O Heavenly Father, dear God, I am a poor unworthy sinner. I do not deserve to raise my eyes or hands toward you or to pray. But because You have commanded us all to pray and have promised to hear us and through Your dear Son Jesus Christ has taught us how and what to pray, I come to You in obedience to Your Word, trusting in Your gracious promise. I pray in the name of my Lord Jesus Christ together with all Your saints and Christians on earth as he has taught us. (Martin Luther)
Martin Luther has been described as one of the most dedicated men of prayer in all history. Records show that he prayed 3 or 4 hours each day.
Prayer for most in the 16th century was a mechanical, religious rite…a legalistic work requiring little thought. Martin Luther worked hard to reform prayer. He taught that prayer should be living, powerful, strong, mighty, earnest, serious, troubled, passionate, vehement, fervent, ardent.
In 1535, Luther’s barber and friend Peter asked Dr. Luther for suggestions concerning prayer. The response was Luther’s practical instruction using his ITCP method of prayer.
This is how Luther “prayed” the Small Catechism. (Virtually any text of the Bible can be prayed this way, or for that matter, any biblically based prayer, including the Ten Commandments, the three articles of the Creed, etc. ) He said:
“If I have had time and opportunity to go through the Lord’s Prayer, I do the same with the Ten Commandments. I take one part after another and free myself as much as possible from distractions in order to pray I divide each commandment into four parts, thereby fashioning a garland of four strands. That is, I think of each commandment as first instruction, which is really what it is intended to be, and consider what the Lord God demands of me so earnestly. Second, I turn it into and thanksgiving; third a confession, and fourth, a prayer.
Instruction
Thanksgiving
Confession
Prayer
Example: We poor sinners implore you…to preserve all pastors and ministers of Your Church in the true knowledge and understanding of Your wholesome Word and to sustain them in holy living .
Lord, You instruct us that it is Your deepest desire that pastors love and stick to Your Word for themselves and for others. We also know that it is Your deepest desire, Lord, that we pray for our pastors.
Lord, I give You thanks for our Pastor and all pastors of the Church. In this day and age, it’s a miracle that we have a pastor who believes the Bible, preaches Law and Gospel, loves his people and serves me and my family.
Lord, I confess that I fail to pray for our pastor. I don’t think about or pray regularly for our seminaries. I am not always generous in supporting my pastor. I have disregarded the fact that You have placed our Pastor to dole out your previous gifts of the Gospel to us.
Lord, I pray, enlighten me by Your Word and Spirit. Be with our pastor, and strengthen him today. Protect him and his family. Sustain him in holy living, and give him joy. Cause me to be a source of joy in his ministry, and give me a generous heart that I may support the ministry of the Gospel in this place in every way. Amen.
Martin Luther’s words about prayer:
It is a good thing to let prayer be the first business of the morning and the last at night. Guard yourself carefully against those false, deluding ideas which tell you, “Wait a little while I will pray in an hour, first I must attend to this or that”. Such thoughts get you away from prayer into other affairs which so hold your attention and involve you that nothing comes of prayer for that day.
First, when I feel that I have become cool and joyless in prayer because of other tasks or thoughts, I take my little psalter, hurry to my room, or, if it be the day and hour for it, to the church where a congregation is assembled and as time permits, I say quietly to myself and word-for-word the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and if I have time, some words of Christ or of Paul, or some Psalms, just as a child might do.
A good and attentive barber keeps his thoughts, attention, and eyes on the razor and hair and does not forget how far he has gotten with his shaving or cutting If he wants to engage in too much conversation or let his mind wander or look somewhere else, he is likely to cut his customer’s mouth, nose, or even his throat. Thus, if anything is to be done well, it requires the full attention of all one’s senses and members,. He who thinks of many things thinks of nothing and does nothing right. How much more does prayer call for concentration and singleness of heart if it is to be a good prayer!
If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.
Prayer is the hardest work of all - a labor above all labors since he who prays must wage almighty warfare against the doubt and murmuring excited by the faint and unworthiness.
Prayer is a strong wall and fortress of the church; it is a goodly Christian weapon.
Grant that I may not pray alone with the mouth; help me that I may pray from the depths of my heart.
The fewer the words, the better the prayer.
Prayer is the daily business of a Christian.
As a shoemaker makes a shoe, or a tailor makes a coat, so ought a Christian pray.
When I am angry, I can pray well and preach well.
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