A District President Speaks On Treasury of Daily Prayer

My brothers and sisters in Christ, I must make a confession to you. I struggle at being faithful at my own personal daily devotions. Does that surprise you? I could perhaps make excuses referencing my schedule and the daily pressures – but those are actually all the more reason I need to be in the Word of God and prayer even more. Actually, the only reason for my struggle is my own fault, my own sinful flesh, for the flesh is always lazy, weak, and constantly ignores my need for the Word of God and prayer.

But now Concordia Publishing House has provided me (and all of us) with a wonderful resource to help in this daily battle against the flesh. It’s called a Treasury of Daily Prayer. Since I received my copy it has become a great tool for me in my struggle against the flesh (see also the editor’s preface). I leave my copy open on my desk so that the first thing when I come in each morning I can use it right away. It is always open to each day’s readings and prayers. When I travel, I also have a copy on my laptop right there on the Windows desktop.

How is Treasury of Daily Prayer such a great tool? Under one cover you have Old Testament, New Testament readings, a reading from Luther, one of the church fathers, or other orthodox theologians. Psalms, prayers, brief explanations of festivals and saints days round out the daily fare. At the center of the book, you will find all the prayer offices of the church, ready for us. The book includes the whole Psalter, the Small Catechism, confessional readings and a whole lot more. Under one cover, then, you have all you need for a daily regimen of Scripture and prayer. In the short time I have used it, I have grown to appreciate it more and more.

I say all this after a number of years using the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau’s four volume set, For All the Saints, a resource I found mostly good and helpful, but occasionally the writings are less than helpful. In the case of Treasury of Daily Prayer, the writings included have been researched by LCMS pastors, edited by Scot Kinnaman (who started as pastor in SID) and his staff at CPH. Thus far, I have found the writing very helpful, connected to the lessons of the day, and centered in Christ and His Gospel. In short, Scot Kinnaman and CPH have done a great service to the church. Look it up on CPH’s web site, www.cph.org. Use it! Try it! I think you’ll enjoy it.

Is this just for pastors? NO! Anyone who can read will benefit! Fathers and mothers leading their families in devotions will profit. Students and anyone who will benefit from a structured approach to prayer and the devotional life can use this great resource. Tell your people about it – let them try it.

Rev. Herbert C. Mueller, Jr
District President
Southern Illinois District