Daily Prayer
Prayer is the air we breathe in communion with God. And much like the air we breathe, it’s easy to take for granted. How often can’t we fly through the blur of busyness of an entire day without a thought towards God?
And so we set aside three times a day for intentional prayer to open a space and time to seek God’s face. We interrupt our daily living with set times of prayer, bringing ourselves to God-attention, expressing our intention to live all of our life in communion with God. The long-established pattern of God’s people was to structure their day around times of prayer. We read about Daniel who prayed three times a day, or the disciples who prayed at certain hours.
Instead of trying to squeeze God somewhere into our day, we organize our day around communion with God, setting out a rhythm of three times for daily prayer.
Three forms of prayer
Morning prayer - daily office: for centuries, Christians have practiced a form of prayer called the “daily office.” The office is the practice of praying at fixed times throughout the day, using set scriptures and prayers. Our first prayer of the day, before we check our phones or screens, is a simple office consisting of a psalm, a portion of scripture, time for quiet reflection, a prayer, and a blessing for the day. See below for a few daily offices to use.
Mid-day prayer: in the middle of our day, interrupting our work or leisure, we pray a set prayer. At this time, in a polarized and divided culture, we pray the prayer of St. Francis, renewing our call to be instruments of peace. You can memorize the prayer (or print out a PDF version here).
Below are two other ways to pray this prayer: a video recording from The Porter’s Gate and an audio file of Steve Bell’s Peace Prayer.
Evening prayer - the Examen: at the end of the day, we take time to review the day through the a contemplative exercise of the Prayer of Examen. We bring to God the events of the day, seeking to discern God’s presence and voice in the nitty-gritty events of life.
Click here to download an Examen explainer, with practical steps to walk you through this helpful practice.
