Bonhoeffer: The Blessing of Morning Prayer

“The morning prayer determines the day. Squandered time of which we are ashamed, temptations to which we succumb, weaknesses and lack of courage at work, disorganization and lack of discipline in our thoughts and in our conversation with other men, all have their origin most often in the neglect of morning prayer.”

“Decisions, demanded by work, become easier and simpler where they are made not in the fear of men but only in the sight of God.”

(Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Psalms, The Prayer Book of the Bible, p. 64-65, “The Blessing of Morning Prayer.”)

For a scriptural basis for morning prayer, and some practical hints on how to do it, see my message on “The Discipline of Morning Prayer” here.

About Shawn Thomas

My blog, shawnethomas.com, features the text of my sermons, book reviews, family life experiences -- as well as a brief overview of the Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson for Southern Baptist Sunday School teachers.
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4 Responses to Bonhoeffer: The Blessing of Morning Prayer

  1. Jim Algie says:

    Thank you. I know that I have lost my way and not given the Lord time in my day that I should. I agree with you in that I “walk pray” daily and now thanks to you I will use my time in the early morning to just talk to Him. Thank you

    • Shawn Thomas says:

      Yes sir; I am so glad the Lord used this quote to speak to you! I know how important that morning time with the Lord is to me — Bonhoeffer puts it so well here. I will pray for you tonight that your commitment will be like David’s in Psalm 5:3, “In the morning O Lord, You WILL hear my voice!”

  2. Shawn Thomas says:

    I hope this message on Psalm 5:3 and morning prayer might be helpful to you also: https://shawnethomas.com/2015/05/03/the-discipline-of-morning-prayer-psalm-53-sermon-2/

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