“Meetings for social prayer,” small groups in private homes, were probably more common in the 18th century than today. However, our mid-week prayer meetings in church buildings are basically the same thing, and Newton’s advice in this letter applies to these just as well.
“How to Lead in Public Prayer”
1. One hopeful sign of God’s mercy upon our land is that Christians are still attending meetings for prayer, perhaps increasingly so.
2. We ought to be so spiritually-minded that we regard this ministry of praying together as an enjoyable priority. The ones who lead us in prayer are in a strategic place to help us have the right attitude and commitment, but some have failed without the benefit of our constructive criticism. Perhaps my advice in this letter will be useful to them.
3. I think the main problem is that public prayers are often way too long. Our hearers should be wishing we would pray longer, not that we would shut up already! When praying, we really don’t need to describe each situation in detail and then repeat the same basic petitions for each one. It would be better to plead a little longer for the blessings, and then mention only briefly the several who need them. If we must be more detailed about several situations, then let us be more concise about the desired blessings. This rule has exceptions, such as an unusual gift of spiritual pleading in the moment. Then others will be caught up in such heartfelt prayer even if it is prolonged. But ironically, we often go on longest when we have the least to say. Let’s keep public prayers short, especially when several are leading in prayer, one after another. Another problem I have noticed is that sometimes a prayer is winding down when something else is suddenly remembered and it sounds like the prayer is only beginning again. Unless that last thing is very important, it would better to omit it for the time being.
4. Don’t preach, explaining the Lord’s mind to the people, when you should pray, expressing the people’s desires to the Lord. Public prayer should be pithy, extemporaneous, scriptural, evangelical, and a simple expression of our needs and feelings. This requires a soul that is truly engaged in the prayer. Holy intensity is worth a great deal.
5. Reading some good books on prayer can help, like A Guide to Prayer by Isaac Watts, as long as you don’t start to pray mechanically, without heartfelt simplicity. In general, the best prayers are unpredictable. That explains why a spiritual man, though untaught, may, by his prayer, grip a congregation much more than pastors who tend to use a more liturgical form. The spirit of prayer is the fruit and evidence of the Spirit of adoption. Some ministers are like strangers approaching a great house and offering a great speech before even asking admittance, while the young son of the household walks right past them! Yes, we must always pray reverently, but that doesn’t mean we have to produce a long list of God’s names and titles in each prayer, or that our prayers must be highly structured. Sure, plain people make some mistakes in prayer, but that is not half as bad as the shackles of exactness binding some clergymen.
6. Beware of wearing out the same old words and phrases in prayer. The worst example of this problem is when God’s name is used more as a filler than with any real meaning and deliberateness. There really is no need to say “father” or Lord ten times in one sentence. That is ridiculous, not reverent, and it does not stir reverence in our hearers, either. Hopefully, others can discreetly point out our tired old pet phrases so that we can learn to pray with more creativity and freshness.
7. Now let me correct two regrettable extremes I’ve noticed and recommend a middle way.
8. It is a mistake to pray very loudly unless the acoustics demand it. Only speak as loudly as you must to be heard by all for their edification. I know some are more emotional and get a bit worked up; they should try to restrain themselves from excess. To be loud is not to be earnest or powerful in prayer. We can have these virtues with a moderate volume.
9. Prayers might also be offered too softly, and that is no good either. Don’t tax your listeners by making them strain for the sound of a very low voice. Aim to be heard by the person on the far side of the room.
10. Some immediately fall into a supposed “reverent” tone of voice when they pray, which is so different from the way they normally speak as to be almost unrecognizable to their friends. Thus, unnatural delivery sometimes mars even the good prayers of godly men.
11. Even more offensive is the problem of talking to the Lord with all the informality of a frivolous conversation with a buddy. The human voice can convey much information in very subtle ways about the mindset of the speaker. Remember that we are speaking to the King of kings, thanking Him for our eternal pardon, and pleading for lives and well-being. Prayer should always be serious, and reverent, and humble. It is just plain wrong to pray with the same familiarity we may use with a fellow-worm!
12. May God use these thoughts to help many. I know it is awkward to suggest a change in the way someone prays, but maybe you could ask them to read a particular letter of Mr. Newton’s published in 1775.
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This is another fine specimen of pastoral wisdom, gentleness, and good sense. Let it reform another generation’s public prayer habits. Ω