Prayer

Prayer is something anyone and everyone can do.

God loves us and understands what we say and what we don't say. It isn't about saying the right words, in fact prayer can be music and song, art, pilgrimage, sitting in silence and being still.

There is no need to be nervous, you can pray anywhere and at any time. It might be helpful to choose a time and place that helps you settle down, be still for a moment and pray.

"The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, and the fruit of service is peace." – Mother Teresa of Calcutta

While God hears every prayer, it is important to understand that not all prayer is answered in the ways we might hope for or expect. This shouldn't stop us, but rather encourage us to keep praying and find a rhythm to help us pray more often, listening for and talking to God regularly in the different parts of our lives.

One of the most familiar ways to pray is saying the Lord's Prayer, which Jesus taught the disciples when they asked about how they should pray:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.

This gives us a pattern that we can follow:

• Acknowledge God and seek God's will for the world.
• Pray for all that we need for this day.
• Pray about how we live our lives and treat other people around us.
  There are lots of different ways of praying and below are some resources and ideas that we hope you find helpful as you listen for and talk to God.

Prayer resources

Below are prayer resources suitable for everyone, whether individuals, Ministers, Worship Leaders or groups:

Weekly Worship – The prayers in this resource can be used by individuals in private personal prayer, groups gathering to pray or bible study together, or by those creating and leading worship.

Church of Scotland Daily Prayers on social media – prayers on Church of ScotlandFacebook feed that help us to pray each day.

CONVERSATIONS IN PRAYER – Part of the ‘Conversations in …' series of resources, this conversation helps us to share more openly and talk more deeply about God and prayer, and helps us to considers how our stories shape our practices of prayer.

Pray Now and Common Order – books of prayers and reflections that help us pray.

Praying with others

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity offers material to explore exciting ways of praying with people in your community and the different denominations for unity.

The World Day of Prayer is an annual prayer service written by women from around the world that invites us to pray for justice and peace.

Thy Kingdom Come is a global prayer movement that invites Christians around the world to pray.

Prayers for peace and justice

Peace – prayers for peace around the world.

The Church of Scotland has joined other denominations in calling for peace around the world. As conflict continues in many areas of the world, many are looking for ways to offer support, be it through humanitarian aid or prayer and acts of worship.

Almighty God,
Your Son came to be the Saviour of the world
and the Prince of peace.
Give us grace to follow in His ways
and to fulfil our calling
as peacemakers in His name.
May His Holy Spirit
so move in the hearts of all people
an among the nations of the world,
that barriers of fear, suspicion, and hatred
which separate us may crumble and fall,
and the peoples of the world
be united in justice and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

(A prayer for Peace – Book of Common Order)

Racial Justice Sunday material for personal prayer and prayers for worship around issues of racial justice.
Prayer for Ukraine
Prayers for peace in Palestine

How we pray

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to prayer. But we can guide people to shape their prayers, consider the rhythm of their prayer lives and ask people to come together with a special focus in prayer. The following resources explore different, inspiring ways to try this.

CONVERSATIONS IN PRAYER – Part of the ‘Conversations in …' series of resources, this conversation helps us to share more openly and talk more deeply about God and prayer, and helps us to considers how our stories shape our practices of prayer.

TRY PRAYING - A resource for people who are interested in praying and finding out about God.