So, how are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? Oh, I see. I’m not doing so well on my resolution to not let my desk get so messy, but there is one New Year’s project that I’m actually following. That’s not because of my will power, which is minimal, but because I am finding it so rewarding. On New Year’s Day, I started reading my Treasury of Daily Prayer just before I go to bed every night. And now, just as I can form bad habits, I find that I have formed a good habit. I have been reading the “Treasury” with increasing pleasure and profit ever since.
For each day, the “Treasury” gives brief but substantive readings from the Psalms, the Old Testament, and the New Testament. Then comes a “Writing” from a church father–who may be any one from Chrysostom to Luther or more recent divines–usually commenting on one of the texts. Then comes a hymn verse followed by the collect for the day (that is, a historic prayer).
Each day’s readings are only a few pages, which means that I don’t get bogged down and later abandon the project for lack of time. The Bible readings are not full chapters, but they are meaningful chunks of Scripture. Nevertheless, in the course of a year, you would read the entire New Testament and one-third of the Old Testament. Reading the Psalms, the Old Testament, and the New Testament in this way dramatize powerfully and devotionally how the Word of God is self-interpreting and how Christ is everywhere in the Bible. The “Writings” remind me how I am part of a rich heritage that extends back through time and that the Gospel does not just derive from the Reformation but is present also in medieval and ancient Christianity. Another advantage is that I know other people who are also using it, so that I know we are reading and praying the same things, a rather cool manifestation of the communion of the saints. The result of all of this is a rich daily devotion.
The “Treasury” also includes other devotional resources, from model prayers for various occasions to orders of worship for individuals, families, or small groups. You can even pray the “offices,” those four-a-day meditations that the monks did, though in an evangelical manner.
I bring this up now because “The Treasury of Daily Prayer” is now on sale! During the month of May, you can get it half-price! So says Paul McCain of Concordia Publishing House at his Cybrethren blog:
Concordia Publishing House is offering special pricing throughout the month of May on the Treasury of Daily Prayer. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the rest of Eastertide and the Pentecost festival, than by encouraging people to embrace a richer, deeper life of prayer and meditation on the Word of God. In my opinion, there is no better single resource to aid and strengthen us in our prayer lives, than the Treasury of Daily Prayer. But, you know I’ve been saying that for some time now. If you don’t believe me, listen to what others are saying. I’ll post a slew of recommendations and endorsements from people using it at the end of this note. The special pricing is:
The regular edition, $49.99, is now $24.99.
The deluxe edition, $79.99, is now $39.99.
Call 800-325-3040 to place your order.
If you want to place a web order, you must use this link to get the special pricing: http://www.cph.org/dailyprayer
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