Over and over, again and again

The Church’s traditional Morning and Evening Prayers have two parts: those parts that we say over and over each morning and evening and those parts that change day by day—readings from the Bible. For example, this morning as we began our prayers, June and I said Psalm 95 (as always) and later prayed the Song of Zechariah, Luke 1.68-79 (as always). Inbetween those two “repeatables,” we will sing Psalms 95, 96, and 97 and then read to one another selected passages from Jeremiah and Paul’s Letter to the Romans as we work our way through God’s Word, day by day. So our prayers have two parts: the "same old, same old" and the new every day. (There is also a third part: our intercessions, praises, and thanksgivings, many of which are spontaneous in nature.)

You might ask, “Why do we say some things the same way every single day?” That’s a good question. Perhaps something of an answer can be found in a story Anne Lamont retells in her disarming Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith:

There’s a lovely Hasidic story of a rabbi who always told his people that if they studied the Torah, it would put Scripture on their hearts. One of them asked: “Why on our hearts, and not in them?” The rabbi answered, “Only God can put Scripture inside. But reading sacred text can put it on your hearts, and then when your hearts break, the holy words will fall inside. (73)

The rabbi is right. Reading sacred texts until you know them by heart really does allow the holy words to fall inside us when we really need them. I have found this falling happens in two ways. First, there are times when I want to pray Morning Prayer, but for whatever reason I may not have my prayerbook with me. Nevertheless, because I have sung Psalm 95 and the Song of Zechariah over and over again, I have them memorized and can sing them whenever I need them, sometimes when taking a morning walk, sometimes when driving, sometimes when standing in line at a grocery store. Even without my prayerbook, I can pray in the morning. But second, and equally important, when life crashes down on me (as it often has and does), God's morning songs and canticles, lying as on my heart, frequently and miraculously fall into my heart when I desperately need them. In other words, at times in my dark places, the morning Songs sing themselves to me. People have often said that this sort of singing also happens to those who say the Jesus Prayer over and over. God has fortified me with his word when I need for him to talk to me.

Billy Graham in his old age said that he wished that he had memorized more of Scripture so that he could lean upon God’s holy words in his later years. Saying the same words in Morning and Evening Prayer, over and over, again and again, is a big step in that direction.

So don’t be afraid of saying God’s word, the same holy word over and over. When you need His words, they will tumble down into your heart.

Image Source: Russian icon of Zechariah, holding a scroll containing the opening words of the Benedictus (18th century, Kizhi Monastery, Russia).