Thoughts on Public Prayer

Samuel Miller

Reviewed by: Mike Myers

Thoughts on Public Prayer, by Samuel Miller. Banner of Truth, 2022. Hardcover, 216 pages, $16.20. Reviewed by OP pastor Mike Myers.

Banner of Truth performed a kind service to the church by reprinting this little work by Samuel Miller (1769–1850). His objective was to enhance and strengthen the ministrations of prayer in the church’s public worship and gatherings. Readers will not only find practical instruction on prayer but also rich historical analysis of worship in the life of the church since the days of the apostles.

Miller affirmed prayer was not merely “divinely prescribed, but an unspeakably important ordinance” (6). If ministers must carefully consider how to speak of God to the congregation, they must also prepare to speak to God for the congregation. To do this, he describes the need to cultivate both the grace and gift of prayer. The grace of prayer is rooted in the sincere piety of the heart; the gift refers to the ability to offer prayers audibly in a manner that edifies the congregation.

Some may find the historical section of chapter 2 and the liturgical debates in chapter 3 laborious, but there is value in wading through the arguments of the past, if only to appreciate the clarity of biblical wisdom. A major theme is the place and usefulness of reading form prayers. While warning against excesses and ceremonialism, Miller does not disallow or condemn the practice outright. In fact, he acknowledges the richness that some of these forms contain and the help they can be in cultivating the gift of prayer. He objects primarily to the exclusive or required use of them in the church. He warmly commends free or extemporary prayer, but cautions against the liability of careless public supplications.

Chapters 4 and 5 outline various common faults of public prayer and qualities of good public prayer, respectively. Both chapters are full of good advice and occasionally humorous anecdotes. He concludes the book with practical aids in growing in holy ability and quality in this important aspect of the church’s life.

Miller humbly presented this book “to the younger ministers . . . and to the candidates for the sacred office alone” (xiv). It is the reviewer’s opinion that the scope of usefulness is broader than originally intended. Every Christian with an interest in praying beyond the private sphere will find sound wisdom and help in these pages.