Pastor’s Corner
Morning Prayer . . . A Great Way to Start the Day!
For many Christians, starting a good habit like daily prayer may feel hard to do. Sometimes we may not even know where to start. We Christians know the Lord’s Prayer (always a great prayer to say at any time and any place), but we may not know other prayers, and feel intimidated to “make up” our own.
Aside from the Lord’s Prayer, Martin Luther also suggested a Morning and Evening Prayer. The morning prayer is as follows:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen. (Small Catechism, pg. 30)
This prayer is often my “go to” prayer over morning coffee, or when I get into the office. The prayer can do so much for us as we start our day.
First, the prayer reminds us this past evening we survived not by our own powers, or by sheer luck. We survived the night because our bodies are a gift from God who continues to sustain us through all the days He decides we have in this world. What a great way to start our day by recognizing all we have is truly a gift from God.
Second, in the prayer we ask that God would keep us from “sin and every evil” during this upcoming day. What a wonderful prayer for us to ask from our God who is so gracious in forgiving us when we do sin (John 2:1).
Third, maybe the sweetest and most powerful phrase is at the end of this prayer. We confess to God we are commending to Him “our body and soul, and all things.” It is very powerful for us to admit that we are commending our lives to God. To “commend” strikes an image of us literally falling into the arms of our Savior in complete trust knowing that He and He alone can, and will, preserve us from all adversities in this life.
Beginning a habit of prayer does not have to be intimidating. We can start with simple steps like praying the morning prayer above. Try it out for a week. Pray the above prayer every day, for one week, and I would not be surprised if you have it memorized by the end of that week. I assure you, there is no greater way to start your day!
