Do your own prayers ever bore you? Do you sometimes come to the end of your prayers and wonder how you actually got there? More often than I care to be honest about, that’s been the state of my prayer life, babbling who – knows – what to God, with my head and heart miles away. For too long, it felt like my prayers mostly swam in the shallow end of the God pool. I needed help to find a way of praying that drew me into something more expansive and alive than the poverty of my own religious feelings.
When you’re desperate enough, you grab onto anything that looks remotely helpful. For me, I happened to latch onto an old and peculiar practice called praying the daily office.
It is simply a form of prayer; a pattern of prayer and worship regularly offered to God at set times within the course of a single day. It’s rooted in the simple reality that just as we need a mug in order to enjoy a sip of coffee, so we need a form to enjoy our prayers. The pattern of the daily office frees us to enjoy prayer as an extended conversation with God.
This rhythm of set prayer was an established Hebrew practice. In Psalm 119:164, we read: “Seven times a day I praise you…” Whether that means seven actual times or is symbolic of all our time, it is likely reflected in Paul’s call for us to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Jesus himself marked his days with regular times of prayer, and the early church observed a similar pattern (Acts 2:42).
A prayed office typically begins with an invitation to prayer, a call to open up to the reality of God’s kingdom. A psalm is always a part of the daily office; praying through the psalms is one of the oldest ways God’s people have regularly prayed. A further selection of scripture is prayed through as well, the aim being to frame our days with the story of God. The daily office also includes times for silence—quiet spaces in our 24/7 wired lives for listening and responding to God. And you’ll find prayers of petition and intercession, either spontaneous or written, often along with the Lord’s Prayer. Finally, each time of prayer concludes with a blessing from God.
The goal is to make us awake to God in all our waking moments, to be present and mindful of God throughout our day. Thankfully, spontaneous prayers are a part of our life with God, but such a scattershot approach is not enough for a lasting life of prayer any more than it is for a satisfying relationship with someone you love. Through the patterned practice of praying the daily office, we find a freedom and depth in our communion with God as we learn the words and forms that help us commune with God.
I love the wise balance Puritan pastor William Law offers: “It seems right for everyone to begin with form of prayer. If, in the midst of his devotions, he finds his heart ready to break forth into new and higher strains of devotions, he should leave his form for a while and follow those fervors of his heart till it again wants the assistance of his usual petitions.”
So, first of all, pick out a prayer book that’s helpful for you (see the box for suggestions). Then set a place and schedule a time. Drop the often – unspoken demand for something to happen and simply “say your prayers,” whether you’re in the mood or not. Give some “practice time” because at first it might feel foreign, maybe a little stiff. Accept the awkward feelings and allow the form of prayer to shape you.
And then remind yourself of the story of Daniel, a man immersed for a lifetime in Babylonian culture yet radically identified with God. He lived a unique calling and identity rooted in God by praying; but what’s more, he practiced this form of prayer (Daniel 6:10) that nourished followers of God for thousands of years—a practice that just might help us not only survive within our own poly – spiritual, multi – faith world but thrive with a distinctive Christian faith and identity and make all our days a living prayer.
Here are some more articles to check out:
Kick Start Your Prayer Life – Four handy tips from Rev. Matthew Ruttan.
http://pccweb.ca/presbyterianrecord/2014/02/24/kick-start-your-prayer-life/
Prayer Beads – Katie Munnik shares some of her experiences with her daughter and homemade prayer beads. Although we often think of the rosary as a purely Catholic tradition, other traditions have their own prayer tools, too, like Anglican prayer beads or the Eastern Orthodox prayer rope.
http://pccweb.ca/presbyterianrecord/2012/07/16/prayer-beads/
Scrapbooking the Spiritual Life – Journaling can be a great addition to your prayer life. And it’s often helpful for those who struggle to pray. Plus, it helps you to create a record of your prayers—something you can look back through as time goes on.
http://pccweb.ca/presbyterianrecord/2014/01/17/scrapbooking-the-spiritual-life/
