Daily Prayer

In a world of distraction, presence.

We live in a golden age (or perhaps a gilded age?) of Christian resources. Yet many of us still struggle to prioritize prayer, Scripture, and other spiritual disciplines in a way we long to.

There is no perfect way to meet with God through word and prayer. In fact, rather than devotion to a single mode of meeting with God, we often need to mix things up, so that we don’t grow numb or bored.

If you are looking to create a habit of daily prayer with God, we have gathered some resources below that we have found helpful, as well as a suggested practice that you could begin this week.

Here are a few ideas on how to begin a habit of daily time with God:

  • Each Friday, an email from the preacher for the coming Sunday will let you know what’s on their heart and mind as we prepare to meet. Let this shape your expectation, appetite, and imagination.

  • In your bulletin, take notes, especially on the sermon (but really anywhere you find God speaking to you). How do you see Jesus? What is God calling you to do in response to word and table?

  • Each day, refer to the reading plan on the back of your bulletin (called the Daily Office, part of a long tradition of Anglican Bible reading). Begin your time in prayer by praying the collect prayer found in your bulletin from the previous Sunday. Ask for God to meet with you. Review in your notes what he was saying to you on Sunday. Then, read the appointed texts, paying special attention to ways that God calls your attention to words, phrases, people, ideas, other passages, etc.

  • Once again, bring your bulletin to your Table Group, a place to encounter Christ through his word and via his body. Our Table Groups share a liturgy which mirrors the Sunday gathering. They are meant to help us keep how God is meeting with us present throughout our busy and often distracted weeks. Hear through the eyes and ears of others how God may be speaking into your life.