One of the best things I have done recently is taken up a morning prayer time. I use the Psalms and a prayer book called The Divine Hours to go along with a prayer list that I am putting out each week for our Ministry Leadership Team at The Well. Our team has committed to praying “together” each morning during the hours of 6-9 am. I think we’re all learning how hard it is to make this happen each day with the pace of our lives, but its a fun journey to stumble through together. We’ve just realized how important prayer is to our life as believers and as members of a church community and the body of Christ. So, we’re making efforts to be counter-cultural in this way (stopping to pray when there are a ton of things to do is definately not a cultural norm in suburban life!)
All that to say, I have found the morning prayer in the Divine Hours to be a great start to my day each day. It reads as follows:
“Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not call into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.”
I can’t count the amount of times this prayer has popped into my head as I have faced temptation and struggle.