Daily Liturgy Devotional: 40 Days of Worship and Prayer. Douglas Sean O'Donnell. 2024. 272 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, devotional, prayer, christian nonfiction]
First sentence: One day, after Jesus finished praying, a disciple asked him, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). Jesus responded with the Lord's Prayer (or the Disciples' Prayer!), a short and simple prayer that offers the perfect substance of and model for Christian prayer. The Daily Liturgy Devotional--with its prayers and patterns, Scriptures and songs--is designed to offer further help. If you struggle to pray, read God's word, or meditate upon what you have read, then this devotional will guide you; if you already practice good devotional habits, then this can serve as an additional resource to support you.
The basics: This devotional offers eight weeks of devotions (five devotions per week). Each week centers around one theme in Scripture: The Gospel, Faith, Love, Hope, Wisdom, Holiness, Perseverance, and Witness. Each of the eight weeks offer a memory verse.
Each day blends historic prayers, scripture readings, commentary, and song. I would say the concise commentary and the memory verse segment--in addition to the themes--are what set it apart from other recent liturgical devotional books. (Be Thou My Vision, Psalms in 30 Days, Life of Jesus in 30 days, etc.)
It also features suggestions on how to pray in italics. I haven't decided if this is micro-manage-y OR if it is a good thing. The italics almost read like stage directions in a play. Since my quotes appear in italics already, I'll bold what the book has in italics.
Pray the Agnus Dei. Then take time to ask God through Jesus to forgive specific sins. Also offer prayers of lament. Pray that God would deal with sufferings and injustices both now and when Christ returns. Cry out, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" (Rev. 6:10), or "Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!" (Psalms 130:1-2)Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,Have mercy on us.Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,Have mercy on us.Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,Grant us peace. Amen.
It is hard to review devotional books. I was not reading the book one devotion at a time for eight weeks. (For one thing it was a library book!) I read one week at a time--or sometimes two weeks--each day over the course of a week. As I was wearing my "book reviewer hat" (if you will) I wasn't following the stage directions either.
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