Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2).

Every follower of Jesus should be devoted to prayer, not as a legalistic burden, but because talking to our loving Father is a delight.

There are many different ways to pray. You can do it out loud or silently. You can use many words or few. Your prayers can be beautifully poetic (see the Psalms!) or little more than a groan (cf. Romans 8:26). The most important thing about prayer is not how you do it but that you do it.

That said, Martin Thornton once explained that there are three types of prayer: private, common, and corporate. Knowing what each is can help you better incorporate it into your Christian walk.

First, there is private prayer. This is done on your own. You can pray for whatever comes to mind, wherever you happen to be, whether you are doing the dishes, riding the bus, or waiting in the doctor’s office. You can pray about anyone and anything that is put on your heart. Most everyone is familiar with the idea of private prayer. But some people make the mistake of thinking that this is the only kind of prayer.

Second, there is common prayer. This is also done on your own, but you pray according to a schedule or use words that are said in common with other people. Where common words are concerned, think of how Jewish people pray the Shema or how Christians pray the Lord’s Prayer or through the Psalms. We all use the same words, though we might pray those prayers at different times. Where a common schedule is concerned, think of how the Jews would pray seven times a day (cf. Psalm 119:164), which was adapted by Christians who also prayed at set hours during the day, or at least in the morning and evening. You are praying on your own but at a common time and with common words.

Third, there is corporate prayer. This type of prayer happens when you gather with other believers, usually in your local church, a small group, or a coffee shop. The pastor or other leader prays, and the people listen and silently pray with him. In that case, you are not praying on your own but with your church family.

I love to pray, but I have not always considered prayer in terms of those three categories.

I find private prayer to be easy.

I have not done much common prayer, but over the last couple of years, I have tried to incorporate that more in my life, primarily through praying the Psalms. It is challenging to do it regularly, and I have yet to settle on a schedule that works for me, but I keep trying.

While I enjoy corporate prayer in church and in small groups, I have had more trouble developing a routine in my family.

How is your prayer life?

As you seek to develop your prayer life, does it help you to think of it in terms of private, common, and corporate prayer?

Send your questions or comments to shawn@freegrace.in.

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