Prayer apps
Reformed prayer app, praying Scripture to a sovereign God
· 3 min read
A prayer app for Reformed Christians. What the Westminster Shorter Catechism says prayer is, praying Scripture and the Psalms, and how The Pray App fits.
A Reformed prayer app should help you pray the way Scripture and the Reformed confessions describe prayer: to the Father, in the name of Christ, shaped by the whole Word of God, with confession and thanksgiving. The Pray App keeps that simple. Each request is a prayer card with a Bible verse, and you pray through them with Scripture open.
Is there a prayer app for Reformed Christians?
The Pray App fits a Reformed rhythm of prayer. You keep the people and needs you pray for as prayer cards, each with a suggested Bible verse to pray. A Bible reading plan with New Testament, Old Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs tracks sits beside your prayers. There are no prayers to saints and no set liturgy, only Scripture, your requests, and a record of how God has answered.
What is prayer, according to the Westminster Shorter Catechism?
The Westminster Shorter Catechism gives one of the clearest definitions of prayer in Reformed teaching. Question 98 asks, “What is prayer?” and answers, “Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.”
Question 99 says how to pray: “The whole word of God is of use to direct us in prayer; but the special rule of direction is that form of prayer which Christ taught his disciples, commonly called The Lord’s Prayer.” That is why a Reformed prayer life leans on Scripture, and especially on Matthew 6:9-13.
Why pray if God is sovereign?
Prayer and God’s sovereignty belong together in Reformed teaching. God ordains not only what will happen but the means by which it happens, and prayer is one of His appointed means. Daniel read in Jeremiah that the exile would last seventy years, and his response was to pray: “Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy” (Daniel 9:3, ESV). Calvin called prayer “the chief exercise of faith” (Institutes 3.20). We pray because God commands it (1 Thessalonians 5:17), because He delights to answer according to His will (1 John 5:14), and because prayer humbles us before the One who rules all things.
How do you pray Scripture in a Reformed way?
Praying Scripture means taking God’s own words and turning them into requests, confession, and thanks. Some simple ways:
- Pray the Lord’s Prayer line by line, adding your own requests under each petition.
- Pray the Psalms. They give words for praise, lament, confession, and trust. Psalm 51 for confession, Psalm 103 for thanks, Psalm 13 for waiting.
- Pray Paul’s prayers for others, like Colossians 1:9-12 and Ephesians 3:14-19, with a name in place of “you.”
- Pray God’s promises back to Him, as Daniel did.
For more, see biblical prayer app and the ACTS prayer method, which follows the catechism’s pattern of praise, confession, thanksgiving, and petition.
How does The Pray App fit a Reformed prayer life?
The Pray App keeps Scripture next to every request. On Home, tap New prayer card, write the request, and under Details tap Bible verse to pick one of the Suggested verses or type your own. Choose a Category like Kingdom for prayers for the church and the spread of the gospel.
Pick a suggested verse for each prayer card, or add your own.
Daily Bible Reading lets you set how many verses a day you read from the New Testament, Old Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. When God answers a prayer, tap Answered, write how, and it moves to Stones of Remembrance in Journey, a record of His faithfulness, like Samuel’s Ebenezer (1 Samuel 7:12).
Is The Pray App right for you?
The Pray App fits Reformed and Presbyterian Christians, Reformed Baptists, and anyone who wants a Scripture-first, uncluttered way to pray for people by name on an iPhone. It doesn’t include a liturgy, a psalter with tunes, or a catechism reader, and it isn’t on Android. It does keep your requests, a verse for each, your Bible reading, and your answered prayers in one quiet place.
The Pray App is free on the App Store, with no ads. See how to create a prayer card.
Questions people ask
Is there a prayer app for Reformed Christians?
The Pray App fits a Reformed rhythm of prayer. It keeps your requests as prayer cards, suggests a Bible verse for each, includes a Bible reading plan with Psalms and Proverbs tracks, and keeps a record of how God has answered. It has no prayers to saints and no set liturgy.
What does the Westminster Shorter Catechism say about prayer?
Question 98 says, "Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies."
If God is sovereign, why pray?
God ordains the ends and the means, and prayer is one of His appointed means. Scripture commands prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and shows God working through it, as when Daniel prayed for what God had promised through Jeremiah (Daniel 9:2-3).
Related guides
- Prayer app for kids, how families can pray togetherWhat parents can look for in a prayer app for kids, how to use The Pray App with your children at bedtime, and how answered prayers can build their faith.
- Prayer app for teens, how to pray as a teenagerHow to pray as a teenager, praying for your friends, school, the future, and anxiety, and how The Pray App helps teens keep praying without pressure.
- AI prayer app, what AI can and can't do for your prayersHow AI can help organize your prayer list, why it can't pray for you, how to test what it writes against Scripture, and how The Pray App uses it.
- Best prayer app for iPhone, what to look forWhat makes the best prayer app for iPhone, the features that help you pray each day, and how The Pray App handles lists, journaling, and privacy.