Many times, I am forced to pray extemporaneously out of lack of preparation (particularly when I wasn’t taking the schedule seriously enough) or the lack of experience in writing a pastoral prayer. I have no problem with praying in the spur of the moment, there are times when this is needed to convey a spur of the moment movement of the spirit. I’m not so sure, however, that this should be the norm—but the exception.
One of my personal endeavors, therefore, is to improve the way I pray in public—not for entertainment but for impact. Praying is public is an enormous opportunity to lead people in worship—that so often is missed because it hasn’t been thought out ahead of time properly. Leading people in prayer, I am concluding, needs to be planned out. If we are putting this much emphasis in public prayer—these prayers need to be planned.
On a whim today, I discovered a book called Prayers For Services A Manual For Leaders Of Worship. I found it while looking through another book which referenced it as a help in writing and using prayers in worship services.
The book’s preface speaks to people who pray in public:
Those who, as in most of the non-liturgical churches, are accustomed to offer prayers of their own composition, either previously prepared in detail or extempore, will find in these historic and contemporary prayers ideas which will stimulate their own minds and help them to keep out of the well-worn grooves of thought and expression which are distressingly familiar to most bodies of worshippers.
I believe that through the habit of praying extemporaneously—as we have made this a habit—leads down the path of “the well-worn grooves of thought and expression which are distressingly familiar to most bodies of worshippers.”
Planning and preparation helps break this up. Part of this preparation is first examining the scriptures regarding prayer. The second part is examining the prayers of old and of today in developing spoken prayer that speaks to people and helps them be drawn closer to God.
I am on a quest to build the quality of my public prayers—so that the Lord would truly be glorified and honored through my prayers.