Faithful Steward Ministries and FSM Women's Outreach

Today we conclude our series of excerpts from “Matthew Henry on a Practical Method of Daily Prayer.” These will be without the usual comments and study references. My hope is that people will be like the Bereans, as described in Acts 17:11, and will put Henry’s writing to the test.

Cut & Paste or Type Method of Daily Prayer in the search box to see the previous post in this series.

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Conclusion: Pray the Scriptures

We have only scratched the surface of Henry’s book. In addition to many more scriptural prayers of adoration, confession, petition for ourselves, thanksgiving, and intercession for others, Henry also assembled Scriptures into a multi-page paraphrase of the Lord’s Prayer, a set of simple Bible prayers for children, prayers for children based on catechism answers, scriptural prayers for family devotions in the morning and evening and on the Lord’s Day, a parent’s prayers for children, prayers to prepare for the Lord’s Supper, and prayers to say at mealtimes. Henry’s Family Hymns (1694), a collection of selections from the Psalms and passages from the New Testament in poetic form, can also enrich family worship with biblical truth. Duncan says of the Method for Prayer, “Reading and rereading Henry’s book will train us in the use of biblical truth and language in prayer, and thus assist and encourage modern Christians in both public and private prayer.” Praying the Scriptures will “engrave in our minds biblical patterns of thought” and move us to a “God-centered way of praying.”

We should learn from Henry’s great maxim: pray the Scriptures. In this assertion, Henry stood with Reformed writers through the ages. William Gurnall (1616–1679) wrote, “The mightier any is in the Word, the more mighty he will be in prayer.” Later, Robert M‘Cheyne (1813–1843) said, “Turn the Bible into prayer.” Nothing is surer or more helpful as a rule or guide in prayer than the whole Word of God. All this echoes the magisterial words of Christ, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7).

Joel R. Beeke, “Matthew Henry on a Practical Method of Daily Prayer,” in Taking Hold of God: Reformed and Puritan Perspectives on Prayer, ed. Brian G. Najapfour (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2011), 158.