St. Helen’s Daily Lenten Devotional
I am a frequent practitioner of Prayers at Mid-day. You can find a liturgy for the same in our Book of Alternative Services, page 56.
My faithfulness to this form has a little to do with the fact that I jumpstart most days multitasking and I end them with an attempt to slow down my thoughts, in order “to sleep, perchance to dream”. And it doesn’t mean that I don’t say my ‘offices’ or I like it because it’s short! It seems, rather, that the time of day when I am most open to hear God’s voice is around noon.
The psalm verses suggested in Prayers at Mid-day come from one of my favourites, Psalm 19
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork.
One day tells its tale to another, and one night imparts its knowledge to another.
Although they have no words or language, and their voices are not heard,
Their sound has gone out into all lands, and their message to the ends of the world.
In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun;
it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;
it rejoices like a champion to runs its course.
It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens
and runs about to the end of it again; nothing is hidden from its burning heat.
Somehow my extensive prayer request list, and fervent intercessions for a multitude of people and situations, causes and needs, and my own appeals for patience, strength, discernment, courage…become centred in the confession that my words are not what is most significant. It’s not so much that “God is in his heaven and all’s right with the world” (Robert Browning), because not all is right in this broken world. But God, Creator and Saviour, is in charge.
There’s comfort in that!