Morning and evening I will praise You

by David Haberstock

Growing up in 1970s and ‘80s Saskatchewan, most everyone still had connections to the Church. Society still upheld basic Ten Commandments values. The Church was generally respected, and valued, if increasingly ignored in the day to day. For me, going to Divine Service, being connected to the Church, and having the moral values of the Church seemed pretty common. Today, though, valuing the Church, going to her services, and agreeing with the Ten Commandments as the blueprint for morality is not so common—even in Saskatchewan. 

The difference between what is common or everyday versus what is set apart for sacred purpose is at the heart of the biblical distinction between what is holy and what is profane. The holy people of God are to be set apart from the world by meditating upon God’s Word (Psalm 1), which writes His Word upon our foreheads and upon our hearts (Deuteronomy 6:6-9; 11:18-20). 

Just as the proclamation of forgiveness in Christ creates faith, rescues us from eternal death, and transfers us into His kingdom, so the ongoing presence of His Word sanctifies and sets apart our common lives. When God’s Word has its way with us, this impacts our culture also. 

At this point I would assert, and I think you would agree, that our culture is no longer in any serious contact with God’s Word. Hence, what is common today is largely the opposite of God’s Word. This is not a culture we should let ourselves be influenced by.

But between the technology that has captured our attention (the screens that dominate our living rooms, and the screens that are always in our hands), and the ways of the world washing over us through that technology, our lives are extremely common. 

Enter in a Christmas gift I received: a prayer kneeler called a prie-dieu (French for “pray to God”). It is designed for focusing your prayers to the Lord; it has a little shelf for your arms but also for prayer books and hymnals. 

I’ve wrestled most of my life with regular practices of prayer. One of the reasons I have struggled (other than laziness) is a notion I imbibed as a child that prayer that is not “from the heart” is somehow less valid or meaningful. If that is true, then how could prayer at a prayer kneeler, using books of prescribed prayer forms, even be an option?

I’ve wrestled most of my life with regular practices of prayer. One of the reasons I have struggled (other than laziness) is a notion I imbibed as a child that prayer that is not “from the heart” is somehow less valid or meaningful. If that is true, then how could prayer at a prayer kneeler, using books of prescribed prayer forms, even be an option? Isn’t spontaneous, Spirit-prompted prayer the only valid form of prayer if prayer must always be “from the heart?” But, living in a culture as profane or common as ours does not leave much room for natural “prayer prompts.” 

Thus, the “discipline” and “technology” of the prie-dieu—its constant invitation to prayer in my bedroom, morning and evening—has been a tremendous blessing. Its mere presence transforms our physical space, for it is a piece of furniture set apart for one purpose. It not only invites me to prayer, but sanctifies my prayers by setting them apart. Kneeling down and singing Compline or praying Matins sets apart my prayers from the common things of this world and makes them different from everyday things. Praying daily using prayer rites developed and written by the saints who went before puts my heart and mind at ease. What is more, doing it at the beginning and end of the day as Scripture has long enjoined (Psalms 92:1; 88:13; 141:2, etc.)—when all the anxieties of what is to come or what has been attack me most—has been a joy! 

In 2019, I wrote about the constitution of Lutheran Church–Canada encouraging the maintenance of the home altar. It was a strange term to me, and I noted a trend that younger people were increasingly having prie-dieus and literal home altars around which they and their families often gather. Today, this focus is increasingly needed. I encourage you in your devotional times to light a candle, sing a hymn, and set that time apart. 

Dear ones, you need that: some thing, some time in your day, maybe even some space in your house, set apart for the practice of your faith. For daily devotions. For regular prayer. 

Our hymnal, Lutheran Service Book, has amazing resources for this, from morning and evening devotion forms (pages 294-298), to various rites of prayer that can be sung or spoken, to morning and evening hymns that can enrich your times of prayer and orient you towards the promises of our Lord at those hours of the day. Incorporating such practices into your life will surround you with our Lord and His Word, bring you in contact with the Triune God, and sanctify and set apart your day, increasing your spiritual well-being.

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Rev. David Haberstock is Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC)’s Central Regional Pastor.

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