Back in the 1970’s when I was in high school there were very few, if any classes, that I totally despised. Generally I loved school and learning, except for the times we had gymnastics in our physical education class.
Athletics in general were never my specialty, but when we were presented with the balance beam, the even and uneven parallel bars, and that thing called “the horse” my heart would pound. It didn’t matter to me that there were always two spotters—fellow classmates who were supposed to save you if you fell on your head—it was still quite intimidating.
While the gym teacher had to deal with 95% of the class who were inept gymnasts and tumblers, a small wooden springboard was supposed to give us comfort in seeing that we landed on top of this one particular apparatus, namely the horse. A springboard propels the gymnast by springing them onto the particular gymnastic equipment. If the horse was not intimidating enough, do you think I really wanted to propel myself onto it?
Borrowing the Prayers of Others
I have learned from my high school gym classes that when it comes to praying, we can springboard our prayers with confidence and ease by simply praying the prayers of others. Praying the prayers of the early church fathers, ministers, and authors or from timeless prayer books of years ago have oftentimes been a source of hope and strength to me. The Word of God permeate these prayers as the authors used them as a source for their thoughts toward their heavenly Father.
Our prayers are personal to us and using the prayers of others may seem a little strange at first—like jumping onto a springboard that is designed to boost you onto something else. That “something else,” in this case, our own prayers, can seem insurmountable especially if we are lost for words or just don’t know what to pray for certain situations. Our self-generated prayers can sometimes be quite exerting. So why not get a little help to make it easier? Think of it as learning to ride a bicycle with training wheels. You may feel wobbly at first but eventually you have full confidence that you can ride without them.
Use the prayers of others as a springboard for your own prayers.
Some Pitfalls
There can be pitfalls praying the prayers of others too. We might feel obliged to pray words that are too flowery or too complicated for our taste. If so, just change what needs to be changed into your own words. Use the parts you want and disregard the rest. Change the Thee’s and the Thou’s or any other word to suit your purpose especially if it is a word that is not used much today. When praying for yourself, make it personal by inserting personal pronouns such as I, my, mine, or me. When praying for others insert the name of the person you are praying for. Re-word the prayer entirely if needed and use it only as a guide. It’s amazing to read a prayer written over 200 years ago and discover the author had the same struggles, desires, and needs that we have today.
Some Samples
Here is a prayer example to start your day by Samuel McComb (1864-1938):
O God, I know not what a day may bring forth. In perfect confidence I would place my hand in Thine and follow Thee this day, whether Thou leadest me to joy or sorrow, pleasure or pain, success or failure. I know not what is good for me. Thou knowest. My deepest desire is to love what Thou lovest, and will what Thou willest. Hear my prayer for Jesus Christ my Redeemer’s sake. Amen.
Here’s how you might pray this prayer:
Dear God, I don’t know what today may bring forth. In perfect confidence, I place my hand in Yours. I follow You this day, whether You lead me to joy or sorrow, pleasure or pain, success or failure. Only You know what is good for me. My deepest desire is to love what You love and do Your will for my life. Hear my prayer for Jesus Christ my Redeemer’s sake. Amen.
Here is another prayer example from John Wesley (1703-1791):
Deliver us from a lazy mind, from a lukewarm heart, and an unwilling spirit, which deadens our love for you. Give us a passionate, alive and joyful spirit, to boldly do whatever you command, to suffer whatever you call us to, to be eager to serve your holy love in all things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For someone else you might pray that prayer like this:
Deliver ______ (name person) from a lazy mind, a lukewarm heart, and an unwilling spirit. Revive ______’s (name person) love for you. Give ______ (name person) a joyful spirit so that he/she may boldly perform whatever you desire of ______ him/her. Strengthen ______ (name person) to persevere in whatever you called him/her to do. Help ______ (name person) be eager to serve you in love in all things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Allow the secondhand prayer of others to ease you into your own prayers which come from the depths of your heart. Let it propel you into a divine connection with a most holy and divine God.
Jesus says a lot about prayer. In Matthew 6:5-13 He warns us about babbling like the pagans or using vain repetitions when we pray. Repetition isn’t the problem—pride is. We can certainly pray the same things as God wants us to be persistent. However, we can’t let our prayers become reverent sounding chatter, as though they were magical incantations trying to flatter the God of the universe. Pray the prayers of others from the honesty and sincerity of your heart. Even memorized prayers prayed from the genuineness of your heart will be heard by God.
Use the prayers of others as a springboard for your own prayers. Don’t feel like you are not praying your own prayers. Pray them, be inspired by them, and add to them what the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Allow the secondhand prayer to ease you into your own prayers which come from the depths of your heart. Let it propel you into a divine connection with a most holy and divine God.
Finding Prayer Books
There are many old prayer books to found at used bookstores, thrift stores, book sales or online. Some books to look for are The Book of Common Prayer, The Methodist Book of Worship, New Zealand Prayer Book, Private Devotions, Prayers Ancient and Modern, and the Gelasian. Some of the numerous authors to look for are Thomas A Kempis, John Wesley, William Barclay, Henri Nouwen, St. Augustine, E. M. Bounds, George Dawson, and Christina Rossetti. Don’t overlook the prayers written by today’s pastors, ministry leaders, and authors.
Keeping a notebook of the prayers of others and Scripture verses will also be beneficial and easy for quick reference. Remember that anything that aids us in our prayer life is a discipline. It will make your prayer experience pleasurable, not traumatic and tortuous like my high school gymnastics classes of long ago.
May God bless you as you springboard on the wings of the prayers of others!
