The most ancient form of prayer is probably petition. Scot McKnight has set out to understand this better, and guide pray-ers and churches to reinvigorate their practice of asking God.

To You All Hearts Are Open begins with the Collects of the Book of Common Prayer – timeless prayers that have been used by Christians for centuries, are rooted in the Catholic tradition of prayer, and are deeply biblical. These prayers common to churches of nearly every denomination illustrate five elements of prayer itself: addressing God, asking God, reminding God of how God has acted in the past, expecting God to answer, and accessing God through Christ. They are the Bible's pattern of petitioning God which Scot McKnight seeks to rediscover a reliable path to relationship and true conversation with God*.*