Is it wrong to pray written prayers?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

We can find written prayers throughout the Psalms and pray them back to God, such as Psalm 51 for repentance, Psalm 42 and Psalm 73 for depression or discouragement, and Psalm 34 for praising God. The most well-known written prayer is the one Jesus taught His disciples to pray, commonly called the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). However, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 instructs us to pray “without ceasing,” and this means that at times, we will likely need to pray silently or out loud with no written prayer to relate to. We must avoid just repeating written prayers to the point in which we are acting like the Gentiles of old who thought their false gods would hear their prayers because of their many words (Matthew 6:7-8). Romans 8:26 reassures us that we can count on the indwelling Holy Spirit to intercede on our behalf to God when we don’t know what to pray for. Ultimately, prayer strengthens our relationship with God and is a blessing made possible by Christ’s sacrifice for our salvation (Hebrews 4:14-16; 10:19-23).

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The Psalms help us navigate through pain or joy and to express that to God. Praying through Psalm 51 can help us repent of sin in our life, Psalms 42 and 73 are prayers for times when we feel depressed or discouraged. Lastly, Psalm 34 is a prayer of praise to the Lord.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Right before Jesus gave a model for prayer, He said, "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:7-8). Prayer is not some form of incantation where God hears us only if we repeat the right formula. He cares about our hearts, not so much about the complexity of our words.
• Jesus gave us the most famous written prayer, called the Lord’s Prayer. He said, "Pray then like this: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:9-13). This prayer is a helpful guide to what to include in our prayers .
• Romans 8:26 says "we do not know what to pray for as we ought" Thankfully the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf. We don’t need to sound perfect; it’s ok to pray to God despite our weaknesses.
• First Thessalonians 5:17 says to pray to God “without ceasing,” and this likely means praying to God in many different situations or environments.
• The purpose of prayer is having a relationship with our Creator. We are granted this privilege through Jesus Christ. Through His work on the cross, we have access to God, by His grace and received through faith (Hebrews 4:14-16; 10:19-23). Whether praying out loud, in thought, or through writing, we should pray honesty, with hearts genuinely set on God.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

There is nothing wrong with praying written prayers. In fact, the New Testament has multiple examples of what to pray for fellow believers, others, and ourselves (Ephesians 1:15-23; 3:14-21; Philippians 1:3-11; Colossians 1:9-14; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 Timothy 2:1-4). Written prayers can be helpful in a variety of ways—from calming our nerves before praying publicly to giving us an example of how to pray. Some find that writing their prayers down helps with fully expressing themselves and maintaining a record of God's faithfulness. Written prayers have benefits and potential drawbacks. Reciting written prayers as routine rather than praying openly and honestly with God about our feelings and struggles is problematic. Our prayers should be biblically sound and honest.

UNDERSTAND

• Written prayers may offer a useful framework when we have difficulty expressing ourselves in prayer.
• One possible drawback of using written prayers is that they may lead to rote praying when our prayers should be heartfelt.
• The Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf to help us pray as we should.

REFLECT

• What written prayers have you used and why?
• In what situations have written prayers helped you express things you struggled to say on your own?
• How can you guard against prayer becoming a routine ritual rather than heartfelt communication with God?

ENGAGE

• What are some benefits and potential pitfalls of using written prayers in personal or public worship?
• In what ways can we encourage one another to use both structured and spontaneous prayer as tools for spiritual growth?
• What are some ways that the church can help new believers become more comfortable with prayer?