The father of the modern church, Martin Luther, had a barber. One day his barber asked his world-famous customer (already a doctor of theology), “Dr. Luther, how do you pray?”
Martin Luther answered by writing him a 40-page letter. It was published in 1535, under the title A Simple Way to Pray, for a Good Friend. Here’s how he began the letter:
Dear Master Peter,
I give you the best I have. I tell you how I pray myself. May our Lord God grant you and everyone to do it better.
A good clever barber must have his thoughts, mind and eyes concentrated upon the razor and the beard and not forget where he is in his stroke and shave. If he keeps talking or looking around or thinking of something else, he is likely to cut a man’s mouth or nose – or even his throat. So anything that is to be done well ought to occupy the whole man with all his faculties and members. As the saying goes: he who thinks of many things thinks of nothing and accomplishes no good. How much more must prayer possess the heart exclusively and completely if it is to be a good prayer!
From the beginning, Luther admitted that he had the same problem we all have in prayer: lack of concentration. He then spent 40 pages explaining how to remedy the problem. Here’s a PDF version. Take the good doctor’s prescription!