I mentioned in Sunday’s sermon Martin Luther’s little classic, A Simple Way to Pray. A free online edition is available through Union Publishing, which contains the complete text of Luther’s original letter. You can also find the booklet in print or digital form through Westminster John Knox Press editions or other Christian publishers. It is a remarkably practical booklet that Luther wrote in 1535 after his barber, Peter Beskendorf, asked him a simple question: “How should I pray?”
That question prompted one of the most helpful little works on prayer ever written. Although Luther is remembered as the reformer who challenged the Roman Catholic Church in 1517 and helped recover the biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone, he was also a pastor who deeply loved his congregants. He wanted them not only to understand sound doctrine, but to cultivate vibrant communion with God.
That pastoral heart shines throughout A Simple Way to Pray. Rather than offering complicated methods or mystical techniques, Luther provides simple, biblical counsel that any believer can put into practice in their own prayer lives. Here are several lessons that I have found especially encouraging.
Luther begins by emphasizing the priority of prayer. He writes:
“It is a good thing to let prayer be the first business of the morning and the last at night.”
He understood something about the human heart that has not changed in nearly five hundred years. We are always tempted to postpone prayer. We tell ourselves that we will pray after answering a few emails, sending a few texts, finishing one task, making one phone call, or getting through today’s schedule. Before long, the day is gone and prayer never happened.
Luther warns against this very tendency:
“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.'”
His point is simple. Prayer should not be squeezed into whatever time remains. It should shape the beginning and ending of our day because it reminds us that our lives are lived in dependence upon God. How many anxieties of life could be quieted if our first response each morning wasn’t to reach for our phone, but to turn to our Heavenly Father in prayer?
Luther also recognized that we rarely arrive at prayer with hearts that are fully engaged. Our minds are distracted. Our hearts feel cold. Our affections often seem dull. His solution is wonderfully biblical. Before praying, immerse yourself in Scripture. Luther would often read from the Psalms, meditate on the Ten Commandments, reflect on the Apostles’ Creed, or consider the words of Christ Himself. God’s Word became the spark that ignited his prayers.
He famously compared Scripture to “flint and steel” that kindles a fire within the heart. That is wise counsel for us as well. Prayer and Bible reading were never intended to be separated. Scripture fuels prayer, and prayer drives us back to Scripture. Don Whitney also encourages this practice in his book, Praying the Bible, when he says: “God gave us the Psalms so that we might give them back to Him in prayer. Throughout church history, believers have found the Psalms to be the richest source for learning how to adore God, confess sin, lament suffering, express gratitude, and hope in His promises.”
I have often remembered something pastor John Piper once said: “If you close your Bible when you pray, you probably won’t last three minutes.” Why is that? Because it is the Word of God that should prompt our prayers. Or as Dr. Whitney says, we struggle in prayer because, without the Word guiding our prayers, “we pray the same old things about the same old things.” As a result, our minds begin to wander. Neglecting the Scriptures will zap our ability to pray as we ought. God’s Word gives us language for worship, confession, thanksgiving, and petition. Instead of wondering what to pray next, we allow God to direct our prayers through His own Word.
Luther even gives practical advice about the place and posture of prayer. Once your heart has been warmed by Scripture, find a quiet place. Kneel if you are able. Stand if that helps you to focus. Fold your hands. Lift your eyes toward heaven. The point is not that God only hears certain physical positions. Scripture records God’s people praying while standing, kneeling, sitting, walking, and even lying in bed. Rather, Luther encourages an intentional posture that reminds us we are approaching the King of heaven.
Every believer benefits from having a regular place where distractions are minimized. John Wesley’s mother, Susanna, famously had nineteen children. Do you think she was too busy to pray? But whenever she pulled her apron over her head while sitting in the kitchen, everyone in the house knew that mother was meeting with God and was not to be disturbed. She did not have a private prayer closet, and so she made one with an apron. The important thing is not the location itself but intentionally setting aside time to seek the Lord.
Luther also encourages believers to pray simply. He writes, “Speak or think as briefly as you can.” That does not mean long prayers are wrong. Jesus Himself spent entire nights in prayer. Rather, Luther reminds us that prayer is not measured by its length.
Our Father already knows what we need before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8). We are not trying to persuade a reluctant God to care for us. We are coming confidently to a loving Father who delights to hear His children. Sometimes brief, sincere prayers offered throughout the day are far more helpful than believing every prayer must be lengthy and eloquent. This is what Paul had in mind when he wrote, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Perhaps Luther’s most enduring advice is to use the Lord’s Prayer as a guide. Rather than merely reciting it, he recommends taking each petition one at a time and expanding it with your own prayers. Again, it is a template. It serves as a handrail to guide the praying disciple. Pray for God’s name to be honored in your own life. Pray for His kingdom to advance. Pray for daily provision, forgiveness, victory over temptation, and deliverance from evil.
Sometimes, Luther says, you may become so occupied with one petition that you never make it to the others. That is perfectly acceptable! He writes that when this happens, we should simply listen because “the Holy Spirit preaches here.” What a beautiful reminder. Prayer is not merely speaking to God. It is also lingering before Him, allowing His Word and His Spirit to shape our hearts.
Luther confessed, “To this day I suckle at the Lord’s Prayer like a child, and as an old man eat and drink from it and never get my fill.” There is profound depth in a prayer that many of us learned as children. Memorizing the Lord’s Prayer so that it enables you to meditate on it as you pray would be a tremendous benefit to you.
Luther also encourages believers to conclude their prayers with genuine confidence. He urges us to say “Amen” firmly, believing that God has truly heard us. It’s that a wonderfully simple thought? We say “Amen,” but do we know what we’re saying. The word “amen” simply means, “let it be so” or “may it be fulfilled.” The word comes from the Hebrew which is built from a root meaning, “to be established.” It’s the same root word for “faith.” And so, to say “amen” is to affirm that something is trustworthy is true. In other words, it’s an expression of faith that God has heard our prayer and will answer according to His perfect wisdom and will.
Too often we finish praying and immediately return to worry, almost forgetting that we have just spoken with the sovereign Lord of the universe. Luther reminds us that “Amen” is not merely the customary ending to a prayer. It is an expression of faith that God hears His children and answers according to His perfect wisdom and will. What encouragement that gives to anxious hearts!
Finally, Luther suggests that if time permits after praying through the Lord’s Prayer, believers should continue by praying through the Ten Commandments. He approaches each commandment in four ways: as instruction, thanksgiving, confession, and prayer.
First, he considers what God is teaching. Then he thanks God for His goodness. Next, he confesses where he has failed. Finally, he asks for grace to obey more faithfully. Notice again that God’s Word is directing every part of his communion with God.
Luther closes with one final caution. Do not turn these suggestions into another burden. Prayer is not meant to become a checklist that leaves us weary. It is meant to draw us into joyful fellowship with our heavenly Father.
He concludes by saying, “A good prayer should not be lengthy or drawn out, but frequent and ardent.” May we recover something of that simplicity. May we pray early and often. May we warm our hearts with God’s Word. May we use the Lord’s Prayer as our guide. And may we leave every time of prayer with the quiet confidence that our Father has heard us. As Luther himself concludes, “May our dear Lord grant to you and to everybody to do it better than I! Amen.”
