I grew up in a tradition that valued spontaneous prayer.  It would be accurate to say many in that tradition found little value in written prayers.  It would also be accurate to say  many found no value in anyone speaking those written prayers in a congregational setting.  More than once I heard the expression “dead words” applied to those prayers.  So how does someone from that tradition find himself attending daily Morning Prayer?  At a time when I could not find my own words for prayer, I did find my way to a church offering Morning Prayer.  Day after day I recited the prayers and Psalms and listened to Scripture with those gathered.  Over time I found I was not “merely” repeating “words” but praying.  By joining my voice with those in that chapel and joining my voice with others throughout the world in prayer, it seemed that whatever hindered my prayers was melting away and my prayer voice returned.

The Daily Office has value for me because I see it as place of sharing prayer with others, as a place of being supported in prayer by others and as a place of training (or maybe retraining) in prayer.

How might it fit in your prayer life?