‘Pray in the Spirit at all occasions with all types of prayer and requests.’ Ephesians 6:18
It is not the practice of my church to use the Book of Common Prayer but when I take time to look through it and pray the prayers I receive great blessings. These are prayers which were written centuries ago and which have been honed and improved during that time. They have been prayed by so many faithful saints through all that time. What a precious book it is.
By contrast i sometimes need to shoot ‘arrow prayers’ up to heaven. They are not well formed or composed, they are just urgent. A certain situation occurs and I need swiftly to cry out to God. ‘Lord, help me now, this instant,’ or ‘here is an opening to witness about You. What do I say?’ When we pray in church we are praying collectively. Our prayers led by the preacher are sent to God as a group. Other times we pray quietly in the solitude of our own homes.
Long or short, alone or with others, the important thing is that we do pray. God has given us this wonderful means of communication, a means of speaking directly to our Heavenly Father. God loves us and wants to hear from us, He wants to talk with us. Just as with our earthly friends we need to keep in touch, how much more do we need to speak with our Heavenly Friend.