The Daily Office

Written by Josiah Gerdes

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What is the Daily Office?

In the busyness of our daily lives, it can be difficult to orient our day around Jesus and His love. The practice of the Daily Office is a simple way to recenter our day on Christ, using fixed times in the day. With a long and rich history, a form of this practice has existed even before the coming of Jesus. In Exodus 29, the priests are commanded to bring animal sacrifices both morning and evening. Over time, this ritual of morning and evening began to be applied to prayer. In the Christian tradition, early monastics named this practice “officium divinum”, which can also be translated “divine duty”. When we consistently recenter our day on Jesus and His love, we find ourselves being formed into people of love.

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Scripture

Instead, his delight is in the LORD’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night.  He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season,  and its leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers.
Psalm 1:2-3

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How to practice the Daily Office

Many different Christian traditions have variations of this practice. Traditionally, the Daily Office consists of two prayer times: morning and evening. Over time, some traditions have included noon prayer and a late-night prayer before going to sleep. Feel free to add in these two extra times if you would like.

  1. Set time aside for this practice when you wake up or in the evening.
  2. Take 30 seconds to sit quietly in the presence of Jesus.
  3. Choose a Psalm, hymn, or piece of scripture to read and meditate on. As you meditate on your chosen passage, bring it to the Lord in prayer. If you need a place to start, try Psalm 121 or Exodus 34:6.
  4. Spend a couple of minutes in prayer. Pray for yourself, inviting God into your feelings about your day. Move into praying and interceding for others.

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Questions

Return to these questions after doing the practice. Take your time thoughtfully answering each question. You may want to write down your answers, ponder them quietly or even talk about them with someone else.

  1. Does this practice help you recenter your day on God?
  2. After practicing the Daily Office, are you more aware of God’s love throughout your day?

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