Written by Pete Schemm
[This continues Pete Schemm’s piece from the previous two weeks (part one and part two).]

4. Singing Together

This habit is a bit different because not everyone is musically inclined. But almost everyone enjoys some type of music. Our purpose in this habit is to help one another see the value in “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Eph. 5:19) and to see how such a habit can form our understanding of the gospel.

Hymns and songs express the biblical and theological language of the church in artistic, poetic, and memorable ways. They make an appeal to the soul on the basis of the beauty of the gospel. The gospel is already a beautiful reality, but through the use of hymns we learn to hear and feel and thus sense more deeply the beauty of God.

Perhaps an illustration will help us here. I have never heard someone say, after rehearsing a catechism answer, “Wow—that was moving and powerful!” I have, on the other hand, seen my own children nodding appreciation after a stirring rendition of “Be Thou My Vision.” The same theological idea has been conveyed in both: God is great and we ought to worship him because of his greatness. Yet a catechism does not convey a sense of delight and emotion like a soul stirring lyric accompanied by beautiful music.

Look for hymns and spiritual songs that are theologically rich and memorable. Look for hymns and songs that have theological integrity — that is to say, the mood and style of the music ought to match the theological ideas. A song about the depth of sin should not have a bouncy and happy mood. Look for hymns that are soul-satisfying. Our souls are in need of this, and gospel-centered, theologically rich songs address our human needs according to Scripture.

The practice of this habit, for those of us who are less musically inclined, is best related to the local church. It may be as simple as experiencing a hymn or song together at church, asking one another why that song was so enjoyable, and incorporating a particular phrase from the song into your prayer at lunch on Sunday.

5. Morning and Evening Prayers Together

Scripture includes many examples of those who prayed at the beginning and end of the day, including our Lord Jesus (e.g., Ps. 4:8; 5:3; 57:7-8; 88:13; Mark 1:35; 14:32-42). One particularly relevant text, Deuteronomy 6:1-9, suggests that it was the role of the fathers in Israel to “repeat” words of faith in God every morning and evening—“when you lie down and when you get up” (v. 7).

Why Pray

Morning and evening prayers train us in the lifelong habit of trusting in God. The purpose of prayer is to glorify God by deepening our trust in him. In the morning we ask God to help us to trust him and glorify him all day long. We rejoice that his mercies are “new every morning” (Lam. 3:22-23)! In the evening we ask him to show us where we have and have not trusted him. We thank him for the times we did trust him; we repent where we have not. Then we close our eyes asking God to preserve us for yet another day.

What to Pray

The content of our prayers may be spontaneous, a reflection of the present concerns of our minds and hearts. But prayers may also be planned and scripted. One of my favorite prayers, “The Gospel Way,” contains this appeal: “Glorious Trinity, impress the Gospel on my soul, until its virtue diffuses every faculty.” I need that. I long for the day when the virtue of the gospel so permeates my every ability and facility that I am recognizably Christ’s.

The best scripted prayers are those written by the inspired writers of Holy Scripture. Some of the commonly prayed texts of Scripture include psalms (e.g., Psalms 1, 4, 5, 19, 23, 90, 121), the Lord’s model prayer (Matt. 6:9-13), promises such as Paul’s words in Romans 8:26- 39, character-forming passages like 1 Corinthians 13 and Galatians 5:16-24, or prayers for the community of faith (e.g., Eph. 1:15-23; Phil. 1:3-11; Col. 1:3-14).

How to Pray

In the morning, consider offering a prayer together as a statement of faith in God. You might recite the Apostles’ Creed or the Lord’s Prayer together. It is also fitting to set the concerns of the day before the Lord at this time. This may be done in just a few minutes at the breakfast table and it honors God by giving him the “first thoughts” and “first words” of the day. Other places to start the day in prayer together are the bedroom, the living room, or on the way to school.

Evening time is appropriate for prayers that require reflection on the day. We might ask for insight as to how the day was or was not pleasing to God. Or we may explicitly repent of things that we know did not please God. Evening is also a fitting time for exercising faith in God throughout the night. The Lord is the one who “keeps us” and protects us while we sleep—“He who keeps [you] will neither sleep nor slumber” (Ps. 121:4). Praying each day, morning and evening, is an important way to train ourselves in the fear of God. It is something we may do alone but we should also consider doing it together.

An ancient prayer for children and adults:
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.

[Continued next week.]