For centuries Christians have struggled with the Apostle Paul’s admonition to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). How can we pray continually when there are so many things calling out for our attention? Countless methods have been devised to address the question. One that comes to us with a lengthy tenure in the church is the practice known as praying the hours. It consists of a structured format of daily prayer which keeps one centered and grounded through the course of a day and week. Known by other names as well (the liturgy of the hours, common prayer, the office of the hours, and the divine office), it simply sets aside several prayer periods in a given day – most quite brief – and asks the Christian to pull away from other responsibilities for a few moments to ground himself or herself in prayer.

Praying the hours finds roots in the Old Testament, where the Psalms encourage prayer in the morning (5:3; 130:6), at evening (141:2), as well as day and night (92:2). The psalmist cried out to God evening, morning, and noon (55:17) and confessed that seven times a day I praise you (119:164). Isaiah (26:9; 50:4) and Daniel (6:10) also know something of praying at various times of the day. By the time of the New Testament the Jewish community observed fixed times of prayer each day. Jesus grew up in a religious environment in which prayer was a regular part of life. Regular daily prayer is obvious throughout the story of the early church in Acts (1:14; 2:42 – 47; 3:1ff; 4:23 – 30; 10:9, etc.).

Benedict of Nursia, in The Rule of St. Benedict, advocated seven periods of prayer a day for those who would live in community. Many today continue to find Benedict’s testimony to the biblical witness a compelling reason to pray the hours of the day.

Today, many who determine to pray the hours of the day use three or four prayer periods: the first early in the morning before the day’s work begins, the second a mid-day after the day’s work has begun, the third an early evening vespers after the days work has been completed, and the last before going to sleep. The aim is to salt the day with prayer, so that the lines between prayer and work are blurred. Our work becomes our prayer and prayer is our work (thus, the term office used to describe this manner of prayer). Those who follow Benedict are fond of saying that their prayer is their work and their work is their prayer.

One often-overlooked benefit of this kind of prayer is its community aspect. In a very real sense, the pray-er is not praying alone, but is in concert with others throughout the world praying at the various times of the day. Prayer literally stretches across the globe as we pause to pray and give the day to God.

Several good resources are available which make praying the hours relatively simple. They offer fresh Psalms and other readings for prayer. Most offer Scripture texts which may be used in prayer, and then offer times for the pray-er to offer his/her own intercessions. Among the recommended resources are: The Divine Hours, a three volume guide for prayer (heavy on the Psalms and organized for easy use); Venite by Robert Benson (based on a 30 day prayer cycle); and A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants edited by Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck (a common daily format with different Scriptures and readings for each day of the year).

For more information about praying the hours, please contact us.