Public prayer, whether it is praying in a corporate setting or simply asking a blessing over a meal with friends, can cause many Christians to feel uncomfortable. It may be easy to think we are the only ones who feel awkward in the practice, but this has been a reality for much longer than we think. In this week’s letter from the past, Dr. John Snyder reads a helpful correspondence from John Newton on five principles to keep in mind when we have the opportunity to exercise social prayer. Far from making us wooden in our prayer or afraid to lead out in praying, these are to help us make the most of our opportunity to both glorify Christ and edify the body in which we are praying alongside. Newton’s concluding advice is helpful to have in mind as you begin this episode: “I shall be glad if these hints may be of any service to those who desire to worship God in spirit and in truth.” May it be so for us today. We are running a giveaway this week for Select Letters of John Newton. If you already receive weekly emails from Media Gratiae, there is nothing for you to do. You are already entered. If you would like to be entered to win, you can sign up for the Media Gratiae email list below. https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway You can read this week's letter here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/thoughts-on-the-exercise-of-public-prayer You can read next week’s letter here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/first-leter-to-mrs Show Notes: Watch other episodes of our letter series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDMzuC301aRv8v3tga_psAcK The Works of John Newton: https://banneroftruth.org/uk/store/christian-living/works-john-newton/ John Newton Introductions from Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty https://youtu.be/m9riTq53Vg4 Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app