Writing Letters to God

A “collect” is an ancient form of prayer that’s short, meaningful, and to the point—almost like a snapshot of your heart in conversation with God. It’s often used in Christian services and tied to a specific theme or scripture, but you can write one anytime. Let’s try creating one together!

Form of a Collect (according to Pádraig Ó Tuama)

Five-fold structure:

A. Name the one you’re praying to

B. Unfold the name of the one you’re praying to

C. Name one desire

D. Unfold the desire you’ve named

E. End

Example:

A. God,

B. I know that you love me.

C. Help me to love myself,

D. That I may love others.

E. In Jesus name, Amen.

"Prayer can be a deeply dignifying thing for the desires that we wish to name."

Pádraig Ó Tuama

Keep an eye out on the blog and on social media for a collect for each week of Advent.

For more on writing collects, listen to this podcast with Pádraig Ó Tuama and Marilyn Nelson Shine on Krista Tippett's On Being