Apart from the Lord’s prayer, there is no one God-given pattern of daily prayer. In this week’s blog I intend to share with you my pattern of daily prayer. No doubt for many Christian ministers my pattern of daily prayer will seem quite simplistic. Unlike some ministers and other Christians, I confess that I do not normally spend hours in prayer. The only time when I have spent most of the day is prayer is when I have been on a guided retreat. What’s more as an extrovert (according to the Meyers-Briggs’ categories of human personality I am ‘Extraverted, Intuitive, Thinking and Judging’ (ENTJ), which is typical of people with strong leadership gifts), there are times when I find prayer difficult. It is in that context I have needed to be disciplined in my praying and so I have developed my own daily pattern of prayer.
After breakfast I begin my ‘Quiet Time’ by reading the lectionary Communion readings for the day. As I reflect on what God may to saying to me through his Word, inevitably prayer is my response.
I then move on to pray for others one of the things that I have found helpful is to draw up a ‘prayer grid’, whereby the seven days of the week are divided into various groups of people for whom I think I should pray.
- On Sunday I pray for preachers all over the world that God’s people may be built up in their faith, and also that those who have yet to commit themselves to Jesus, will realise the great difference can make to our lives and in turn ask Jesus to be their Lord and Saviour. I pray too for Chelmsford Cathedral, which is where we worship in our retirement, that God will bless all the services, and that the congregations will listen carefully to the preacher with expectant hearts. In addition I pray for the team that welcomes visitors and regular members of the congregation.
- On Monday I pray for the ministry team of Chelmsford Cathedral, where since I retired Caroline and I have been worshipping. The team consists of Jessica Martin, the dean; Sebastian Harries, the precentor who is responsible for choosing hymns and songs and other matters relating to the liturgy; Olive Maxwell-Coote, who works three days a week and is in charge of pastoral care; and Kate Moore, a retired headmistress who oversees the Cathedral’s learning activities and also is responsible for safeguarding, I also pray for Bishop of Chelmsford, Guli Dehqani-Francis; and for her husband Lee, who is vicar of Ingatestone. In addition I pray for the fellowship group to which I belong along with thirteen others.
- On Tuesday I pray for Central Baptist Church, Chelmsford, of which for twenty-one years I was the senior pastor. I pray for my successor, Phil Marsden; for Grant Hopkins, the associate minister; and for Clare Hogg, the minister-in-training; and for Nicki Lee, the church’s administrator. I then go on to pray for my former associate ministers: viz. David Grainger, Martin Hills, David Marson, Emma Nash, Leesa McKay, Matt Rowe, Mike Thornton, Nick Tuohy and Paul Cameron. Then I remember in prayer those who worked with me at Altrincham Baptist Church: viz. Glen Marshall, Dave Richards; and Anne Wilkinson-Hayes.
- On Wednesday I pray for Richard Lewis and Val Seago, both of whom are engaged in lay ministry. I then pray for all those known to me who are unwell, in particular for two friends both of whom suffer from dementia: viz. Ursula Franklin, who oversaw pastoral care at Central Baptist Church, and for Alun Brookfield, a retired Anglican minister who helped to edit Ministry Today. I remember in prayer all thirteen other members of my Rotary Club.
- On Thursday I pray for three Anglican ministers who are good friends of mine: viz Tony Cant, the vicar of Writtle; for Ian Smith, the vicar of Harwich; and for Jonathan Stroulger, the archdeacon of Chelmsford. In addition, I pray for two former Baptist ministers: viz. Philippa Joy, who had to take early retirement; and for William Ruddle, who in my view was dismissed from Baptist ministry and has had to run several businesses. Then I pray for five retired ministers friends: Terry Calkin, Michael Cleaves, Keith Clements; Harry Godden, and for Kenneth Wolfe. After that I remember in prayer the bereaved, including Peter Dilley, Sue Linger, Laura Logan-Wood, John Pearson, Heather Prentice, and Tony Stringer. Finally I pray for politicians, both in the UK and in the wider world.
- On Friday I pray for the six other members of my retired Baptist ‘fraternal’: viz Eric Baldwin, Geoff Grigg, Jim Hamilton, Peter Neale, Peter Thomas and Barry Walton. Then I pray for those who work in the wider world: e.g. my friends who serve in Lebanon and Ghana, and for the Christian Hospital in Nyankunde in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where our second eldest child was born.
- On Saturday I pray for other friends and concerns, and for anybody else who comes to mind.
In addition I pray every day for Caroline, for my four children, and for my six grandchildren. Then on Tuesday I pray for my sister Elizabeth and her husband Mike; on Wednesday I pray for the three children of my late brother (who in the last three years of his life became my sister!), viz. Amanda, Mark, and Phil; on Thursday I pray for my brother Andrew, and his wife, Mariko; on Friday I pray for my twelve cousins; on Saturday I pray for Caroline’s cousins, Lynette and Gareth with his wife and two children.
Clearly my pattern of daily prayer is unique. However, no doubt readers of this blog can devise their own patterns of prayer which are unique to them. As far as I am concerned, the important thing is that most of us need a disciplined pattern of prayer.
Interesting Paul
Prayer can be tough especially when one is no longer on pastorate
I used to feel prayed for
But less so now !
Howe er I do enjoy praying and try to do it regularly!
Interesting names
Alun Brookfield went from Fuller when I was a deacon there to be a minister – to surgeons and Baptist in those days !
Michael cleaves – sat in Northamptonshire Baptist association committees with him for many years in late 80’ s and 90
As for Barry Walton
My mother v Baby sat for his kids in the sixties when we weee at Warley Baptist and he was preparing for ministry !
Small world!
Dear Paul,
Thank you for sharing this—it’s heartening to see the relational depth in your approach to prayer.
Throughout much of my faith journey, prayer (or rather, the lack thereof) has been a persistent source of guilt, particularly as I’ve spent much of that journey as a Baptist minister. I’m sharing the following not to excuse what has been, at times, a faltering prayer life, but to provide some context that may resonate with others in similar circumstances.
For most of my Christian life, I’ve been part of the evangelical tradition, where I was consistently encouraged to engage in daily devotions—reading the Bible and praying every day. Despite good intentions, I struggled to maintain any kind of regularity in these practices over forty-plus years, even while reading countless books in search of “the answer.” My efforts were marked by inconsistency—fits and starts—and this inconsistency became a constant source of frustration and guilt.
In my fifties, I was diagnosed with severe ADHD—something I never expected. Somewhat ironically, the specialist who assessed me noted that my Christian faith may have played a significant role in helping me cope reasonably well, providing rhythm, routine, consistency, and grounding. I’ve come to describe that diagnosis as my “not guilty moment.” It didn’t absolve me of responsibility for my impulsivity or lack of focus, but it gave me an explanation. That diagnosis initiated a journey of processing, seeking support, and learning strategies to navigate my challenges.
Around the same time, I discovered Anglicanism, along with its Prayer Book and the Daily Office. This introduced a transformative perspective: prayer is not something that rests entirely on me; it is a gift from God, passed down through the Church. No longer did I feel the pressure to “create” my own prayers—I could lean into the prayers already provided. The Daily Office became a source of joy and freedom. While I still pray extemporaneously and specifically, this shift gave me structure and lifted me from the “grind of prayer.” I also came to appreciate how intentional and regular prayer is enriched when practiced in community through set prayer with others.
This has been quite the ramble Paul, but one last thought. A few years ago, as you know, I was ordained an Anglican priest. While my move to Anglicanism was prompted by theological convictions (sacramentalism), I’ve also come to recognize how the liturgy’s structure, routine, and familiarity can be profoundly beneficial, especially for those of us who are neurologically diverse.
Warm regards, Fred
I’ve been meaning to write a response for some time, Paul, but have put it off!
Like your Anglican friend, I’ve found it hard to be consistent with prayer. Maybe it’s a human failing rather than being due to any neurological diversity!
My main feeling is that there a myriad ways of praying, all of which are acceptable if they are sincerely offered and will depend on our different personalities to some extent. For the last 25 years or so, I have been drawn to meditation or contemplative prayer in which you are quiet before God , knowing that He knows the needs of all those you care about and those you don’t know who are in need of prayer- so there is not necessarily a need to have a scheme, but simply to show up and spend time with God. Of course names will, rightly, come to mind and hopefully the quiet time you have made available for God with inform all the relationships and events of the day. Lawrence Freeman, who heads up the World Community for Meditation thinks it useful to see prayer like the hub of a wheel, in which the spokes are the different types of prayer and the hub the still centre or the prayer of Christ. May we all be encouraged to persist in the work of prayer which links us all… but remains something of a mystery!