Daily Prayer:
Keeping Spiritually Fit

The Rev. John-Paul Salay

There is a lot of talk today about the benefits of daily exercise. Doctors keep telling us that we need to do it, and trainers make videos showing how to become buff in a few daily workouts. But when it comes to daily prayer, we are at a loss for practical advice. Everyone knows we need to "pray without ceasing," but what does this mean?

Most people are surprised to learn of the treasures of the Church's life of prayer. This is called the Divine Office (literally: "God's work"). The two main orders of prayer in the Divine Service are Matins (morning) and Vespers (evening). You can find these services in Lutheran Worship, pages 208-262, and in The Lutheran Hymnal, pages 32-45. These services are also intended for private prayer.

In prayer, we speak God's Word back to Him. The Church has always known this, so she has always used the Psalms as her prayer book. Pray the Psalms, and learn the language of prayer. Reading the Bible is also a part of daily prayer. See Lutheran Worship, pages 295-299, and The Lutheran Hymnal, pages 161-167, for systematic ways of reading the Bible throughout the year.

As with any exercise program, start slowly and build up from there. Begin with reading a psalm and praying the Lord's Prayer, then gradually get into the hymnal orders of worship.

The seminary has a wonderful practice of daily prayer. Seminarians gather in the chapel every weekday at 7 a.m. to pray Matins, and return at 4 p.m. to pray Vespers. The entire seminary community celebrates a choral setting of one of the Daily Offices every weekday at 10 a.m., and on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 p.m., they pray Compline (prayer at the close of the day). In addition to these services, choral Vespers are sung with a choir and full accompaniment on certain feast days like All Saints' Day. The seminary would love to have you join them in praying the Divine Office when you visit.

Exercise helps us in the long run. We stay healthy. Daily prayer keeps us attached to Christ present in the Word, whether it is sung as a psalm or read in a devotion, and keeps our souls fit.

The Rev. John-Paul Salay is studying for his S.T.M. at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana.