A Method for Prayer -- by Matthew Henry

Introduction

Matthew Henry (18 October 1662 – 22 June 1714) was a nonconformist minister and author, born in Wales but spending much of his life in England. He is best known for the six-volume biblical commentary Exposition of the Old and New Testaments.

Matthew Henry’s classic, describing how Christians can rightly conduct prayers for public occasions, has for centuries been a valuable source for believers.

Writing in the 1710s, the author reflected on his lifetime as a man of God who had conducted many official ceremonies and events in his church. The concerns of his congregation, many of whom experienced the heights of joy and depths of despair that life offers, led Matthew Henry to devise a methodology for praying to the Lord rich in example.

This method is intended to both respect and properly consult the divine, and also give comfort to believers who are in a state of distress or anxiety. Requests to God to fulfil a desire, to forgive a sin, as well as communications of life. Simple prayers of praise, wherein the Lord is given thanks for good fortune or daily small blessings, are also detailed.

Most of Henry’s recommendations reference Biblical scripture as a source: with the Holy Bible as his backing, the advices and methods of the author are beyond question. The language he uses is reminiscent of the King James Version of the text, which was the dominant Bible in the 17th and 18th centuries. Despite the passage of centuries, the authority and authenticity of Henry’s prayer method is undiminished.

There are other text versions of this online, but the best one I saw used the English Standard Version of the Bible which I don’t like. I prefer the KJV or the Geneva Bible which I think Matthew Henry probably used because it was the Bible of the Puritans and the Bible the Pilgrims brought to America. I found a good PDF file of this book and copied and pasted the text from it to make this post on my website.

I believe this book can strengthen our prayer life.