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DAY 6

THROUGH THE DAY

I will praise you seven times a day because all your regulations are just. (Psalm 119:164, NLT)

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV)

Beginning my day with prayer buoys my intentions—certainly I will turn my thoughts toward Jesus often, will live aware and awake to his love. But my ardor cools like the mug of coffee abandoned on the table. I’m full of excuses as to why this happens—mostly I get distracted, pulled off mission by the small but mighty demands of the day. The stress that happens when things don’t go as planned—and they never go as planned—shifts my focus onto tasks. I feel I must take over and problem-solve instead of turning to the one who can actually help.

The Old Testament tells us that God’s people made a habit of praying several times a day. Daniel, for example, prayed three times a day. Psalm 119 mentions a seven-times-a-day habit. In the New Testament, we’re exhorted to pray without ceasing. This doesn’t necessarily mean a constant chatter at God. We can also cultivate the habit of listening prayer—keeping our ear tuned steady to heaven is also a form of continual prayer.

We can’t build such habits without the right tools. An ancient practice, probably followed by Jesus and his disciples (like generations of Jews before them) offers a cure for the amnesia that sets in when we close the Bible after our morning devotions: praying at set times of day.

Liturgical traditions, using written prayers, make a habit of praying morning, noon, and evening—their voices joining others around the world who are praying the same words, turning their minds and hearts toward Jesus at the same time. This practice, known as fixed-hour prayer or the Divine Hours, builds in us a gentle habit of pausing—stopping our frantic engagement with the world for just a few minutes—so that we can focus on God, so we can rest, if only for a few moments, in his generous love. In so doing, we can access the power and strength that he longs to provide for us.

Fixed-hour prayers are typically offered three times per day: morning, noon, and evening. Some choose to add a short, peaceful addendum of bedtime prayers, known as “compline.”

“The Divine Hours are prayers of praise offered as a sacrifice of thanksgiving and faith to God and as a sweet-smelling incense of the human soul before the throne of God. To offer them is to serve before that throne as part of the priesthood of all believers,” writes Phyllis Tickle in The Divine Hours.¹

What do we pray if we practice the Divine Hours? Using prewritten prayers, which are based mostly on the Psalms, is a wonderful practice. Tickle’s book and the Book of Common P rayer each contain these traditional prayers if you want to use them. Or you may want to write short prayers of your own or simply pick a few meaningful verses from the Psalms to use as prayers.

Another way that you can practice this discipline is to simply set up times to pause and pray through your day. A friend of mine set his digital watch to beep quietly once an hour. When he heard the sound, he simply stopped what he was doing for just a moment and spoke to Jesus. If he was in a meeting for work, he simply prayed silently for whomever he was in conversation with at that moment. Oftentimes, the beep reminded him to stop talking and ask for the other person’s input, and to really listen.

Such a practice brings us back to center, reminds us of our deep desire—to connect with a reality we too often skim over. Just because we plan such moments doesn’t ruin their spontaneity— who knows what will happen when you create that space in your day? You don’t need a lot of words—or any. It may be more than enough to simply stop and turn your attention toward Jesus, become aware of him.

We get distracted, busy. We forget to pay attention to Jesus, to his work in our lives. When we stop and give him our attention, we realize that he has already given that same gift of attention to us. He is always aware of us, interested in what we are doing, flowing his abundant love toward us. When we stop to pray, even for thirty seconds, we can notice what already is there and experience it more fully.

PRESENCE PRACTICE

Today, you’re going to try experiencing a modified form of fixed-hour prayer. You’ll pray three times during the day, just very briefly each time.

Set a timer on your phone, PDA, or watch to go off at 9 a.m., noon, and 3 p.m. When you hear the beep, simply stop for a moment and take a deep breath. This practice will help you slow down the pace of your life so you can pay attention. Invite Jesus to make his presence known to you in those moments of quiet.

As you pause for prayer, you may want to ask yourself, where did I notice Jesus in the last hour? With whom did I interact? Did I allow Jesus to love that person through me or did I get in the way? Whom will I meet in the next hour? What challenge do I face? Ask Jesus to be with you, to love others through you, to guide you and give you wisdom—just for the coming moments.

Make a habit of writing one verse on an index card each time you read the Bible. Carry the cards with you. During your fixed-hour prayer break, pull out a card and just read it. Allow Jesus to love you in the minute or two of quiet before you get back to your daily tasks.

Check here when you have completed today’s Presence Practice.