Daily Prayer
For use at Home during Ordinary Time
Making the Most of your Prayer Time
The more we pray together as a church family at home as well as in church the healthier we will be in our faith and more able to serve God faithfully in our lives. If you are not used to having an organised prayer time at home the following pointers may help you.
• Find the right time of day when you can allow yourself plenty of time and when you are least likely to be disturbed. Make it a rule of your life to spend that time each day, or whenever you can. God is never too busy to listen and is delighted when you want to speak. It’s up to you to make the time!
• Be comfortable. You don’t have to kneel – unless you want to!
• Find your places in your Bible in advance so you feel organised. It helps to keep you calm and receptive.
• Still yourself before you begin. Get your breathing pattern into a relaxed state.
• There is no need to pray aloud, though some people find it helpful to speak the words softly.
• The headings in the Prayers section are only suggestions. You may wish to develop your own pattern. The cycles of prayer used in church are provided with this booklet. You may even like to write your own cycle, perhaps to pray for your own family and friends.
• Like any relationship ours with God is a two-way street. We all need silence if we are to listen to God. A minute or two after the Response and at the end of the Prayers of Intercessions are good times to do this.
• If you are worried about distractions keep a pen and notepad near to you so you can write down those concerns that break into your thoughts and come back to them later.
• Never stop learning about how to pray better and never be discouraged by feelings of failure – we all have those! God loves us anyway!
Prayer during the Day : Ordinary Time
Preparation
Say quietly to yourself…
I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him;
In his word is my hope. Psalm 130,4
Praise
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
The Word of God
A Psalm followed by a Bible reading – see the back page of this leaflet.
Response
Silent reflection ending with these words:
Christ in you, the hope of glory.
This is the Gospel we proclaim
Prayers of Intercession
Prayers may include these concerns
• The universal Church, that she may proclaim the living Lord
• The nations of the world, that rulers may govern wisely
• The natural world, that we might use creation sustainably
• Our community and its needs, that all may come to know God’s love
• The needy, that they may know new life
• Other themes from this week’s notice sheet.
The Collect from this week’s notice sheet or the following prayer is said
God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in my eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at mine end, and at my departing.
The Lord’s Prayer is said
The Conclusion
May Christ dwell in our hearts through faith.
Amen.
Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England, material from which is included in this leaflet, is copyright © The Archbishop’s Council 2000, 2005.
Suggested Pattern of Bible Readings
It is important to read a balanced diet of Scripture. You may wish to use Bible reading notes supplied by organisations such as BRF or the Bible Society. A few like to work through a book of the Bible with the aid of a commentary, although this needs lots of time! Common Worship Prayer during the Day offers this simple weekly cycle…
Sunday: Psalm 19, Proverbs 8,30-31
Monday: Psalm 126, Matthew 11,28
Tuesday: Psalm 17,1-8, Matthew 15,30
Wednesday: Psalm 48, Habbakuk 2,14
Thursday: Psalm 133, I Corinthians 12,12-13a
Friday: Psalm 23, Luke 6,27b-28
Saturday: Psalm 63,1-8, 2 Corinthians 4,18
Alternatively you could use the following cycle over 4 weeks…
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Week 1
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Week 2
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Week 3
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Week 4
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Sunday
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Psalm 20
Genesis
1,1-5
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Psalm 34
2 Cor.5,
17-19a
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Ps.115,1-13
John 5,15-18
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Psalm 116
Revelation
21,1-4
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Monday
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Psalm 49
Isaiah 49,
1b-4
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Psalm 65
Proverbs
3,7-12
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Ps.104,26-end
Mark 4,26-29
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Ps,50,1-15
Matthew 25,
19-21
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Tuesday
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Psalm 16
Deuteronomy
28,1-6
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Psalm 25
Isaiah 35
2c-6
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Psalm 36
John 9,1-5
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Psalm 39
Revelation
22,1-2
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Wednesday
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Psalm 2
Isaiah 61,
1-3a
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Psalm 44
Micah 4,1-4a
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Psalm 45
Matthew 9,
35-end
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Psalm 72,1-8
John 18,
33-38
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Thursday
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Psalm 81
Deuteronomy
15,7-11
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Psalm 90
Isaiah 43,5-7
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Psalm 101
I Peter 2,9-10
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Psalm 107,
1-16
John 17,
18-23
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Friday
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Psalm 112
2 Chronicles
7,13-14
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Psalm 120
Isaiah 57,
15-19
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Psalm 123
Ephesians
2,13-18
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Psalm 124
Luke 9,22-25
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Saturday
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Psalm 130
Isaiah 11,6-9
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Psalm 131
Ephesians
3,14-19
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Psalm 138
John 11,
17-26a
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Psalm 139
Revelation
5,8-10
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Note: The addition of a letter after a verse number indicates a part of that verse