I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
Psalm 3:5

How do you start your day? I’m not talking about the necessary coffee ritual that wakes you up. I’m also not talking about the walk or gym routine that brings you back to your senses. Rather, how do you start your day once you are fully awake, ready to give yourself to the days’ tasks?

Your habits when you are at peak alertness reflect your deepest desires—what you long for most deserves your attention and energy. This desire guides your actions throughout the day. Just as a rock rolls down a mountain under the force of gravity, your desires energize your habits, wishes, and wants

So, what if starting the day with prayer trains your heart to long for God?

In the Psalms, we read that the psalmists offer praise to God upon waking. Coming to their senses, they recognize that God sustained them through the night. This “prayer book of the Bible” records how the psalmists remain alert to their dependence on God and their desire to thank Him.

In our Anglican tradition, our first hour of prayer is called Morning Prayer. Traditionally prayed between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., this office trains our hearts to find the fulfillment of our deepest longings in God. As a community, we use confession, Scripture, tradition, and silence as our training ground.

Morning Prayer is the Anglican training plan to reorient your desires. So, finding ourselves each morning in a time of prayer—whether it be immediately on waking, or when you are attentive to the day at hand—we work to follow the pull of God rather than the gravity of this world. Learning to desire God thus shapes the rest of the day, guiding how you act upon your habits, wills, wishes, and wants.

Nicole Kallsen, Curate