C.S. Lewis once remarked that there was a general distrust, particularly by Protestants, of fixed, repetitive prayer. It was claimed they violated the scripture in Matthew 6, in which Jesus admonishes his listeners to not engage in “meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.” The fixed-prayer cycle of The Divine Hours may seem like that to the prejudiced mind. But Lewis, in the Screwtape Letters, speaks of the parrot babbles we did as a child, as if repeating a prayer is a childish thing, and the truly spiritual compose only spontaneous prayers.
For me, spontaneous prayers are a disaster for a mind as prone to meander as mine. It is quite impossible for me to pray longer than twenty seconds without straying to thoughts all together unholy. Hence my need for an anchor, a corral, a hemmed in path for my mind to pray along, so as not to get lost.
This trilogy is just that sort of thing. Phyllis Tickle has taken the Book of Common Prayer and laid it out so those of use who find the actually book daunting may still unitlize this excellent tool. There is a minor amount of uncertainty when first starting as to the dates, but once you start, the dates settle into a rhythm. There are four times of prayer: Morning, Mid-Day, Vespers, and Night. The prayers themselves are mostly scripture Psalms with other readings added occasionally. The Vespers prayer has a hymn or piece of poetry and the Night Office usually has writings by universally acknowledge Saints of God.
I highly recommend The Divine Hours. Praying this will encourage you, guide you, deepen your relationship with God, and give you structure and peace. It is an excellent tool for those who wish to improve their prayer life but are uncertain how or where to begin. Even those who have been Christians for many years will benefit from the act of praying the scripture. ( )

"The Divine Hours," by Phyllis Tickle, is a refreshing approach to the ancient practice of the offices of daily prayer, that has been practiced continuously for nearly two milleniaby Christian believers. Regardless of your denomination, Tickle's "Divine Hours" makes this tradition readily accessible to all Christians- whether Protestant or Catholic.

In the beginning of each volume, Tickle provides a concise "Brief History of Fixed Hour Prayer" as well as "Notes for Use of this Manual" which are very helpful, fascinating and informative. The book itself is arranged in three brief daily offices of about 1-2 pages each containing Psalm verses, prayers of the day, as well as a suggestion to say the Lord's prayer. The fourth office, said before retiring for the evening is found in the "complines" section for each month. The book can be used interchangably in any year, as it is arranged by day of the week closest to _____ date.

There is also a special section for Holy Week and Easter in the spring edition.

I heard about this wonderful resource from my pastor, and have found it to be a tremendously meaningful and spiritually fulfilling discipline. I must admit I have not said each and every office, but I do squeeze in about two a day on average, and just pick up with the date and time for that given day.

I highly recommend this series of excellent books for anyone looking to deepen their spiritual journey in a very enriching way! ( )

This is a bit unwieldy if you want to take it places, but otherwise an excellent resource for daily prayer within the Christian Tradition. ( )