While Matthew Henry’s Method for Prayer gives attention to the Biblical content of our prayers, Isaac Watt’s helpful book A Guide to Prayer offers ministers helpful insights into matters of expression, voice, gestures, and other practical matters of delivery. The book breaks down into 5 sections:
- The Nature of Prayer (i.e. Invocation, Adoration, Confession etc.)
- The Gift of Prayer (Free, Conceived, Extempore; expression, voice etc)
- The Grace of Prayer (The various ways that prayer engages the grace of God)
- The Spirit of Prayer (Relying on God’s Spirit)
- Persuasive Arguments to Learn to Pray
Watt’s book helped me consider the distinctions between prayer and preaching and how that distinction instructs certain expressions and gestures in the pulpit. All of us have heard prayers that turned into “preachings.” By giving us boundaries for the delivery of prayers, Watts elevates prayer as a distinct and necessary ministry in the worship service.