Dave’s Guid to Writing Prayers
Group or corporate prayer is an important part of worship. The congregation is not just
sitting back and relaxing while one person talks. They are allowing a person (or group of
people) whom they trust give voice to their joys, concerns, and petitions.
If you have been asked to pray an offertory prayer, a pastoral prayer, or an invocation,
you are welcome to find a prayer you like online or in a book and use it. Or, you can
modify a prayer, or write one yourself.
Lots of people think prayers should be off-the-cuff and spontaneous. This is okay in
some cases, but if you were bringing a petition to a king, and speaking for a group of
people, you would rehearse what you would say, right? You’d probably go over it in your
head a hundred times. You’d write it down so that when you delivered your petition, you
would come off as a competent representative of your people. That’s the way we should
approach prayer.
The main parts of a prayer are:
1. Addressing God: Any conversation begins with a greeting or an address, even if it’s
just “Hi, there.”
2. Talking to God: This is the “meat” of the prayer. It could be invocation: “Be present
with us today.” It could be praise: “You are wonderful.” It could be complaint: “We are
tired. Why don’t you hear us?” It can be thanksgiving: “Thanks for this amazing day.”
It can be a request: “Bless Aunt Mary.” Anything you can imagine saying to God in a
group is appropriate here.
3. Conclusion: There are a lot of formulas people use to “sign off,” but the simplest is
just, “Amen,” which means “so be it.” In a group, the congregation will often echo your
amen. Read some other prayers to see how folks conclude, and find a way that feels
natural to you. “By the power of your Holy Spirit we pray,” or “In the name of Jesus
Christ,” are common ways to end public prayer. The main thing is to avoid stumbling
to the end, like: “So, anyway… yeah. I guess that’s it. Amen.” That’s fine for small
group prayers or private prayers, but you are standing in for the voice of the
congregation.
If you choose to write your own prayer, here are some guidelines:
1. Short is good. A paragraph that takes up one-third to one-quarter of a page of paper
is probably long enough—that would be around a minute. Pastoral prayers tend to be
longer because you have more needs to address, and a diverse congregation with
many different needs.
2. Use “We” language. You are speaking for the congregation, so this isn’t about you.
It’s about we, the church. “We praise you today,” not “I praise you today.”
3. Let the images do the work. Rather than use a lot of abstract words, think about a
single image you can paint with your language. “When we see parents pushing their
kids in swings at the park, we remember your motherly love for us.” “We a sad, and
the ache in our chests makes it hard to catch our breath.”
4. Use inclusive language. It’s okay to call God “Father,” or use “he,” as long as we
remember to balance it out with gender-neutral or feminine imagery as well at other
times. Avoid saying “Father and Mother God,” because that’s just overkill. Try
instead, “God who loves us like a parent,” or “God who loves us like a mother.” You
can also address your prayer to Jesus, in which case it’s fine to use masculine
language, or the Holy Spirit, in which case I’d prefer you use feminine language. The
main thing here is not to be “politically correct,” but to give people a chance to
connect with God using imagery that will help them grow spiritually. Big Daddy God is
fine, let’s just not overdo it.
5. Think about your own experience. The best resource you have for writing prayers is
your own experience and your own spiritual journey. Think about what you need to
hear from God, and craft your prayer around that. So, if you’re writing the invocation,
maybe you say, “Let us hear your voice, God. Speak our names.” If you’re writing the
offertory prayer, maybe you say, “Help us let go our fear of not having enough, and
trust in your abundance.” Let God inspire you through your own walk of faith.
That’s it for now. This is a working document, and if you find something helpful, please
feel free to suggest an edit!