The Daily Office

“Shared prayer adds power to the work of intercession. Christians dare to believe that God needs and wants our prayers, our compassionate intercession for one another and for the world. Through our prayers for one another, circumstances are changed and the work of the kingdom is done. An individual may feel overwhelmed by the needs of the world, or even the needs of a single congregation, but there is strength in numbers. Individuals gain courage for the task of intercession when the community prays together, aware of Christ’s presence among those gathered in his name. And the person for whom prayers are offered feels the added force of multiple prayers.”

-From Praying Together by Martha Graybeal Rowlett

This quote speaks to one of the difficulties I often feel in daily prayer–it feels isolating. It feels disconnected from the wider life of the church and the prayers we lift up together in communal worship. When I’m feeling this way, I like to use a daily office. 

Early in the life of the church, Christians began living together and forming intentional communities. They quickly developed the practice of gathering together multiple times per day for prayer. As monastic communities formed, this practice became formalized into what is now known as “the liturgy of the hours,” six periods throughout the day when the community would stop what they were doing and gather together for prayer. 

While few communities that are not monastic cloisters practice all six prayer times, a lot of Christians will still pause three times per day (morning, mid-day, and night) for prayer using a “daily office.” Whenever my prayer times feel disconnected from the wider community of Christians, I will use a daily office and know that I am joining thousands of others around the world in prayer at the same time (let’s pretend like time zones don’t exist). 

Rather than typing the daily office out for you, use the link below to go to today’s morning prayer. If it is meaningful to you, keep using this resource as it updates daily!

Click Here to Pray the Daily Office

Rev. Ryan Young