Dear Hope Church Family,
As we delve deeper into our reflection upon the Lord’s Prayer and the Christian life of prayer, I want to draw your attention to an ancient form of prayer that is called a Collect Prayer.
In several sentences this biblical pattern of prayer “collects” the desires of our hearts into a concise yet substantive plea to God. David Taylor writes, “By rooting our prayers in the specific character and work of the Triune God, a Collect Prayer invites us to remember before we request, to acknowledge before we ask, and to confess before we call upon God to come to our aid.” And so one can discern a decided pattern to the Collect prayer:
Address – using the personal name of God that the Scriptures reveal to us
Doctrine – rooting the prayer in a particular aspect of God’s character
Petition – asking boldly based upon that aspect of God’s character
Aspiration – a request to become more and more what God created us to be.
Here’s one from David Taylor that I invite you to pray with me for our congregation and church family:
“O Lord, you who make a home for the homeless,
We pray that you would give us the gift of good community,
Marked by self-giving love, infectious joy and a hopeful witness,
So that we might become a reflection of the Triune Life, and,
In turn, welcome others to share in that life,
for the sake of the One who calls us brothers and sisters.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.”
Looking forward to becoming a praying church together!
Grace and peace,
David