Prayer
Pray three times a day
Jesus and His disciples kept the Jewish practice of praying three times a day, and the first Christians carried it on — Peter went up to pray at noon, Daniel knelt three times daily with his windows open. They were not held together by a weekly meeting but by a daily rhythm. Returning to God again and again through an ordinary day is how the faith crossed the world, and it is still available to you, for free, three times today.
Morning Prayer — when you wake
Lectio Divina — 'divine reading', the way Christians have meditated on Scripture for sixteen centuries.
My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
Psalm 5:3
- Pause — Be still, and know that He is God.
Stop. Put the phone flat. Take three slow breaths and let the day's list go for sixty seconds. You are not late for anything yet.
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. (Psalm 46:10) - Rejoice — Rejoice with a Psalm and reflect on Scripture.
Read the passage slowly, twice. The second time, notice the word or the phrase that catches on something in you — and stay there rather than reading on.
This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24) - Ask — Ask for God's help.
Now say it plainly. What do you actually need today? Name the meeting, the person, the fear, the decision. Do not tidy it up first.
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (Philippians 4:6) - Yield — Yield to His will in your life.
And then the hardest line in the Lord's Prayer: thy will be done. Hand the day over, including the part of it you want to control.
Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. (Luke 22:42)
Go now. He goes with you.
Midday Prayer — around noon
Built around the Lord's Prayer — the only prayer Jesus taught when they asked Him how to pray.
Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour.
Acts 10:9
- Stop — Interrupt the day on purpose.
Whatever you are in the middle of, put it down for three minutes. That interruption is the point; it is how you remember who you are working for.
Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. (Psalm 55:17) - Pray — Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Pray the Lord's Prayer slowly, one line at a time, letting each line gather up what has happened since breakfast.
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. (Matthew 6:9) - Give — Give us this day our daily bread.
Daily bread means today's, not the year's. Ask for what this afternoon needs, and no more.
Give us this day our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11) - Forgive — And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Is there anybody you have been short with this morning? Say the name. Forgive, and ask to be forgiven, before it hardens.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. (Matthew 6:12)
Back to work, carried.
Night Prayer — before sleep
The Examen — a way of prayerfully walking back through your day, from the Ignatian tradition.
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:8
- Reflect — Walk back through the day that has passed.
Replay it gently, hour by hour, like watching from a distance. No verdicts yet. Just look.
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: (Psalm 139:23) - Rejoice — Notice where He was.
Find one moment of grace you nearly missed — a kindness, a relief, a small beauty. Say thank you for that one thing out loud.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: (Psalm 103:2) - Repent — Receive forgiveness for what went wrong.
Name what you got wrong. Not to punish yourself — to put it down. It is forgiven, and it does not have to be carried into tomorrow.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) - Rest — Lay it down and sleep.
Hand over everything unfinished. The world is held by Someone who does not sleep, and it will still be held in the morning.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. (Psalm 121:4)
Goodnight. He keeps watch.