In this “Prayer Matters” article, I want to talk about something we encounter every week in our worship: the “collect form”. Now, you may already know that “Collect” (which we have every week in our service) is a fancy word for prayer—but did you know that all Collects use roughly the same structure? Every week, the Collect we pray in our worship looks something like this:

Invocation: Here we call upon God and make it clear who we’re praying to.

Explanation: Here we talk about something that God has done in the past that reminds us of what we are now praying for Him to do—it’s a kind of thanksgiving.

Petition: Here we ask God to do something.

Effect: Here we say what we want the result of God doing that thing to be.

Doxology: This is usually some variation on: “through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.”

Take a look at the Collect for our services November 9th and 10th:

“Almighty and ever-living God, You have given exceedingly great and precious promises to those who trust in You. Grant us so firmly to believe Your Son Jesus that our faith may never be found wanting; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.”

Notice how the prayer falls into these five parts:

Invocation: Almighty and ever-living God…

Explanation: …You have given exceedingly great and precious promises to those who trust in You…

Petition: …Grant us so firmly to believe Your Son Jesus…

Effect: …that our faith may never be found wanting…

Doxology: …through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

When you start noticing this structure, you’ll realize that it’s everywhere—in so many of the prayers we pray in church and also in so many of the prayers we find in Scripture. And one of the reasons I think this structure is so powerful is because it begins with Thanksgiving—it begins with us coming before God and giving thanks to Him for all the wonderful things He has done. I’d encourage you this coming month to do the same in your prayers—start every prayer with thanksgiving, praising God for the wondrous things He has done (and still does!).

-Pastor Duncan