O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness during the day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

“The Collect,” The Daily Office

Many church traditions follow what is called “The Daily Office,” a series of set times for prayers, psalms, and other Sciptures. At the very least you can find beautiful prayers which you may find both helpful and inspiring, especially when you cannot find your own words. What’s wonderful about this Daily Office website is that you can follow either the regular, longer daily office or a shorter, family version. My wife has used the latter with our kids a number of times. It’s also available as an app for smartphones and tablets. Both allow you to adjust the settings to your own specifications. For example, you can turn on a feature that takes you through all 150 Psalms in 60 days.

Using The Daily Office takes some getting used to, but in the most basic sense it can be a spiritual resource. Along with Scripture readings and prayers from the tradition of the church, it includes a daily recitation of The Apostles’ Creed and The Lord’s Prayer.

One caveat is that it includes readings from what are called the Apocrypha or deuterocanonical books. This I find a little odd since this version of The Daily Office is from the 2019 Book of Common prayer, produced by the Church of England. Normally, I associate the Apocrypha with Roman Catholicism. I personally refrain from reading these selections.

So, may our Lord bless you and keep you throughout this day and forevermore as you seek him, adore him, and serve him.