What is a morning prayer? What is an evening prayer?
Answered from the commentary of Raymond K. Campbell, J. T. Mawson, L. M. Grant and 5 others
A morning prayer is a time set apart at the beginning of the day to speak to God in dependence, bringing thanks for His mercies and asking for His keeping and guidance through the day. It may include praise, requests for oneself and others, and communion with God; it should be a heartfelt turning to Him, not a dull repetition of words. An evening prayer is a time set apart at the close of the day to thank God for His care and commit oneself and one’s concerns to Him. Morning and evening prayer are good and wholesome habits, but prayer should also continue beyond these stated times, as an ongoing dependent attitude toward God.
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Morning and evening prayer. Prayer must be the key of the morning, and lock of the night. We show not ourselves Christians, if we do not open our eyes with prayer when we rise, and shut them again with the same key we lie down at night. Pray as often as you please besides.
We are not now speaking of prayer in general, nor of that pouring out of soul to God in worship and supplication which is needed in our daily life. We are ever to be worshipers, suppliants, and intercessors — worshipers in recalling to mind the infinite fulness of that grace which has been shown to us and which has opened to our adoring gaze the perfections of the person and work of our blessed Lord; suppliants, because we are in a great and weary land where needs are constant in every direction, and where enemies on all sides would assail us and temptations allure us; intercessors, because there are those who are dear to us whom we must ever hold up before God — family, kindred, and friends. There are also the needs of the people of God in ever-widening circles, needs which we should never forget — His servants at home and abroad, the work of the gospel, the upbuilding of His people, the spread of His truth, the various means of a Scriptural character used to this end. All these and much more will take us often to the throne of grace, and we need hardly say that morning and evening we should spend a season upon our knees before God.
This evening I want to engage you with the matter of prayer. Perhaps it is one of the things in the Christian experience that we neglect most. If we have prayed in the morning, given thanks for food and prayed in the evening, thanking God for His kindness and goodness to us throughout the day, then perhaps we feel that we have done all that is necessary. However, I feel that as we examine the exercise of Daniel and his prayer life, we will see that much more is required in the Christian life.
The Word of God is full of the power and wonders of prayer and our Christian life would be full of them too, if we continued instant in prayer. But with us, prayer is apt to become a sleepy business. For what is so often called prayers (morning and evening) according to custom, may be dull listless repetition of devotional language which does not deserve the name of prayer. Prayer is not the repetition of scripture nor the rehearsal of certain dogmatic statements which may go to form a creed. God does not want ceremonious compliments. The confessions of a broken heart, the cry of the humble, the expression of godly sorrow, laying-down of cares, the breathing of grateful love, the acknowledgment of dependence, constitute true prayer. In short, all that brings us in contact with the fount of living power may be classed as prayer. Too often we fail to notice God's answer to our own prayers, otherwise frequently we should find, to our glad surprise, that, as in the case of Daniel, at the time of our supplication the command has gone forth to help us. (Dan. 9:23). Hence let the call to prayer be ever looked on by us as an invitation to an unspeakable privilege. Let us pray in the Spirit and not in our own self-sufficiency and we shall pray with power. Pray in faith, nothing doubting, for in the sure and unchangeable Word of God it stands recorded, "Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you." (John 16:23).
And, in the first place, I feel impelled to say that it is extremely necessary for you to remember that in prayer you address God. The Psalmist said, "Unto Thee will I pray. My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer to Thee, and will look up" (Psalm 5:2-3). Prayer is the exercise of heart Godward in earnest petitions for needed blessing.
(vv. 1-3) The psalm opens with an expression of the soul's daily dependence upon God. “In the morning will I direct my prayer to thee, and look up.” The appeal to God as “my King” involves the government of God, even as “my God” suggests the character of God.
It is a very good habit to have our hearts and thoughts occupied with the Lord and His Word, from the moment we wake in the morning. Many believers know the joy of keeping a regular “quiet time” with the Lord and His Word. Do you? It is not easy to find time each day for this. Many believers have totally disorganised lives, and feel dissatisfied as they seem to accomplish nothing really positive. But you will always recognise a spiritual and fruitful believer — his life-style is an organised life-style. “My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up” (Ps. 5:3). Many men of God in the Bible got up early in the morning to do what the Lord required of them. Of the Lord Jesus we read that He got up “a great while before day”, to pray. This is indeed the secret of the victorious life, a life of prayer and study of the Word of God.
Prayer brings one into the presence of God and promotes communion with Him. Without communion with God, spiritual life cannot be sustained and renew ed. "They that wait upon, the Lord, shall renew their strength" (Isa. 40:31). When we read the Bible, God talks to us and when we pray we talk to God. Both are necessary for communion, growth and development of the new nature.
The Psalmist said, "Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud" (Psa. 55:17). Daniel "kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God" (Dan. 6:10). So we should also do if we would be healthy Christians; do not begin the day without reading your Bible and praying to God. If you neglect to do so, you will soon be a defeated, starving Christian. Besides regular times of prayer each day, the believer is exhorted to be "continuing instant in prayer" and to "pray without ceasing" (Rom. 12:12; 1 Thess. 5:17). The dependent attitude of prayer should always characterize the child of God.
But I referred just now to the practice of habitual prayer. This is an important point and demands a word or two. I hope it is true of every one of you; for prayer is, undoubtedly, the secret source of spiritual power. And just as the natural body requires regular supplies of air and food, so does the soul ever need regular supplies of heavenly grace to meet the constant vicissitudes of daily life. You should therefore make it a very rigid rule to spend an allotted time in earnest prayer at least twice a day.
You must arrange these seasons according to your own particular circumstances; but morning and evening are certainly the best times. In saying "twice a day," however, I only mention the minimum allowance. You will doubtless recollect there is scripture for praying always as well as everywhere. So whatever opportunities you may have in this respect, you are at liberty to take the fullest advantage of them.
Call the practice "legal" if you will, but I wish there were much more of such legality abroad. I earnestly commend to every young believer the habit of reserving a certain time every day for private intercourse with God. Early in the morning is the best of times, and immediately before retiring at night.