The Value of Set Prayers

My entire Christian life has been spent in what is sometimes called the "low church": low not because it attracts the lower classes (which it does) nor because it is theologically shallow (which it is not). Rather the "low church" is that part of the church that has spurned liturgy and ceremony in favor of spontaneity and authenticity.

There are incredibly good historical reason why people in the past spurned formal written prayers in favor of informal prayers. In the 17th century, the reformed church especially in its Lutheran expression had devolved into a "dead orthodoxy." Church members held to the form of religion but knew nothing of genuine Christian conversion (2 Tim 3:5). Men like Philip Spener called for a new reformation of the supposedly reformed Lutheran church. Spener and other so-called Pietists called the church back to a "religion of the heart" - a real spiritual connection with the resurrected Christ. Accompanying the "religion of the heart" was the practice of more spontaneous heart-felt prayers.

Many Vineyard people who grew up in "high church" settings likewise found that they were "just going through the motions" as they prayed from prayer books as children. After they genuinely met Christ, the old wineskins of formal prayers could not contain the new wine of their passionate love for Jesus.

My experience has been exactly the reverse of many Christians. As I said, my entire Christian life has been spent in the "low church." All I've ever known was spontaneous praying. I never used a prayer book - except as a Jewish child in synagogue and then I didn't understand the prayers because they were all in Hebrew.

But over the last few years, I have become increasingly disturbed by the shallowness of my spontaneous prayers. As a general rule, after 30 years of following Christ, my prayers were tragically ego-centric and present-circumstance driven. Most of my prayers were driven either by pain in my own life or pain in the life of someone I knew or else a present circumstance that I believed needed God's immediate intervention.

Whole realms of prayer were regularly neglected in my devotions. For example, in my intercession, I rarely prayed for the Pope of leaders or other Christian denominations. I rarely prayed for the President or the Mayor or the school Superintendent and I never prayed for their families. I rarely confessed "sins of omission." All of my confessions were confined to things I felt guilty about. I forgot that I could be dreadfully out of sync with God's Spirit and not feel guilty at all. I could go on regarding my shallowness and neglect - but you get the idea.

In short, I was like a lazy athlete who works out on the same few pieces of equipment in a gym a few times a week, but doesn't touch most of the machines. What I needed, spiritually speaking, was a spiritual trainer to push me to tackle new machines and new exercises that were unfamiliar and uncomfortable.

I found a spiritual trainer through set prayers. Every morning, and many evenings, I use the morning prayers written back in the 16th century for the Anglican Church by a wonderful churchman and writer named Thomas Cranmer. They are contained in a book called The Book of Common Prayer.

I have found it incredibly helpful to ask God to "deliver me from all blindness of heart; from pride, vainglory, and all hypocrisy; from envy, hatred and malice and all uncharitableness." When is the last time you confessed "blindness of heart" to God? What about vainglory, hypocrisy or uncharitableness? Would never sound about right?

Likewise I have found it incredibly helpful to pray through the entire book of Psalms each month as The Book of Common Prayer pushes me to do.

Do you feel, like I did, that your devotions are really shallow? Do you feel a need for a spiritual trainer? Consider using set prayers - morning and evening for a period of time! It will make a huge difference in your life.

Here are some recommendations:

The Book of Common Prayer

      You can download instructions for use online at either:

            http://www.missionstclare.com/english/index.html
            http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/

The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle

The Book of Psalms (pray 4-5 psalms a day out loud)