(The Collect is a daily prayer form, ancient and beautiful, that is an easy to learn, and easy to fill in and adapt to your prayer needs and requests!)
Prayer touches and changes the large and small things of our lives when we speak to God. The holy mystery of prayer is a profound p art of faith, for by the simple words we address to God he answers by signs and changes both within us and in the world around us. Pray works because God listens. While many things, from avalanches to Harleys, can make booming noises, only those things alive by his spirit can hear.
Hearing is a precious gift. By hearing, we can be loved, warned, comforted, corrected, counseled, punished, forgiven, and blessed. God actually listens to us! God actually hears what we say! And God especially listens with all of His divine senses and powers when we pray.
Collects (col -lect), sometimes called the prayer of the day, are a prayer form used by many churches. Once the form is understood, collects are an simple and basic way to effectively speak to God.
The collects has four parts. The first part begins by addressing God. The address also identifies or describes an aspect or experience with God that relates to the praise or request. A prayer before a trip might begin with this address:
Oh Merciful and Almighty God, who parted the waters for the faithfuls safe passage . . . Or:
Gracious Heavenly Father, in whose Holy hands is our safety . . . After the address, collects offer praise to God or make a request. For example,
shield our family from harm or accident, assaults or errors, by ourselves or others . . . Or:
accept our thanks and praise for having guided our steps and strengthened our hearts . . . Then pray for the results or goals you seek to identify for God. Continuing with the example:
allow us to arrive at our destination safely and greeting with joyful hearts our friends and family, loving them as you have loved us . . . Or: help us to see your guiding hand in each step we take or mile we travel . . .
A collect then concludes and affirms God as the only Giver and Source of answers. Concluding (for Christians):
by the power of the Holy Spirit, who reigns with you in unity with your son, Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Or:
through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who restores our lives with You and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Now we have a simple daily prayer, or collect, for travel:
Gracious Heavenly Father, in whose Holy hands is our safety, accept our thanks and praise for having guided our steps and strengthened our hearts . . . help us to see your guiding hand in each step we take or mile we travel by the power of the Holy Spirit, who reigns with you in unity with your son, Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen Or:
Oh Merciful and Almighty God, who parted the waters for the faithfuls safe passage . shield our family from harm or accident, assaults or errors, by ourselves or others . . . allow us to arrive at our destination safely and greet with joyful hearts our friends and family, loving them as you have loved us . . . by the power of the Holy Spirit, who reigns with you in unity with your son, Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Once the form is learned, collects are simple--and easy! Once the form is learned, your hearts and thoughts will fill the three parts and your prayer will be offer total adoration or a complete petition before God.
Collects are also easy to write.
Here are two of my favorites, which I actually wrote, both used during an actual service. The first collect is a prayer of thanksgiving for gift of children and for their protection. They are used in an annual service to remember the last nine children (under 13 years old!) publicly auctioned and sold as slaves in the city of Charleston, January 18, 1865.
Almighty and everloving God, you have blessed us with children and sent your own Son to be the cornerstone of our lives, we beseech thee to commit our families to your loving protection, surround us with light to turn away darkness or despair, and strengthen our hearts and kindle hope, teach us to love whatever is just and true and good, and to forgive cruelty and avoid the snares of temptation, as we ask for thy blessings of mercy and grace, as the children of the one God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen. The second collect is a prayer of unity, offered at the close of the service, A Mass of Remembrance:
Almighty and everpresent God, by your spirit, you have joined heaven and earth, and blessed us generously with the light of freedom; help us know that our lives are linked for common good, and not given for self alone; grant that, from generation to generation, not by our sinfulness, ignorance, or blindness, but as proper witnesses to your loving-kindness, we might live by faith, offer petitions for thy help, receive the crown of glory, and be united in a holy bond of love and charity through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Collects can be short or long, used for any topic or need, and are complete. Using the collect form brings a sense of order and a reassurance that you have not omitted anything in your prayer to God. There is peace in the knowledge that while we fall short, our prayer-our cry for help-our petition and praise--is complete!
