168 | Liturgical Prayers: Are Written Prayers Biblical or Just Empty Tradition?

Verity by Phylicia Masonheimer

Phylicia Masonheimer

Theology, Christianity, Religion & Spirituality, Religion

4.9 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 12 March 2026

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Are written prayers biblical or just empty tradition? If you've ever felt like praying someone else's words isn't "sincere" or questioned whether liturgical prayers belong in the Christian life, this episode will challenge your assumptions and open up a rich tradition of faith. Did Jesus forbid scripted prayers in Matthew 6:6–7? Many Christians assume prayer must always be spontaneous. But throughout both Jewish and early Christian worship, written prayers were a normal part of community life. In this episode, we look at the history of liturgical prayer and why Acts 2:42 says the early believers devoted themselves to "the prayers." We'll also talk about how written prayers can strengthen—not replace—your personal conversations with God. We will also explore the beauty and biblical foundation of liturgical prayers, from the Psalms (which are themselves written prayers) to the Book of Common Prayer and prayers written by early church fathers like Polycarp. Many American evangelicals dismiss written prayers as "ritualistic" or empty tradition, but Scripture shows us that God gave us the Psalms to pray, Jesus gave us the Lord's Prayer to pray, and faithful Christians throughout history have used written prayers to train themselves in adoration, confession, and thanksgiving—not just requests. I also share a few favorite historic prayer resources and simple ways to turn Scripture into your own prayers. Shop Prayer Resources ⦿ Every Woman a Theologian Shop: https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/shop Our Spring Shop is live and filled with new prayer-focused resources including the Praying the Psalms Scripture Guide and Not-So-Quiet Time: Psalms Volume 1, a multisensory guide that you can use alone or as a family discipleship tool. Watch the full Verity Podcast Prayer Series: https://www.youtube.com/@veritypodcast Subscribe to Verity Podcast: https://apple.co/veritypodcast Verity Podcast is an Every Woman a Theologian company. We believe every woman should be a theologian—every woman a student of the heart of God. Order Every Woman a Theologian: https://tsfqr.com/EWATbook New Release: Not-So-Quiet Time: The Book of Psalms Volume 1 https://tsfqr.com/psalms Follow along: Substack: https://phyliciamasonheimer.substack.com [https://phyliciamasonheimer.substack.com/] Instagram: https://instagram.com/phyliciamasonheimer EWAT Instagram: https://instagram.com/everywomanatheologian

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is not empty ritual if the heart is postured towards Christ, towards God.
0:05.8	And imagine how it would transform you if you go from not praying at all because you don't feel
0:10.9	like it to praying the Lord's prayer three times a day and allowing that to move you to worship.
0:15.8	How would that transform your heart?
0:22.7	Hello, friends, and welcome back to Verity Podcast.
0:25.8	We're in episode eight of our prayer series, and today we're talking about praying scripted
0:31.4	prayers.
0:32.6	I've mentioned this in earlier episodes of this series that my predominant audience is the evangelical
0:39.6	American church. And so as I talk about this topic in this particular episode, I have those
0:47.0	listeners in view. If you are part of a liturgical church tradition, so Lutherans,
0:59.4	Episcopalians, Methodists, Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans,
1:05.8	this particular topic is kind of a given for you. You are already praying scripted prayers.
1:12.0	So you might be surprised that I even have to talk about this. Before my evangelical audience,
1:18.5	this is actually a topic of much dispute. And so I want to talk about this to those of you who either grew up in a church that did not use scripted prayers or are currently in one that does
1:25.8	not use scripted prayers or have been told that to use scripted
1:29.7	pre-written prayers is somehow less acceptable to God or isn't sincere or is Catholic,
1:38.6	whatever the phrase that was used. I hope that by the end of this episode, you have some
1:43.7	things to chew on and some
1:45.1	things to think about in regard to the history of written and repeated prayers by the congregation
1:51.0	or even by individuals in their personal walk with God, and that maybe it will change your
1:56.4	perspective on the power and importance of praying scripted prayers. As usual, I have some book recommendations
2:02.7	for you that I will be putting on my Amazon list of prayer books that you can refer to if you'd like
	...

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