Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Praise Him all creatures here below.
Praise Him above ye heavenly host.
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen.
Earlier this year, as we spent many more nights around the dinner table together as a family, we began singing this song for our prayer before the meal. These words are titled “The Doxology” and originate as the closing stanza to a collection of three hymns that Anglican Bishop Thomas Ken charged the church to sing “in the morning and the evening” when they were composed in 1709.
In the morning and the evening….
I had a conversation recently with a friend about prayer. We processed through the “why should we pray?” and the “what to do when God doesn’t answer like I want?” It occurred to both of us that we often come to prayer as a means of last
resort and often with a specific request that we want answered a specific way. Can you relate? As we discussed it though, we realized that often it gives us comfort to bring our requests to Him, to let Him minister to us, to make time in our day to invite Him in.
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
In the morning and the evening. Pray continually.
We recently started a family prayer circle. There is no specific time of day…if it works in the morning, we can meet then. Maybe before bed works best one day. We light a candle and read a prayer to start and then take turns praying aloud. It was so awkward at first! No one really knew what to say, or whose turn it was, or why we were even doing this. Like He
always does, the Holy Spirit met us there though and prayers of peace, comfort, thankfulness and requests for His help have been prayed over during that time.
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” Romans 8:26 & 27
In the morning and the evening. Pray continually. The Spirit helps us.
Lord, I thank you that you have made a way for us to talk to you. Help us to reach out to you more in prayer. You hear us in the quick one- or two-word prayers, in the times when we have a lot to say, and in the times when words do not even come. Thank you for sending your Spirit to intercede for us and thank you for all the ways you answer our prayers. We trust you and we love you Lord. Amen.