Some years ago when I was still single I discovered the Episcopalian Book of Common Prayer. I was attending the Episcopalian church in my neighborhood at the time and was given a Book of Common Prayer when I became a member there.? Being one of those people who reads everything I can get my hands on, I flipped through it one day and noticed that not only did it have directions for church services but also a section on Daily Devotions for Families and Individuals.
I was in the process of re-establishing my relationship with God and I thought “well, this is as good as anything else” so I began to use the devotion for the morning and the devotion for the evening on a semi-regular basis.
At first I only used the Psalm and Scripture Reading that were printed in the book but eventually I expanded to using the Daily Lectionary as well as The Prayers of the People on a regular basis.
I have found this practice to be a great blessing as a discipline. I cannot pick and choose the Scripture or prayers that I want to read or say.? There is a great freedom in that- I am free to wait on what the Lord has for me rather than trying to dictate what He will say by my choice of reading. It has been astonishing to me how often the Scripture and the prayer for the day have been just what my soul needed to be renewed and refreshed, often not what I would ever have turned to myself, but indeed just what was needed.
Truly “my shepherd doth supply my need.”