A Method for Prayer | Section 9 | Short Forms of Prayer

Index

Adjust Font Size

Preface

Matthew Henry’s Preface to the Method for Prayer

Section 1 | Adoration

1.0 Introduction for Adoration
1.1 Address God with Reverence and Awe
1.2 Reverently Adore God
1.2 Reverently Adore God (Continued)
1.3 Acknowledge God’s Eternality and Omnipresence
1.4 Recognize God’s Perfect Knowledge and Unsearchable Wisdom
1.5 Acknowledge God’s Incontestable Sovereignty and Irresistible Power
1.6 Acknowledge God’s Purity and Justice
1.7 Acknowledge God’s Unchanging Truth and Greatness
1.8 Praise God for His Heavenly Splendor and Glory
1.9 Give Glory to God as the Creator of the World
1.10 Give Honor to the Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
1.11 Acknowledge your Dependence on God and your Obligations to Him
1.12 Own your Relation to God
1.13 Acknowledge the Privilege of Drawing Near to God in Prayer
1.14 Express your Unworthiness to Draw Near to God
1.15 Humbly Profess the Desire of your Heart for God
1.16 Profess your Believing Hope and Confidence in God
1.17 Entreat God’s Favorable Acceptance
1.18 Beg for the Spirit’s Assistance in Prayer and Aim for God’s Glory
1.19 Rely on Jesus Alone for Acceptance with God

Section 2 | Confession

2.0 Introduction and Acknowledgement of the Need for Lowliness before God
2.1 Take Hold of the God-Given Encouragement you Have to Confess Sin
2.2 Confess and Bewail your Original Corruption
2.3 Lament your Disposition to Evil and Confess your Blind Understanding and Stubborn Will
2.4 Lament and Confess your Vain Thoughts and Carnal Affections
2.5 Lament and Confess the Corruption of your Entire Being
2.6 Lament and Confess your Sins of Omission
2.7 Bewail your Many Actual Transgressions, Especially your Pride
2.8 Bewail your Anger, Love of the World, and Love of the Flesh
2.9 Bewail your False Security, Fretfulness, and Impatience
2.10 Bewail your Lack of Love for Others
2.11 Bewail your Sins of the Tongue and Spiritual Sloth
2.12 Acknowledge the Great Evil of Sin, its Sinfulness and Foolishness
2.13 Acknowledge the Great Evil of Sin, its Unprofitableness and Deceitfulness
2.14 Acknowledge that Sin is an Affront to the Holy God and Damages the Soul
2.15 Consider your Evil Sins in Light of your Moral Knowledge and Profession of Faith
2.16 Consider your Evil Sins in Light of the Mercies and Warnings of God
2.17 Consider your Evil Sins in Light of the Corrections you have Received and the Vows you have Made
2.18 Understand the Condemning Nature of your Sin
2.19 Give Glory to God for His Patience and Willingness to be Reconciled
2.20 Humbly Profess your Sorrow and Shame for Sin

Section 3 | Petition

3.0 Introduction to Petition
3.1 Earnestly Pray for the Forgiveness of your Sins
3.2 Plead with God His Goodness and Readiness to Forgive Sin
3.3 Plead with God the Merit and Righteousness of Jesus Christ
3.4 Plead with God His Promises of Pardon
3.5 Plead with God your Misery Because of Sin, Along with the Blessed Condition of Pardoned Sinners
3.6 Pray for Reconciliation with God that you may Know His Peace
3.7 Pray for Reconciliation with God that you may be in Covenant with Him and Know His Favor
3.8 Pray for Reconciliation with God that you may Have His Blessing and Abiding Presence
3.9 Pray for a Sense of Assurance
3.10 Pray for a Well-Grounded Peace of Conscience
3.11 Pray for God’s Grace to Fortify you Against Everything Evil
3.12 Pray for God’s Grace to Fortify you Against Satan’s Temptations
3.13 Pray for God’s Grace to Equip you for Everything Good and to Beget and Sustain New Life
3.14 Pray for Grace to Instruct you in the Things of God
3.15 Pray for Grace to Keep you in the Way of Truth
3.16 Pray for Grace to Bring God’s Truth to your Memory
3.17 Pray for Grace to Direct your Conscience and Make you Wise
3.18 Pray for Grace to Sanctify your Nature
3.19 Pray for Faith
3.20 Pray for the Fear of God and for the Love of God to be Rooted in you
3.21 Pray for a Tender Conscience and God-Wrought Love
3.22 Pray for the Grace of Self-Denial and Humility
3.23 Pray for the Graces of Contentment and Patience
3.24 Pray for the Grace of Hope
3.25 Pray for Grace to Preserve you from Sin
3.26 Pray for Grace to Govern your Tongue
3.27 Pray for Grace to Direct, Quicken, Strengthen, and Assist you that you may Walk Wisely
3.28 Pray for Grace to Assist you that you may be Honest in your Duty
3.29 Pray for Grace to Assist you that you may be Diligent in your Duty
3.30 Pray for Grace to Assist you that you may be Courageous in your Duty
3.31 Pray for Grace to Assist you that you may be Cheerful in your Duty
3.32 Pray for Grace to Assist you that you may do your Duty Always and Everywhere
3.33 Pray for Grace to Assist you that you may be Universally Conscientious
3.34 Pray for Grace to Make you Wiser and Better Every Day
3.35 Pray for the Support and Comfort you Need in your Afflictions
3.36 Pray for Preserving Grace
3.37 Pray for the Grace Needed to Die Well
3.38 Pray for Grace to Fit you for Heaven
3.39 Pray for the Good Things of Life and Preservation in Calamities
3.40 Pray for Daily Supplies of Comfort and Support
3.41 Plead the Promises of God for the Enforcing of your Petitions

Section 4 | Thanksgiving

4.0 Introduction and Exhortation to Stir Yourself Up to Praise God
4.1 Be Particular in your Thanks to God, Marvel at His Good Nature and Kind Providence
4.2 Thank God for the Many Instances of His Goodness and Kind Providence
4.3 Thank God for the Many Instances of His Goodness and Kind Providence (continued)
4.4 Thank God for Making you in His Image
4.5 Thank God for Preserving you
4.6 Thank God for Granting you Recovery from Danger
4.7 Thank God for the Supports and Comforts of this Life
4.8 Thank God for your Successes and Good Relationships
4.9 Thank God for the Measure of Peace you Experience
4.10 Thank God for His Grace to your Soul and for Designing Man’s Redemption and Salvation
4.11 Thank God for His Eternal Purposes and Counsels Concerning Man’s Redemption
4.12 Thank God for the Appointing of the Redeemer and His Gracious Condescension
4.13 Thank God for the Early Indication of His Gracious Design
4.14 Thank God for the Many Glorious Instances of His Favor to the Old Testament Church
4.15 Thank God for the Wonderful Incarnation of the Son of God
4.16 Thank God for His Gracious Owning of Christ in His Undertaking
4.17 Thank God for Christ’s Holy Life, Excellent Doctrine, and Glorious Miracles
4.18 Thank God for the Great Encouragement Christ Gave to Poor Sinners to Come to Him
4.19 Thank God for the Cross of Christ and All Its Benefits
4.20 Thank God for the Cross of Christ and All Its Benefits (continued)
4.21 Thank God for Christ’s Resurrection
4.22 Thank God for Christ’s Ascension into Heaven
4.23 Thank God for Christ’s Intercession
4.24 Thank God for the Dominion and Sovereignty to which the Redeemer has been Exalted
4.25 Thank God for the Assurance you have of Christ’s Second Coming
4.26 Thank God for the Sending of the Holy Spirit
4.27 Thank God for the Covenant of Grace
4.28 Thank God for the Scriptures
4.29 Thank God for the Ministry and Other Ordinances
4.30 Thank God for Planting His Church in the World
4.31 Thank God for the Preservation of Christianity in the World to this Day
4.32 Thank God for the Martyrs and Confessors who have Gone Before you
4.33 Thank God for the Communion of Saints
4.34 Thank God for the Hope of Eternal Life and for the Work of the Spirit within you
4.35 Thank God for Every Spirit-Wrought Inward Change
4.36 Thank God for the Remission of Sins and Peace of Conscience
4.37 Thank God for the Powerful Influences of Divine Grace
4.38 Thank God for Sweet Communion with Him in Holy Ordinances
4.39 Thank God for Gracious Answers to your Prayers
4.40 Thank God for Support Under your Afflictions
4.41 Thank God for the Performance of His Promises

Section 5 | Intercession

5.0 Introduction and Exhortation to Pray for the Whole Lost World of Mankind
5.1 Pray for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Lands
5.2 Pray for Jewish Conversions, Churches Threatened by Islam, and Churches on the Mission Field
5.3 Pray for the Universal Church
5.4 Pray for the Conversion of Non-Christians who are Hostile to Christianity
5.5 Pray for the Health, Purity, and Holiness of the Church
5.6 Pray for the Defeat of the Enemies of the Church
5.7 Pray for the Relief of Suffering Churches and Persecuted Christians
5.8 Pray for the Nations of the World and for Your Own Nation
5.9 Pray Earnestly for National Mercies and the Blessing of the Gospel Ministry in your Nation
5.10 Pray for the Continuance of your Nation’s Outward Peace and Tranquility
5.11 Pray for the Moral Decency and Civility of your Nation
5.12 Pray for the Healing of your Nation’s Unhappy Divisions and Success Against your Nation’s Enemies
5.13 Pray for your Head of State
5.14 Pray for the Safe and Righteous Continuation of your Civil Government
5.15 Pray for all who are Employed in the Conduct of Public Affairs
5.16 Pray for your Judges and Judicial Rulers
5.17 Pray for the Ministers of God’s Holy Word and Sacraments
5.18 Pray for the Educational Institutions and Common Citizens of your Nation
5.19 Pray for the Young and the Old
5.20 Pray for the Rich and the Poor, your Enemies and your Friends

Section 6 | Conclusion

6.0 Introduction and Comprehensive Petitions Of the Conclusion of My Prayers
6.1 Beg for the Acceptance of your Prayers for Christ’s Sake
6.2 Beg for the Forgiveness of what has been Amiss in your Prayers
6.3 Commend Yourself to the Grace of God
6.4 Conclude with Solemn Praises of God
6.5 Sum up your Prayer with the Lord’s Prayer

Section 7 | Lord's Prayer

7.0 Introduction and Our Father
7.1 Our Father (Part 2)
7.2 Hallowed be Your Name
7.3 Hallowed be Your Name (Part 2)
7.4 Your Kingdom Come
7.5 Your Kingdom Come (Part 2)
7.6 Your Will be Done
7.7 Your Will be Done (Part 2)
7.8 Give us This Day our Daily Bread
7.9 Give us This Day our Daily Bread (Part 2)
7.10 Forgive us our Debts
7.11 Forgive us our Debts (Part 2)
7.12 Lead us Not into Temptation
7.13 Lead us Not into Temptation (Part 2)
7.14 For Yours is the Kingdom

Section 8 | Occasional Addresses

8.0 Introduction to Occasional Addresses
8.1 Morning Prayers
8.2 Evening Prayers
8.3 Before Eating
8.4 After Eating
8.5 For Travelling
8.6 Evening Before the Lord’s Day
8.7 Morning of the Lord’s Day
8.8 Public Worship on the Lord’s Day
8.9 For the Lord’s Supper
8.10 For the Baptism of a Child
8.11 For a Funeral
8.12 For a Wedding
8.13 For a Minister’s Ordination
8.14 For Rain, Disease, and Disaster
8.15 For those Weighed Down and Burdened
8.16 For those under Conviction of Sin
8.17 For those who are Sick and Weak
8.18 For those who are at the Point of Death
8.19 For those who have Lost their Reason and for Sick Children
8.20 For those Being Touched by Death
8.21 For Women Near the Time of Child Birth
8.22 For those who have Recovered from Sickness or have been Spared in Child-Bearing
8.23 For Parents Concerned about their Difficult Children
8.24 For those who are in Prison
8.25 For those Condemned to Die
8.26 For those who are at Sea

Section 9 | Short Forms of Prayer

9.0 A Prayer to be Used by Children
9.1 Paraphrase on the Lord’s Prayer
9.2 Another Prayer for Children
9.3 Morning Prayer for a Family
9.4 Evening Prayer for a Family
9.5 Family Prayer for the Lord’s Day Morning
9.6 Family Prayer for the Lord’s Day Evening
9.7 Parents Praying for their Children
9.8 Before Partaking of the Lord’s Supper
9.9 After Receiving the Lord’s Supper
9.10 Before Eating
9.11 After Eating

Share This

Adjust Font Size

Keywords for this Passage

Keep Reading