Daily Prayer: Praying Together With Intention

If last week we started at the table, this week we turn our hearts to the quiet places, those little pockets of time that invite us to pause, to listen, and to pray.

Because here’s the thing: in Ordinary Time, it’s not the calendar that keeps us rooted, it’s the rhythm. And there’s no rhythm more ancient or more anchoring than the rhythm of daily prayer.

Why We Pray Daily

As Christians, prayer is one of the most important things we do. It’s how we are united to God. It’s where relationship grows, where we are formed, and where God meets us, in the midst of our very real, very ordinary lives.

Prayer causes us to pause, to turn, to remember. It reorients our hearts to who God is and who we are in Him. And when we pray daily, as individuals, as couples, or as families, we create a spiritual pattern that draws us back to God again and again.

It’s not about perfection. It’s about presence.

When we set a rhythm of daily prayer, something powerful happens. We remember. We’re renewed. And we are gently unified in our love and service to God.

An Ancient Rhythm

The rhythm of daily prayer is not new. We see it all the way back in Deuteronomy 6, when Moses gives the Israelites instructions as they prepare to enter the Promised Land:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might… You shall teach these words to your children… and talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

This became the foundation for the Jewish practice of praying morning, noon, and night, a rhythm Jesus Himself would have followed.

When the early Church formed, they continued this pattern. Over time, it became known as the Daily Office, from the Latin officium divinum—divine duty.

And while that may sound formal, the idea is profoundly simple: regular prayer isn’t something we squeeze in when we feel like it. It’s a spiritual rhythm that shapes us over time, like water gently forming stone.

What Does the Daily Office Look Like?

The traditional Daily Office follows a gentle, meaningful structure:

• A Psalm of praise to begin

• A Reading from Scripture

• A Hymn or Song of Worship

• Personal Prayers

• The Lord’s Prayer

• A Collect to close (a composed prayer that draws everything together)

  
  

If you’ve ever read Morning or Evening Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer, you’ve experienced this. It’s not flashy. It’s not complicated. But it’s deeply grounding.

When we enter into this rhythm, we step into something far bigger than ourselves.

We join with the ancient Israelites, the early church, and generations of Christians who have sought the Lord through structured, steady prayer.

Bringing the Daily Office Home

Now, how do we actually do this in the home? What does it look like in real life, especially if we have kids, jobs, distractions, and noise?

Here’s what it looked like in ours when our children were at home:

On most mornings, before homeschooling began, we gathered around our kitchen table. We lit a candle. We reminded ourselves with our bodies that this moment was different. That this time was holy.

My children would quiet (a little!) when the candle was lit. The soft glow told them something special was happening. It wasn’t magic, it was a marker. It helped their hearts and mine settle into the moment.

Here’s what it looks like now:

I wake up early and pray Morning Prayer on my own. When my son, who has special needs and is home with me during the day wakes up, we pray Morning Prayer together.

In the evening, the whole family gathers to pray together before I go to bed.

Practical Tips for Families

If you’re just beginning a daily prayer rhythm at home, here are a few tips that have helped us along the way:

Choose a time that works for your familyFor us, it was in the morning. For you, it might be at bedtime, or before dinner. The goal is consistency, not complexity.

Use atmosphere to your advantageChildren are wired to respond to beauty. Light candles. Dim the lights. Play soft sacred music. Even young children sense that something meaningful is happening.

Let older children helpThey can light the candles, read Scripture, or lead the prayer. This gives them ownership and helps them grow in faith and responsibility.

Offer quiet hands for littlesWe’ve given toddlers a Jesus picture book, a soft rosary, or even a tray of dry oatmeal to play with while they listen. It’s not perfect. But it’s real.

Keep expectations low and hearts openIt will never be flawless. Someone will fidget. Someone will spill. But God is not waiting for perfect. He is already here, shaping hearts through the simple act of showing up.

A Gift to Help You Begin

If you’d like to begin this rhythm of daily prayer in your own home, I’ve created a simplified Family Prayer Guide for Ordinary Time. It’s drawn from the structure of the Daily Office, and it's designed to be gentle, accessible, and beautiful.

You can download it at the link below.

Daily Prayer Downloads.pdf

Download PDF • 490KB

Use it in the morning, before dinner, or at bedtime, whatever fits your season. My hope is that it helps you begin a new rhythm of connection with God, one that roots your family in His presence, day by day.

So this week, I invite you to pray.

Not just when things feel urgent, or on Sundays, or when the house is finally quiet, but as a daily practice.

A holy rhythm.

Because in these ordinary moments, we are being formed.

And in this long green season of slow, steady grace, the simplest habits, lighting a candle, reading a psalm, whispering the Lord’s Prayer, become the very places God meets us.

Let the slow work continue.