Jul 29 2008
The Rhythm of Life
We don’t have much of a rhythm of life anymore. Unless, of course, we count getting up early, going as fast as we can, and stopping late as a rhythm. I think we have lost something as we have move without rhythm.
In both my trips to Africa, the thing that struck me the most was the rhythm of life in the villages. There was a time for all things (sounds like Ecclesiastes 3:1-10 , doesn’t it).
Scot McKnight, in his book, Praying with the Church, reminds us of the fixed hours of prayer practiced in early Judaism and in the first centuries of the church. Time was made, corresponding with the rhythms of life, for prayer each day. The purpose was to stop and remind ourselves of God and to acknowledge him several times each day.
I’ve begun to work toward praying with the corporate church in the morning (separate from my “quiet time”), around lunch, and in the evenings. It is hard to reorder my life to actually put God first in a concrete way. I’ll keep at it, but not worry too much if I miss a prayer time during the day.
There are many Christian prayer books available. I’ve been using, The Divine Hours, by Phyllis Tickle.Â
Give it a try…it can be life-changing to concretely put God first in your day.