Establishing Rhythms of Prayer
Why does developing habits of prayer matter?
Throughout the Bible, various patterns of prayer were commanded and practiced in order for God’s people to engage in vibrant communion with Him. Some examples include the “Shema” of Deuteronomy 6, the habit of Daniel praying multiple times per day even during Babylonian captivity (Dan. 6:10), the use of various sections of the Psalms such as the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134), Jesus’ continual practice of going to a solitary place to pray (Matt. 14:23, Mark 1:35, Luke 5:15-16, etc.), and the discipline of Jesus’ disciples being devoted to “the prayers” in Acts 2. Additionally, different patterns of daily prayer have been observed by Christians throughout history and around the world. Liturgies of the hours, the Daily Office, the Book of Common Prayer, and other patterns are examples of these formal structures. God’s people have used formal structures for prayer as long as there have been God’s people.
As I’ve grown older and have more and more responsibilities vying for my attention, I’ve grown more convinced that spontaneous times of prayer are fueled by formal times of prayer. This is not unlike a pattern for healthy eating habits, where formalized healthy meals spur on spontaneous healthy snacks. Therefore, I have adopted a structure for my prayer week that has guided me for the past few years. The design has allowed me to remain focused and receptive during my prayer time and has freed me to provide better care for those on whose behalf I am often praying. Additionally, it has yielded more fruitful spontaneous prayer time and a more satisfying communion with Christ.
This focused framework enables me to give attention to the many responsibilities I have as a child of God, as a husband, as a dad, as a pastor, as a friend, as a community member, as a cultural citizen, etc. It also prevents me from trying to pray for all things all the time and creates the space for me to be receptive to what God is teaching me through His word, through my circumstances, and through the various things about which I have been praying.
my personal weekly rhythm of prayer
Here is the manner in which I have structured my formal prayer times. It is “a” way, but not necessarily “the” way. I offer it as a springboard of thought for others to develop habits of prayer. Generally, each day of my week has a primary focus, is guided by a unique Bible passage or two, and includes a time of silence and journaling.
Sunday
My primary focus of prayer on Sunday is, ”Revival and Renewal.” My prayers are aimed at asking the Lord to make His presence unmistakably known and felt personally through our worship together as a church.
I wake early in order to meditate on the text that I will be teaching at Missio that particular week. About an hour before our gatherings, I meet with some of our gathering teams to not only make final preparations for our worship, but to pray over our plans. I then walk around the gathering space and pray for those who will be participating in worship with us. Once the Missio Kids teachers, leaders, and support volunteers arrive, I check in with each class to express my gratitude for their service and offer prayers for their morning.
As a family, we gather in the evening for prayer. Some weeks, Shannon and I ask the kids questions about the sermon, while others we might share something from the week that stood out to one or more of us. It serves as a fruitful time to look back at the previous week, and forward to the upcoming week to consider things about which we can pray. This isn’t always easy or absent of resistance, but we believe it continues to be worth our time.
Monday
The primary focus of prayer on Monday is ”Missio Dei Leaders.” I offer prayers for the Elders, staff, leaders, and members of the church.
In the morning, I practice the Lectio Divina with a select passage of Scripture. This is a contemplative prayer practice of listening to Scripture with the ear of the heart. Lectio Divina is a traditional monastic practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God's word.
Historically, this has been a narrative portion of the Bible, but recently I’ve switched to the reading of a Psalm. I am guided by Appendix 1 of the book, Praying the Bible for the Psalm of the day. Once I’ve read through the Psalms, I’ll work through other portions of wisdom literature (Proverbs, Song of Songs, etc.) After the contemplative reading process, I pray for the Elders and their wives, our staff and their families where applicable, our deacons, ministry directors, and the members of our congregation. I spend a good bit of time in silence in order to allow the Holy Spirit to bring to mind things for which I can be praying during this time.
For the afternoon, I was alternating between Old Testament prophecy and New Testament epistles, but have now included OT and NT narrative into that rotation. My prayer time includes a reflection from the passage as well as unique prayer requests about which I am aware from people in the church.
Shannon, my wife, is currently in grad school and my high schoolers are usually participating in YoungLife, so Monday evening gives me an opportunity to practice a prayer of Examen or reflection. It’s generally a look back at my prayer journal from the week and a time of silence and reflection to consider why I responded to things the way I did and what patterns of lessons the Lord may be teaching me.
Tuesday
The primary focus of prayer on Tuesday is “Family.” I lift up my immediate and extended family generally in the morning and offer specific prayers for communicated requests in the afternoon.
In the morning, I practice the Lectio Divina with wisdom literature (currently a Psalm). Silence is also observed to be open to the Spirit’s guidance as I pray.
During my afternoon prayer time, I work through either narrative or didactic Scripture (same as Monday).
Wednesday
The primary focus of prayer on Wednesday is “Friends and Neighbors.”
In the morning, I practice Lectio Divina from wisdom literature as I do on Monday and Tuesday and focus prayers on the building and strengthening of my relationships with current friends and and neighbors. Silence is also observed to be open to the Spirit’s guidance as I pray.
In the afternoon, I work through either narrative or didactic Scripture (same as Monday and Tuesday) and pray for those things shared with me by friends and neighbors.
Thursday
The primary focus of prayer on Thursday is “Culture and Local Mission.”
On Thursday mornings, I practice Lectio Divina from wisdom literature and focus prayers on local culture, our local leaders, as well as local partners at Missio (FOCAS, YoungLife, YoungLives, The Little Village, the Aruna Project, and Carabello and Mercy Kids). Silence is also observed to be open to the Spirit’s guidance as I pray.
In the afternoon, I work through either narrative or didactic Scripture and lift up specific requests shared by our partners and keep a list of local pastors for whom I pray each week.
Our community group meets on Thursday nights, so we spend time in prayer together.
Friday
The primary focus of prayer on Thursday is “Global Mission.”
I do not go into the church office on Friday, but instead tie up loose ends from the week and prioritize administrative work. While my routine is different from the rest of the week (I’m not as active in journaling), I still take time for Bible reading and prayer.
Before getting too deep in any work, I practice Lectio Divina from wisdom literature and focus prayers on various events happening around the world as well as our global partners in Mexico, France, India, North Africa, and local opportunities to develop a global impact. Silence is also observed to be open to the Spirit’s guidance as I pray.
Before the late afternoon (often during or just before lunch) I work through either narrative or didactic Scripture and pray for specific requests from our global partners and for opportunities to build and strengthen those relationships.
Our family observes a formal Sabbath beginning on Friday evenings and we typically light a candle, pray and deliver blessings, and eat a Sabbath meal before turning our phones to “do not disturb” and entering a day of rest.
Saturday
Saturday is a Sabbath day, so I don’t follow a formal structure, but try to be open throughout the day to pray for those things that are heavy on my heart.
As the preaching pastor at Missio, Saturday nights tend to carry a weight for me that leads me to begin praying for our public worship gatherings that will take place on Sunday.
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This pattern has been helpful for me to have a well-rounded life of prayer and as mentioned earlier, it is “a” way, not necessarily “the” way. I hope that it is helpful for anyone looking for a few tools in developing healthy habits of prayer.