Establishing A Daily Rhythm of Prayer
Although God certainly delights in our obedience, the various spiritual disciplines we are assigned in Scripture are not ways to please him by mechanically “doing spiritual things.”
I once thought of God’s grace as something given from time to time, but now I know that his grace is a faucet permanently in the open position. Grace flows from him constantly. Although God certainly delights in our obedience, the various spiritual disciplines we are assigned in Scripture are not ways to please him by mechanically “doing spiritual things.” These practices free us to receive the daily graces flowing toward us as his children.
For many years, even as a pastor, my discipline of private prayer lacked consistency. I prayed from the pulpit and in smaller gatherings, but my personal prayer time was scattershot and intermittent. As a result, I was not as free to receive his grace.
Over the years, my prayer life has taken shape into a series of movements that have served me well. I offer the following because I have realized and received much grace through these daily practices.
1. Praise & Adoration
I start by meditating on one of God’s attributes. I printed a copy of “The Attributes of God” from Challies.com. It lists 25 attributes alphabetically, and I meditate on one per day. A simple tally system tells me which attribute is up next.
Practice: Today’s attribute was “Freedom,” which is an “Attribute of Purpose” and is described as “God does whatever he pleases.” After reading the description, I start my meditation by thanking God for this attribute, thanking him, in this case, for his freedom to do whatever he pleases. I dwell on the thought for a moment and consider the implications:
“If you are free to do whatever you choose, and whatever you choose is good, help me to accept what you choose, even when it doesn’t align with what I prefer.”
Key Resource: “The Attributes of God” PDF
2. Thanksgiving
Thanking God is the simplest movement of the morning, but its effect is profound.
Practice: Consider your blessings, material and spiritual. Consider your loved ones, who bring joy into your life. Consider the sins you once struggled with that you now have victory over. Consider the sickness you’ve been cured of. Consider the trial that brought you closer to Christ. Thank God for all of it.
3. Self-Examination & Confession
This is the most difficult movement of the morning, but again, its effect is profound. Daily self-examination, properly done, is not a fixation on failure or the practice of “sin management.”
Practice: Self-examination and confession are a recognition of daily trespass, but more than that, they are a daily recognition of grace received, “grace that will pardon and cleanse within, grace that is greater than all our sin” as the old hymn says.
Over time, this has a dual effect. If you do this daily, you will quickly identify which sins the Holy Spirit brings to mind most often. As a result, as you go about your day, you will be more aware of your own weaknesses and inclinations. But also, you will notice that he begins to bring other sins to mind. You will realize that because of your daily practice of self-examination and confession, you have overcome a previous sin by God’s grace.
Some see this practice as a daily beating down of oneself, but that is not the purpose or goal. This is a daily opportunity for humility before God, which can only ever lead to spiritual benefit for those who practice it.
4. Intercession & Petition
I have written about this previously, so I won’t expand on it here. See: How To Design A Framework for Praying Intentionally Every Day
Key Resource: Your prayer list
5. Meditation & Dedication
This movement takes me into the Psalms.
Practice: I read a Psalm and then find one action point to commit myself to that day. Today, I read Psalm 20. Verses 7 and 8 read:
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.
As I meditated on those verses, a series of thoughts came to mind: “How am I trusting in worldly power and possessions as my security instead of trusting in God? If I place my trust in anything besides God, I will ultimately collapse and fall. But if I trust in God, I will rise and stand upright. I need to keep watch today of where I place my trust. I must place my trust in God.”
I meditated on the truth of these verses and dedicated myself to receiving the grace of his strength instead of trusting in any of my accomplishments.
Key Resource: The Psalms. One per day.
6. Closing Prayer
A couple of years ago, a fellow pastor recommended a book called “The Valley of Vision” to me. This book is a collection of Puritan prayers on various topics. Since obtaining a copy, these prayers have been a consistent source of encouragement to me.
Practice: I read and reread one prayer each week, which helps me absorb the depth of the writer’s words. The prayer I’m currently meditating on is about assurance. One impactful stanza reads:
All the treasures of a million worlds could not
make me richer, happier, more contented,
for his unsearchable riches are mine.
This generates gratitude for the blessing of assurance by faith in the finished work of Christ.
Key Resource: The Valley of Vision
Daily Grace
I hope you find value in these movements as you incorporate them into your days. If you do, you will experience blessing, not because God is pleased with your striving efforts, but because you took time to fill your empty cup at the tap of his ever-flowing grace.
May you experience much of the same!
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Michael Krahn is a pastor, the husband of Anne Marie, and the father of Madeleine, Olivia, and Sophia. Make a connection on Facebook, X, or Instagram.