Prayer, Dependence, Discipline and the Didache: Do Prayer Books Help or Hinder?
How Structure Can Help Fuel Spontaneity
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We often view spontaneity and structure as being at odds with each other, but what if adding discipline to your prayer life could actually fuel spontaneity? Perhaps when prayer is already on your mind, it flows more naturally throughout the day.
Two major risks in prayer: externalism and sloth
On one hand, prayer can become a hollow, Pharisaic-type ritual, an outward display with no heart connection to God. On the other hand, in a reaction to ritualism, one can risk abandoning all structure and discipline, leading to a scattered and inconsistent prayer life.
I’m not saying you must pray the Lord’s Prayer three times a day or you’re in sin. But asking if structured, disciplined prayer could perhaps help us grow, especially in an age of relentless distraction?
If you’re anything like me, you naturally turn inward, thinking life is all about you. But prayer shifts our focus outward, upward, beyond ourselves—aligning us with God’s will.
The Didache and Jesus as God- “God of David”
While the origins are still debatable, the Didache is one of the earliest Christian documents outside of the New Testament. Many date the Didache from the late first to early second centuries.
From an apologetics standpoint, the Didache refers to Jesus as the “God of David.” Matthew 21:9 says “Hosanna to the Son of David”, yet, the Didache says “Hosanna to the God of David.”
Evidently, early Christians thought of Jesus as God. And no, sceptics.. this is not an indication Matthew 21 does not refer to Jesus as God, for a few short verses later in Matthew 21:16, Jesus applies an Old Testament passage concerning YHWH to Himself!
But that’s not the point of today’s article!
The Didache, Discipline and Prayer
What is of interest for today’s article is what the Didache says about prayer. Didache literally means, “teaching” and it served as a guide for new Christians in the early church.
The Two Ways
The Didache breaks down two ways of living, “one of life and one of death.”
The way of life includes, following the teachings of Jesus, and confessing your sins for forgiveness and “not (approaching) prayer with a bad conscience.”
By contrast, the way of death “is wicked and thoroughly blasphemous: murders, adulteries, lusts, fornications, thefts, idolatries, magic arts, sorceries, robberies, false witness, hypocrisies, duplicity, deceit, arrogance, malice, stubbornness, greediness, filthy talk, jealousy, audacity, haughtiness, boastfulness.”
Prayer and the Didache
The Didache speaks of fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays.
When it comes to prayer, the Didache warns against hypocrisy, calling the audience to pray the Lord’s prayer three times a day:
“You must not pray like the hypocrites, but "pray as follows" as the Lord bid us in his gospel: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name; your Kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us today our bread for the morrow; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but save us from the evil one, for yours is the power and the glory forever." You should pray in this way three times a day.”
Let’s now have a quick look at the Lord’s prayer that the Didache refers to.
The Lord’s Prayer
Jesus wasn’t against structured prayer—He taught the Lord’s Prayer Himself. But He warned against empty performance.
Praying in Secret
Jesus says in Matthew 6:6:
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Concerned about what to pray for?
Jesus also warns in v.8 of heaping up empty phrases, thinking you will be heard for your many words:
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Romans 8:26 adds:
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
Dependence Over Performance
The key isn’t so much about saying the right words but acknowledging dependence on God and His will.
The Lord’s prayer begins with, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
That’s dependence. That’s realising the universe doesn’t centre around you.
The Role of Daily Discipline
The Didache urges the audience to pray the Lord’s prayer 3 times a day. While Jesus never gave a strict prayer schedule, He did say:
“When you pray”—not if you pray.
The Lord’s Prayer speaks of “this day” and “daily bread”, implying regular prayer.
Pre-Written Prayers: A Forgotten Tool?
This leads to a question of the importance of pre-written or at least pre-structured prayers in a prayer life.
If you’re anything like me, you might have long dismissed this as an impersonal or ritualistic way of prayer.
However, what if there is something about structure and time tested wisdom that we are missing when we entirely avoid structured prayers in our prayer lives?
Many of us have discipline and structure set up in our work, fitness, financial and social routines, but when it comes to prayer, the unstructured, sporadic distractions of text messages, news insights, phone calls and distracting or empty thoughts, lead to a rather empty prayer life that recognises minimal dependence on God day to day.
For one, as Christians we believe the Lord’s prayer came from the very lips of our Lord and King and has been prayed by Christians through the ages.
Prayers in the Bible
The Bible itself is full of prayers that we can reflect on as a starting point.
For example, in the New Testament:
The prayer of the tax collector “God, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13)
Paul’s prayer for the church of Colossae to grow in strength and knowledge (Col.1:9-12)
Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer (John 17)
Paul’s prayer for the love of the Philippian church to abound more and more (Phil. 1:9-11)
Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church to have the eyes of their heart enlightened (Eph. 1:17-19) and to know the width, length, height and depth of the love of Christ (Eph. 3:14-21).
The Psalms- The Bible’s Prayer Book
The Psalms are, themselves, a prayer book, forming an integral part of liturgy and or prayer throughout church history.
The Psalms include, for example:
Prayers of Mourning, Grief and Sorrow: 6, 10, 22, 42, 44, 77, 88, 130
Prayer of Praise and Worship: 8, 19, 29, 100
Prayers for Help and Deliverance: 3, 13
Prayers for Forgiveness: 32, 38, 51
Prayers of Thanksgiving: 9, 30, 34, 103
Prayers for Protection and Safety: 23, 27, 91, 121
Prayers for Guidance and Wisdom: 25, 27, 119
Prayers of Trust and Confidence in God: 46, 62
Prayers for Judgement or Against Enemies: 35, 69, 109
Prayers in the history of the church- you’re not the only human to have ever experienced struggles
Christians have through the ages, written many prayers to express their struggles and devotion:
Gregory of Nyssa prayed not to be consumed by the world with his feet only lightly touching the world.
Augustine confessed struggles with lust.
Basil the Great prayed upon waking up, praising God’s greatness.
We could go on and on.
Reading these prayers reminds us we aren’t alone—God has worked in believers across all ages, places, and struggles.
Structure in Prayer: A Practical Tool
Many Christian traditions use prayer books for daily life. These can cover topics such as:
Prayers linked to meals: Pre-breakfast, post-breakfast, pre-lunch, post-lunch, pre-dinner and post-dinner prayers.
Prayers for times of the day: Morning, midday, evening.
Prayers on major life transitions: Marriage, prayers for a child, prayers following a death in the family.
Prayers covering day to day struggles: Grief, sadness, anxiety, frustration.
Prayers in the face of all kinds of temptation or oppression: Courage in the face of persecution, protection from the demonic, strength to resist lust, envy or greed etc.
Prayers for forgiveness of sins: Various prayers of confession.
Prayer of praise: Celebrating Christ’s victory over sin and death, gratitude for creation, gratitude for God’s mercy and love.
Creeds: Linking statements of faith with prayer such as the Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, Chalcedonian Creed, etc.
We could go on and on. Perhaps you might even want to start writing some prayers yourself!
Some of the most powerful prayers were first written by someone else—but they still express our own hearts.
But Doesn’t Jesus Warn Against Long Prayers?
Didn’t Jesus say “your Father knows what you need” and not to pray long prayers?
Yes—but His warning was about thinking you’ll be heard because of many words (Matthew 6:7). Structured prayers aren’t about earning God’s attention; they’re a tool for consistent, focused devotion. Jesus, one chapter later, in Matthew 7:7-11 emphasises the importance of perseverance in prayer- asking, seeking, knocking. Plus your prayers definitely don’t need to be long!
Early church father John Chrysostom expressed these thoughts in his Homilies on Matthew:
“And herewith He seems to me to command in this place, that neither should we make our prayers long; long, I mean, not in time, but in the number and length of the things mentioned.
For perseverance indeed in the same requests is our duty: His word being, "continuing instant in prayer."
And He Himself too, by that example of the widow, who prevailed with the pitiless and cruel ruler, by the continuance of her intercession… He doth not however bid us compose a prayer of ten thousand clauses, and so come to Him and merely repeat it. For this He obscurely signified when He said, "They think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." "For He knoweth," saith He, "what things ye have need of." And if He know, one may say, what we have need of, wherefore must we pray?
Not to instruct Him, but to prevail with Him; to be made intimate with Him, by continuance in supplication; to be humbled; to be reminded of thy sins.”
Grace: The Fuel for Prayer and Discipline
The Christian life requires discipline:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23).
Paul compares it to a competitive athlete (1 Cor. 9:24-27).
Christians are soldiers armed for battle (Ephesians 6:10-18).
But what fuels this discipline? Grace. Dependence on God’s unmerited kindness.
“The grace of God… trains us to renounce ungodliness” (Titus 2:11-12).
That’s why discipline and prayer go hand in hand.
“Praying at all times in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18).
“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
“Building yourselves up… praying in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 20-21).
Even Jesus often withdrew to pray in solitude (Luke 5:16).
Closing Challenge: Don’t Rush To Dismiss All Structure
If you struggle with distraction, inconsistency, or self-focus in prayer, structured prayers might provide the discipline you need.
You plan your work, finances, fitness, and social life—so why not add some planning to your prayer life?
God has given us Scripture, church history, and timeless prayers to guide us. Perhaps it’s time to rethink what structured prayer could mean for you.
Love this! The Didache is one of my favourite early books too. It's so minimal, yet very insightful to early practices that we can learn a lot from it.
I also find that since structuring we prayer life more using liturgical prayers it actually spurs my thoughts onto other things to pray about as it gives me some framework to think about different things that might not normally cross my mind which then reminds me of other issues, so you're right in saying that sometimes structure can lead to spontaneity!