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Dr. Gladys Dark

September 10, 2025

✨ “Praying the Hours with Jesus: A Daily Guide Rooted in Scripture” by, Dr. Gladys Dark

🌙 1. Vigils (Night Watch – ~2:00–3:00 AM)

Psalm 119:62 – “At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous rules.”
Mark 1:35 – “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.”
Luke 6:12 – “Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.”

🕯️ Meaning: Jesus Himself prayed during the night or before dawn. Vigil prayer aligns with being spiritually awake and watchful (Matthew 25:1–13).

🌅 2. Lauds (Morning Prayer – ~5:00–6:00 AM)

Psalm 5:3 – “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice...”
Luke 1:68–79 – The Benedictus, sung by Zechariah, is prayed at this hour.
Lamentations 3:23 – “[The Lord’s mercies] are new every morning.”

🕊️ Meaning: Jesus rose early to pray (Mark 1:35), setting a pattern of morning dedication to God.

🌄 3. Terce (Third Hour – ~9:00 AM)

Acts 2:15 – “These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only the third hour of the day!” (Approx. 9 AM — Pentecost event)
Mark 15:25 – “It was the third hour when they crucified Him.” (Jesus was nailed to the cross at this time.)

⏰ Note: While not always emphasized in modern practice, Terce was traditionally one of the minor hours.

☀️ 4. Sext (Sixth Hour – ~12:00 PM)

Acts 10:9 – “About noon (the sixth hour) Peter went up on the roof to pray.”
John 4:6 – Jesus rested at Jacob's well “about the sixth hour.”

🕛 Meaning: A moment to pause at midday and re-align with God. Peter’s prayer life shows continuity with this tradition.

🔥 5. None (Ninth Hour – ~3:00 PM)

Matthew 27:46 – “At about the ninth hour Jesus cried out... ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”
Acts 3:1 – “Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon.”

🕒 Meaning: This hour recalls Jesus' death on the cross and is a powerful time for remembering sacrifice and mercy.

🌇 6. Vespers (Evening Prayer – ~5:00–6:00 PM)

Psalm 141:2 – “Let my prayer be set before You like incense, the lifting up of my hands like the evening sacrifice.”
Luke 1:46–55 – The Magnificat (Mary’s song) is traditionally prayed here.
Genesis 24:63 – “Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening.”

🌆 Meaning: Vespers is about gratitude and reflection as the day winds down.

🌙 7. Compline (Night Prayer – ~8:00–9:00 PM)

Psalm 4:8 – “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
Psalm 91 – God’s protection through the night.
Luke 2:29–32 – The Nunc Dimittis (Simeon’s Song): “Now, Lord, you let your servant go in peace…”

🛏️ Meaning: A time to let go of the day and rest in God’s presence.

🤫 8. Grand Silence (After Compline until Morning)

Habakkuk 2:20 – “The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him.”
Psalm 46:10 – “Be still and know that I am God.”
1 Samuel 3:9 – “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” (Silence encourages listening.)

🕯️ Meaning: Silence after Compline is meant to preserve the spiritual stillness of the night. Many monastic communities observe it strictly.

✝️ Did Jesus Pray This Way?

Yes—in rhythm if not in formal structure. While Jesus did not pray the Liturgy of the Hours as codified later, He and the apostles followed the Jewish system of fixed-hour prayer, which Christian monasticism adopted and Christianized.