The Practice of Prayer | G. Campbell Morgan 

About the Book: 

The Practice of Prayer by G. Campbell Morgan, D.D. is a deeply thoughtful and spiritually searching work on one of the most essential realities of the Christian life: prayer. More than a theoretical discussion, this book is a clear, earnest, and practical call to believers who long not merely to talk about prayer, but to truly live a life of prayer.

Morgan writes with the rare ability to combine biblical depth, pastoral warmth, and spiritual seriousness. He does not treat prayer as a religious formality, a vague devotional exercise, or a mere theological subject. Instead, he shows that prayer stands at the very heart of fellowship with God, the strength of the Christian life, and the power of the Church’s witness in the world.

Throughout the book, Morgan explores not only the possibility of prayer, but also its meaning, its conditions, its practice, and its place in both personal devotion and collective spiritual life. His writing is reverent without being heavy, intellectually rich without becoming distant, and practical without losing its sense of holy wonder. He helps readers see that prayer is not first about eloquence, length, or outward form, but about real relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

What makes this book especially valuable is that it speaks both to the mind and to the conscience. It instructs, challenges, and awakens. It encourages believers to examine their habits, motives, and expectations in prayer, while also lifting their eyes to the greatness of God and the privilege of drawing near to Him.

Why This Book Still Matters

Many books on prayer offer inspiration. Some offer instruction. This book does both. Morgan addresses questions that remain deeply relevant today: Why does prayer matter? How should we pray? What hinders prayer? What does it mean to pray in fellowship with God’s will? How does prayer shape the Church, the ministry, and the individual believer?

In an age of hurry, distraction, and spiritual shallowness, The Practice of Prayer remains remarkably timely. It reminds readers that prayer is not optional in the Christian life. It is not an ornament of faith, but one of its central expressions. Morgan calls the Church back to seriousness, simplicity, and spiritual dependence, and he does so with conviction, clarity, and grace.

What Makes G. Campbell Morgan’s Writing Special

G. Campbell Morgan was known for his gift of making profound biblical truth both understandable and compelling. In this book, that strength is on full display. He writes with the authority of a preacher, the insight of a Bible teacher, and the tenderness of a shepherd. His words carry weight, yet they are never cold. His arguments are thoughtful, yet always directed toward spiritual life and obedience.

Readers will find in these pages not only teaching about prayer, but an invitation into it. Morgan does not leave prayer in the realm of abstraction. He brings it close, showing how it belongs in the hidden life of the believer, in the gathered life of the Church, and in the practical demands of everyday Christian service.

Who Should Read This Book?

This book will be especially meaningful for:

Christians who want a deeper prayer life and are seeking more than devotional sentiment.

Pastors, teachers, and ministry leaders who want a richer biblical understanding of prayer and intercession.

Church members and prayer groups who desire to recover the spiritual seriousness and power of corporate prayer.

Readers of classic Christian literature who appreciate timeless, Christ-centered, Scripture-rich writing.

Believers who feel spiritually dry, distracted, or burdened and need a strong, thoughtful call back to communion with God.

A Book for Both Personal Devotion and Serious Study

The Practice of Prayer is a book that can be read slowly and prayerfully, chapter by chapter. It is suitable for personal devotional reading, but it also rewards careful study. It is the kind of book readers return to, mark up, reflect on, and revisit in different seasons of life.

Some books on prayer comfort the reader. Some books convict the reader. This one does both. It comforts by pointing believers to the Father’s readiness to hear. It convicts by exposing the weakness, carelessness, and inconsistency that often mark the prayer life of the Church. And in doing so, it leads readers not to discouragement, but to renewed desire.

Final Reflection

The Practice of Prayer is not merely a book to admire. It is a book to respond to. It invites readers to move beyond ideas, beyond religious vocabulary, and beyond outward habit into a more real, more reverent, and more obedient life of prayer.

For anyone who longs to understand prayer more deeply and practice it more faithfully, this book remains a rich and rewarding guide.

About This Modernized Edition

This modernized edition of The Practice of Prayer has been prepared to help today’s readers engage more easily with the spiritual depth and practical wisdom of G. Campbell Morgan’s classic work.

Morgan’s original writing is rich, reverent, and deeply instructive, but like many older Christian classics, its language and sentence structure can at times feel distant to modern readers. The purpose of this edition is to preserve the substance, tone, and theological integrity of the original while presenting it in clearer, more accessible English for contemporary use.

In preparing this edition, special care has been taken to remain faithful to Morgan’s meaning. The goal has not been to rewrite his message, simplify away its depth, or replace his voice with a new one. Rather, this edition seeks to remove unnecessary barriers created by dated phrasing, archaic constructions, and occasional scanning or transcription errors, so that readers can hear more clearly what Morgan was saying.

Bible verses have been preserved as they appear in the original text, and the overall structure of the work has been maintained. At the same time, punctuation, spelling, paragraph flow, and wording have been carefully updated where needed for readability and consistency. The result is an edition designed for both serious study and devotional reading, suitable for modern readers while still honoring the character of the original work.

This edition is especially intended for readers who value classic Christian writing but want to approach it with greater clarity and ease. It is for pastors, teachers, students, prayer groups, and individual believers who desire access to Morgan’s teaching in a form that is both faithful and readable.

The hope behind this modernized edition is simple: that this timeless book may continue to call believers into a deeper, truer, and more steadfast life of prayer.

About the Author: G. Campbell Morgan (1863–1945) — The Prince of Expositors

G. Campbell Morgan (1863–1945) was one of the most respected Bible teachers and expository preachers of his generation. Known for his unusual clarity, spiritual seriousness, and deep love for Scripture, he helped countless readers and hearers understand the Bible not merely as a collection of religious writings, but as a living revelation of God’s truth.

Morgan was especially famous for his expository preaching—his gift for opening the meaning of Scripture with precision, warmth, and practical force. He had a remarkable ability to make profound biblical truth understandable without making it shallow. For this reason, he became widely known on both sides of the Atlantic as a preacher, teacher, and author whose ministry strengthened pastors, students, and ordinary believers alike.

He served prominently in London, most notably at Westminster Chapel, where his preaching ministry became deeply influential. Over the years, his books and sermons gained a wide readership because they combined careful biblical insight with a strong pastoral heart. Readers who may be unfamiliar with Morgan soon discover that his writing is both intellectually substantial and spiritually alive.

Among his best-known works are The Crises of the Christ, The Parables and Metaphors of Our Lord, The Ten Commandments, The Spirit of God, and The Practice of Prayer. Across these books, Morgan consistently shows the qualities that made him so beloved: reverence for the Word of God, thoughtful exposition, Christ-centered teaching, and a constant desire to bring truth into real life.

In The Practice of Prayer, those strengths are especially evident. Morgan does not write as a distant theorist, but as a trusted spiritual guide. He treats prayer not as a mere doctrine to be explained, but as a holy practice to be lived. That combination of biblical depth and practical urgency is one reason this book continues to speak so powerfully to readers today.

For readers meeting him for the first time, G. Campbell Morgan is a writer worth discovering. His works carry the weight of a serious Bible teacher, the tenderness of a pastor, and the clarity of a master communicator. He remains one of the most rewarding classic Christian authors for anyone who wants to think deeply, read devotionally, and grow in faith.

Contents

About the Book 4

About This Modernized Edition 7

About the Author 8

CHAPTER 1. PRELIMINARY 10

CHAPTER 2. THE POSSIBILITY OF PRAYER 15

CHAPTER 3. THE PLATFORM OF PRAYER 21

CHAPTER 4. THE PREPARATION FOR PRAYER 32

CHAPTER 5. THE PLANE OF PRAYER 44

5.1. THE PURPOSE OF GOD 45

5.2. THE PILGRIMAGE OF MAN 57

CHAPTER 6. THE PRACTICE OF PRAYER 71

CHAPTER 1. PRELIMINARY

“And it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, that when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray, even as John also taught his disciples. And He said unto them, When ye pray, say, Father, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we ourselves also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And bring us not into temptation.

“And He said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine is come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him; and he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee? I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will arise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. And of which of you that is a father shall his son ask a loaf, and he give him a stone? or a fish, and he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he give him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” —Luke 11:1–13.

Never did the disciples make a more important request than when they said, “Lord, teach us to pray”; and no request was ever more graciously answered.

The Church today needs to bring that request first of all, but she must do so remembering that she already has the answer in all its breadth and clarity. Whatever may have been true of the first disciples, it is certainly true of us that before we “call,” He “answers.”

I have chosen as the general title of this book The Practice of Prayer, because the purpose of its publication is preeminently practical. Any discussion of the doctrine of prayer that does not lead to the practice of prayer is not only unhelpful; it is dangerous. At the same time, that practice will be greatly helped by a right understanding of the related Christian doctrine.

That there is need for such consideration is admitted on every hand. Side by side with great enrichment, there is widespread impoverishment in the Church of God. Our consciousness of wealth creates our sense of poverty; and it is because we rejoice in what we have gained that we mourn over what we lack.

As to enrichment, there can be no question that the Church’s appreciation of Jesus Christ is keener and broader today than it has ever been. There is now a widespread consciousness of the human Christ, and this has brought assurance of His interest in every department of human life. Along with this there has arisen a conviction of His universality; and while rejoicing as never before in the warmth and nearness of the Flesh, we have come to a larger apprehension of the infinitude of the Word.

In practical equipment for service also, the Church, in men, in money, and in methods, is far in advance of any preceding age. Yet in all these things there is still a sense of lack and poverty. While the sense of the greatness of Christ is larger, the ability to bring men into loving, saving contact with Him sometimes seems less. The men at His disposal are many, but the Church lacks the energy to send them forth. Money is given more freely than ever, and yet the greater part of the possessions of the saints is still kept for their own use. Methods have multiplied, and yet one cannot escape the conviction that many of our organizations are fungus growths, draining the Church’s life and contributing nothing to her fruitfulness.

We are deeply conscious of lack. Everywhere there is a double sense: that of power and of paralysis. We have heard the sound of the going in the tops of the mulberry trees, but the wind of God seems to tarry. We saw the flaming of the bush among the Welsh mountains a little while ago, but we have not seen it in England. All around us are indifferent masses. We still mourn the scarcity of conversions, and are painfully conscious of the languishing missionary spirit.

Where is the lack? That is a larger question than this book intends to discuss. Nevertheless, I think it may broadly be said that the supreme need of the Church is the experimental realization of her relationship to God by the Holy Spirit. In the interaction of life and prayer will be found the secret of power, and the realization of fellowship with God will never be more than a theory unless prayer becomes a practice.

I am particularly anxious to write nothing censorious, or anything that fails to recognize all the best things still to be found among us. I am profoundly conscious that there is a great deal of prayer on the highest plane. God has His intercessors everywhere. They are often found in unexpected places, in men and women who have learned the secret, and who by familiar intercourse with God become channels of blessing to men. But the majority of us are not praying.

While I thank God for the prayers that are being offered, I feel that it is of the utmost importance that the whole Church should know the secret of prevailing prayer, not only in theory, but in practice.

In the presence of this need, the importance of our presenting the same request as the early disciples is obvious. That request must be carefully understood. It was far larger than we too often make it. We lessen its meaning by adding words to it. They did not say, “Lord, teach us how to pray,” but, “Lord, teach us to pray.” A great many people know how to pray, but they do not pray. The request, “Teach us how to pray,” refers simply to theory. The request, “Teach us to pray,” is much fuller in meaning, and includes both theory and practice.

It is interesting to notice the circumstances in which the disciples made this request. “And it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, that when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray.” It is hardly possible to read these words without seeing the connection between their request and their observation of the Lord.

Jesus Himself was preeminently a Man of prayer, and there is no doubt that they had often seen Him praying, and in all probability had heard Him. Although He never prayed with them, nor used in His own prayers the same words He used when teaching them to pray, it was clearly evident to them how much prayer meant to Him. It is as though they had said, “We would come into this secret of Yours.” Their request arose from their conviction of the value of prayer in His life.

The answer of Jesus was far more comprehensive than at first appears. Immediately He gave them a pattern and a parable.

The pattern itself was not exhaustive, for it consisted of a recitation of certain sentences from the form of prayer included in His Manifesto. He then gave them a parable that taught, by contrast, the readiness of God to hear and answer. If importunity could persuade a man to give, how much more would God give out of the love of His heart.

This pattern and parable, however, were nothing more than the local, immediate, and partial answer of Jesus to their request. Later He gave them much detailed teaching in His paschal discourses, and yet not even this final teaching exhausted His great and gracious answer. He Himself, in His revelation of the place and power of prayer in human life, is the supreme answer to their request. By the whole fact of incarnation and perfect life, of atonement, resurrection, and perpetual priesthood, Christ answers this preliminary prayer.

It is well for us to remember that we are in direct succession to these disciples, that their requests are our requests, and His answers to them are His answers to us. Making every proper distinction between things that differ, between matters that belonged to the specific message of the early days of Jesus and matters connected with the commission under which we serve, it still remains true that His essential teaching was intended for us as well as for those who first heard it.

When He stood surrounded by that first group of disciples, He prayed, and in the course of His prayer He said, “Neither for these only do I pray, but for them also that believe on Me through their word.” I always feel warmly near to the heart of Christ when I read these words, for I know that He saw me also, and included me in His priestly intercession. As there He prayed for us with them, so also in all His teaching He spoke to us as to them.

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