Is God in your calendar?
Think
back on a typical day: when did you set aside time for God? Does he
show up if you were to search your calendar? Of course, we don’t
normally enter daily routine items, like waking up, brushing our teeth,
etc. But until our time with God becomes as routine as brushing our
teeth, maybe we do need to enter it so that our computer or smartphone
or smartwatch can remind us to spend time with him.
Many
Christian groups through the years have ordered their day with times of
prayer. Matins or Lauds is the prayer time that starts the day.
Vespers closes the day. These are some of the divine “offices”, which
comes from the Latin word opus or “work”. These times of
prayer would help people to take time in their day to pay attention to
God. They are just as important as the work of farming or engineering
because they help us see the meaning of what we are doing. They help us
become aware of how we fit into God’s purposes in the world.
These
times of prayer aren't supposed to be a spiritual checklist of tasks to
be accomplished to get on God’s good side: “Morning prayer, check.
Evening prayer, check." We are saved by grace, “not by works so that
no one can boast” (Eph 2:8-9). But they help us to grow as children of
God, first by reminding us that we are God’s children, and then
by creating space for us to be with our Father. They help us live into
the truth of our relationship with God.
