.
Questions about Prayer
Have a Question about Prayer or a Prayer Request? Contact us!
Why do we pray in Jesus’ name?
Because Jesus Christ is the only Mediator between God and man. Sin has separated us from God, and we have no right of access to Him in ourselves. We come to the Father through the finished work and continuing intercession of Christ. Praying “in Jesus’ name” therefore means more than saying those words at the end of a prayer. It means drawing our confidence, hope, and acceptance from Christ and asking according to His will. (1 Timothy 2:5; John 14:13–14; WLC 180–181; WCF 21.3)
How can I learn to pray better?
Begin with Scripture. Jesus gave the Lord’s Prayer not only to be prayed, but to teach us how to pray. Let its petitions enlarge your prayers beyond your immediate concerns: pray for God’s glory, His kingdom, obedience to His will, daily provision, forgiveness, and deliverance from temptation. The Psalms are also a rich school of prayer because they give us God-inspired words for praise, lament, confession, thanksgiving, and petition.
Our Prayer Guide, based on the Lord’s Prayer and the Westminster Larger Catechism, is designed to help with this. You can work through one petition each day or select one request from each petition as a pattern for private and family prayer.
How often do you pray in your services and church life?
Frequently. We pray before Lord’s Day worship begins, and our services ordinarily include an invocation, confession, thanksgiving, prayer for illumination, a pastoral prayer or prayers of the people, and prayer after the sermon. Some of these prayers may be brief and others more extended, but prayer runs throughout the service.
We also devote significant time to prayer on Wednesday evenings and pray throughout the week for members of the congregation, missionaries, churches, civil authorities, the sick and suffering, the conversion of the lost, and other needs as they arise.
Do Presbyterians pray to saints?
No. We honor faithful Christians who have gone before us, but prayer is an act of religious worship and belongs to God alone. Scripture gives us no command or example of Christians invoking departed saints. Instead, we have direct access to the Father through Jesus Christ, our one Mediator. We therefore pray to God alone, in the name of Christ, by the help of the Holy Spirit. (1 Timothy 2:5; WLC 179–181; WCF 21.2–3)