Shortbread: How to Write Great Devotionals, Part 5

Friday --The Writers' Porch

Shortbread: How to Write Great Devotionals, Part 5—The Prayer

We’re winding down our study of Shortbread—How to Write Great Devotionals. This blog is going to be on the prayer. Almost without exception, a devotion will have a prayer as its closing.

The prayer is usually written in first person. It is written so that the reader can actually use it as prayer to God. Most prayers begin with “Father” or “Lord Jesus." (Check with the publisher or review prior published devotions to see the preference.) The prayer should address the topic of the devotion and the Scripture. However, the prayer should only be three to four sentences—write tight. Then close the prayer with something similar to “In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” (This also varies with the publisher. Again, check for their preference.)

One more tip in writing your prayer is what to do with the pronouns of the God (He, Him, He, You, etc.) With Proverbs 31 Ministries, the pronouns are always capitalized. However, this is not the case throughout the industry. Over the past few years, more and more publishers do not capitalize the pronouns for God. I personally prefer to capitalize my references to the Lord. I feel that it shows respect for our sovereign God, but that is only my opinion. Again, refer to the publication for direction.

Below is an example of a closing prayer.

Dear Lord, grant me the courage to step out and give a helping hand to someone else. Help me to remember that small kindnesses change lives as much as heroic deeds. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (Birds in My Mustard Tree--Encouragement for Today)

Next week we will close up this series with the final touches of writing devotionals.