A Cure
for a common prayer malady.
So, how are we to cure The Affliction of a Failure of Concentration [in prayer], if indeed we are afflicted in this way? Not principally by displaying our knowledge to God, but by heart-felt desire, which is one of the fruits of the Spirit.
Paul Helm at Helm’s Deep.
An Explanation
While it’s true that we don’t need to inform God when we pray,
there’s a value in explaining our petitions to God, not because he doesn’t already know what we need better than we do, and not because we can cajole God through our powers of persuasion, but because it’s a way of thinking aloud and thinking through, not merely what we want, but why we want it, or whether we should.
Steve Hays at Triablogue
A List
Here’s an essay on public prayer that reviews several different public prayer traditions. Especially useful is the list of all the prayers found in scripture (Steve Hays at Triablogue again).