Daily prayer is the fundamental discipline, rhythm, and structure of the Christian life. Though sadly neglected, in the evangelical Church, and in many places unknown, the ancient Church, and many sectors of the non-evangelical visible Church today, patterns its daily life around specific times and forms of prayer. The Book of Psalms was given to us by the Holy Spirit, in large part, to organize and direct the daily, weekly, and seasonal worship of the Church.
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.
(Psalm 5:3)
O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn.
(Psalm 108:1-2)
Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice.
(Psalm 55:17)
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night
(Psalm 92:1)
Seven times a day I praise You,
Because of Your righteous judgments.
(Psalm 119:164)
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.
(Daniel 6:10)
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in [the] prayers.
(Acts 2:42)
Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
(Acts 3:1)
There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” … The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour…. So Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house
(Acts 10:1-3, 9, 30)
These passages, and others that could be cited, are descriptive, not prescriptive. Scripture does not require every believer to pray at specific times each day. It does, however, call every believer to a life of prayer.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving
(Colossians 4:2)
… rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer…
(Romans 12:12)
The Holy Spirit has not prescribed a specific schedule for our daily prayers, but he clearly intends us to have such a schedule. Many Christians assume that to “pray without ceasing” means to have a running conversation with God throughout the day while occupied with other things. We can and should offer such silent prayers in the midst of our day, and we have some precedent for doing so in the example of Nehemiah (2:4). But the real meaning of unceasing prayer is better understood in light of the larger context of Scripture. God’s people in both Old and New Testaments have always observed hours of prayer. Rather than praying as they continued their various activities each day, they would stop at certain times, step away from the busyness of the world, and stretch out their hands to the God of heaven. Yes, we should pray as needs arise, as people come to mind, as temptations assault us, as fear grips our heart. Yes, we can and should pray to God at any time and all times. But it is also important to consecrate time for prayer, to set it apart as holy, to dedicate it to the Lord alone.
It is not so important when, how often, or how long this daily prayer may be. Most of us will find the specific schedule and duration of our daily prayers will vary given other factors. But prayer ought to be a priority, and it will not be a consistent priority without a plan. Simple and sustainable is much to be preferred over complicated and unsustainable. If you have grand ambitions to devote an hour to prayer seven times each day, my counsel would be to aim lower. Begin where you are. Commit to one structured time of prayer, then add another, then add moments of focused prayer as you are able. Far better to be consistent in prayer each morning than to be inconsistent and increasingly negligent with a more complex schedule.
If you do not have a daily time for prayer and private worship, consider making an appointment to do so every day. Put it on your calendar and protect it just as you would any other appointment. It could be first thing in the morning or at the end of the day. It might be over your lunch break or at some other convenient time. A daily time for private worship should be non-negotiable, even if providential hindrance causes it to be shortened, rescheduled, or postponed on some days. Once you have established a daily time of prayer, consider adding another to bookend the day. Morning and evening prayer is a basic pattern stretching back to the Tabernacle service, and arguably earlier. You might also consider brief moments of prayer during the day. Ancient Christians prayed the Lord’s Prayer three times each day (Didache 8). Consider taking a few minutes between appointments, while sitting in your car, or even hiding in the bathroom, to pray the Lord’s Prayer, a short psalm (e.g. 1, 20, 23, 117, 120-133), or one of the prayers from The Valley of Vision.
How might 15-30 minutes of prayer every morning, or every morning and evening, over the next thirty days change your life? How much more peace might you have? Might you feel more keenly God’s presence and power? Might you find greater strength against temptation, worry, fear, and bitterness? Regardless of the personal or experiential benefits, daily prayer is fundamental to the Christian life. The fact Christians are not required to pray five days a day as are devout Muslims does not mean we are justified in neglecting the discipline entirely. Christ did not set us free so that we might give ourselves to the things of this world and disregard the things of heaven. Let us give ourselves gladly, diligently, and faithfully to the practice of daily prayer as those called to everlasting communion with Christ. --JME
