“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 ESV)
I don’t know about you, but I love prayer formulas. Luther emphasized that prayer isn’t optional; it’s commanded by God. In The Small Catechism, he wrote, “God would thereby encourage us to believe that He is truly our Father and that we are truly His children, in order that we may ask Him confidently with all assurance, as dear children ask their dear father.”
Formula help give form to our personal prayers. It’s not that God needs our prayers to have form. Prayer is speaking and listening to God, trusting He hears and answers according to His will. He does not need form, but form helps us to pray with our whole heart and feel that we have spoken our hearts to God.
Martin Luther provided several definitions and insights into prayer that emphasize trust, humility, and God’s promise to hear His people. In The Large Catechism, Luther describes prayer as trusting God’s promises: “Prayer is, therefore, our response to God’s command and promise…For God has attached such promise and assurance to prayer that we cannot doubt it shall be heard and granted.” In his Preface to the Lord’s Prayer, Luther describes prayer as coming to God with the “boldness and confidence of dear children who come to their dear father.” In Table Talk, Luther said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” Prayer is a means to rely on God amid doubt and temptation.
The “Prayer of the Day” in our service is also known as the “Collect.” (By the way, a collect is a noun and the emphasis is placed in the first syllable—CO-lect. The verb, I collect coins, has the emphasis on the final syllable.) A collect collects the themes from the readings of the day. Most collects follow a specific formula.
Typically, a collect also begins with an address, followed by an attributive phrase which focuses on some characteristic of God. Then it has a petition. Next, it mentions the desired benefit. Finally, it concludes with a doxology praising God.
One well known collect is the prayer for purity. “Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.” The address is to Almighty God. His attribute is “…unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid;” that is his all-knowingness. The petition is for God to “Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit.” The desired benefit is “…that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name.” Finally, the prayer concludes by praising God, “through Christ our Lord.”
I am personally fond of the TRIP prayer from the Daily Text by Ground Up Grace Ministries. The TRIP prayer is based on the way Martin Luther taught prayer in A Simple Way to Pray. The acronym TRIP stands for: T for thanksgiving, R for regret or repentance, I for intercession asking God to take a specific action; P for God’s plan or purpose.
Another common prayer formula is the ACTS prayer. The acronym ACTS stands for: A stands for adoration, or praising God for who He is, C for confession, T for thanksgiving, and S for supplication which presents requests for personal needs and the needs of others.
Several other prayer formulas are widely used to guide people through structured prayer. PRAY starts with praise, then confession, then asking personal needs and those of others, and concludes with yielding to God’s will. The 5-Finger Prayer is taught to often children. Each finger represents a different group for whom to pray. The thumb reminds us to for those closest to us—family and friends. The index finger, which points, reminds us to pray for teachers, pastors, and mentors. The middle finger, which is the tallest, reminds us to pray for those in authority. The ring finger, which is the weakest, reminds us to pray for the weak, sick, and those in need. Finally, the pinky, which is the smallest, reminds us to pray for ourselves, acknowledging our own needs last.
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The Examen is a contemplative prayer, often used at the end of the day, involving five steps: gratitude, review of the days events, sorrow for sins of the day, forgiveness found in Christ’s forgiveness, and hope for God’s guidance for tomorrow.
Regardless of how you pray, remember that God welcomes you as His child and delights in hearing your voice. Prayer is not about finding the perfect words or following every formula exactly; it’s about speaking openly with our Father in heaven, who already knows our hearts and meets us with His grace. Through prayer, God invites us to bring our joys, sorrows, worries, and hopes before Him, trusting His promise to hear us.
When you pray, know that you don’t pray alone. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us, even when we struggle to find words (Romans 8:26). And Jesus, our High Priest, brings our prayers before the Father. Prayer is both a gift and a command, rooted in the faith that God desires to hear from us.
So, however you approach prayer—through a collect, a TRIP prayer, or an ACTS prayer, or simply crying out in faith—rest in the assurance that God hears you. He is present in every situation, ready to grant peace beyond all understanding, guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.