Treasury of Daily Prayer

Of the Protestant revision of the Divine Hours, while I do like the Book of Common Prayer put together by Anglican Archbishop Cranmer, it is the Confessional Luther revision that I like best. I like to pray three times, not just two. Although Anglo-Catholics did bring back Compline, it has been a part of Lutheran worship since the Reformation. The Treasury of Daily Prayer gives one several options for Daily Prayer that can be utilised in many different settings. Having the complete Psalter and the Small Catechism together with the various options for worship makes The Treasury of Daily Prayer my favorite devotional book after the Bible.I initially purchased the Kindle Edition, but find I need the physical book. My extra-large Bible case allows me to carry the Deluxe edition of the Treasury of Daily Prayer with the compact editions of the Lutheran Study Bible and the Book of Concord, as well as my old blue copy of the Small Catechism with Explanation (1963 revision), so whether doing family worship or coffee shop study, it is a joyful experience.

I have been in love with prayer books, especially the classic 1662 Book of Common Prayer, for a number of years now. But I have always had two major complaints:First, I wanted a prayer book that also included daily Bible readings in the text, so that I would not have to go and look up passages in a separate Bible. The only prayer books of that sort that I was able to find were usually Catholic (so they included prayers to saints and other things I wasn't interested in), the Bible readings were short, and usually from the NRSV (not my favorite translation).Second, I wanted more prayers, perhaps even a different prayer for every day of the year (though I assumed that was too much to ask), rather than only a prayer for Sunday that is repeated through the week (as with the BCP), or a 1 to 4 week cycle of prayers that are repeated once every week or month.This book has it ALL. For every single day of the year there is a unique prayer, as well as readings from the OT, Psalms, and NT (in the ESV, a translation I like very much). And as if that were not enough, there is also a short meditation from a Father of the Church, AND a verse from some classic hymn. You can choose to skip one or more of these offerings for a shorter prayer time, or read through them all (it still only takes about 15 minutes, depending on how fast you want to read) for a full and satisfying experience.This compact edition is especially nice, with an attractive binding that looks and feels old (without the added price tag of genuine leather), and is the perfect size to carry with you and hold comfortably in one hand.Highly recommended for any Christian in the Protestant tradition (Lutheran/Anglican/Presbyterian) who is looking for a fuller (and more traditional) daily prayer experience.

I bought this thinking it was a collection of prayers, but its so much more. The prayers are really secondary so don't let the title mislead you. Typical of Missouri Synod Lutherans' emphasis on The Word, it has daily readings from the OT and the NT as well as a bit of writing from various authors and THEN a small prayer each day. It has the book of Psalms, hymns, and it follows the church calendar and talks about historic church leadership. It truly is a treasury so wonderfully put together by the people at Concordia Publishing. I first bought it in the compact size, but it was too small to enjoy reading and the binding was too tight and I was constantly fighting it to read it. But I loved it too much to give up on it so I bought the larger size (which is quite large), but then it had this horrible almost cardboard like cover. It was beautiful with the Lutheran seal on it, but the feel of it was horrible and I could tell it was not going to hold up for long. This book quickly became the highlight of my day to read and meditate on, and I plan to use it for the rest of my life, so I sent the book to some excellent book binders I know, and they are putting it in leather for me. So I bought it in Kindle format to get me through until it returns. When someone goes to these lengths to be able to read a book, it has to be pretty good. :) With that said, this is not a typical devotional that people are so used to. There are no motivations to 'live your best life now' or instructions on how to stay motivated to be nice to people at work. This is typical Missouri Synod Lutheran in that it counts on the Word of God to do the instructing and the leading so this might not meet everyone's expectations. If you love the Word of God and enjoy using that as your devotional, this is the book for you.

Typical excellence from Concordia Publishing. Everything they do encourages and reflects the integrity of Missouri Synod Lutheranism in a consistent trustworthy manner. This is no motivational morning pep talk about giving your all to God and doing more for Him today or being your best self. No, it begins and has its focus as Lutheran things do, with the Holy Scriptures. Each day takes you first to God's word, not thoughts about yourself and how to do better in life. The focus is on the words that have already been written by our Father to guide us and frame our days. Then you have some commentary, a bit of a hymn and a prayer. Each section also guides to sources for more study and I love having the entire Psalms in the back. The only issue I have with it has nothing to do with the content but rather with the binding. This is a very thick little book, and as such I find myself fighting with the binding to get the book open enough. As I'm trying to meditate on the scriptures and message my mind is also on getting this thing to open far enough for me to comfortably see the words and it is terribly distracting. But I shows how much I just love this book that after spending $40 on this version I just ordered the bigger version because I want to much to have this devotional for many years to come. It is so exceptional that I see it in my hand every day for the rest of my life here. I'm sure I'll find someone to give this smaller copy to.

As a Christian, I have used many aids for prayer and Scripture reading. This one is richer than others I’ve worked with. The daily readings of Scripture and from writers of the Church throughout history lead you through the whole counsel of God throughout the course of the year with connections to the seasons of the Church Year. Access to some of the historic daily liturgies (Matins, Vespers etc) connects the devotions of individuals with the practice of the whole church of all ages. This is a true gift to all who wish to draw near to God each day through His Word and prayer.

Great way to be able to continue with daily devotion while traveling.