The Power of a Scheduled Amen
In contemporary evangelical circles, scheduled prayer is often looked down upon. We sit in our ivory towers, liberated from the constraints of “religion,” and scoff at liturgy, morning and evening prayer, or even reciting the Lord’s Prayer verbatim. After all, didn’t Jesus warn against praying Matthew 6 word for word? Surely, all that structured, ritualistic prayer is just religious formalism, void of true spiritual depth. The Holy Spirit couldn’t possibly move through something so scheduled, so ordinary—could He? Isn’t this exactly what the Pharisees were condemned for in Matthew 6:7?
But here’s the thing: by rejecting these practices outright, we dismiss thousands of years of rich theological tradition—prayers and rhythms that the Church has used for centuries to draw closer to Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through us.
Of course, liturgical prayer can become dry and lifeless—but so can anything, if you let it. Do you ever find yourself attending church simply because “that’s what you’re supposed to do”? This kind of spiritual complacency can affect the most structured liturgical tradition just as easily as it can a free-flowing, non-denominational service.
Speaking personally, I’ve tried to incorporate the Anglican Book of Common Prayer into my family’s routine. I rarely use it for my personal devotions, but I reserve it for prayer with my wife and two-year-old.
And let me tell you—the fruit has been incredible.
Every morning at breakfast, my two-year-old enthusiastically declares, “We’ve got to do the prayer, Daddy!” When we recite the Lord’s Prayer together twice a day, hearing her mumble along and catch every third word fills my heart with joy. At bedtime, as she softly repeats, “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,” I can’t help but smile.
So yes, scheduled prayer is powerful. If you’ve never tried it, I highly recommend it—especially if you have young children. Because when your child looks up from the dinner table and exclaims, “We’ve got to do the prayer, Daddy!”—what could you possibly say?
