Morning and Evening Prayers by Cornelius Plantinga

Morning and Evening Prayers, by Cornelius Plantinga, was passed on to us just as we finished reading Tish Warren Harrison’s Prayers in the Night, a memoir commentary on the compline prayer, “Keep watch, dear Lord.” In this slim volume, Plantinga gives us a month's worth of prayers that feel like an extension of the compline prayer.   

The collection is inspired by Plantinga’s own need for the prayers of others when he found himself too depleted or distracted or isolated to find his voice. The undated and liturgical prayers can be chosen for any month of any year. They offer prayer for contemporary needs, sorrows, and joys, yet are not bound by time. They are of a uniform length but vary in whether Scripture or prose is included in the text. Finally, an empty space is an encouragement to readers to record their personal prayer thoughts. 

Plantinga’s work reflects a theology of prayer grounded in Scripture and the Reformed and kingdom world perspective that has shaped his own prayer life over many years. Plantinga is president emeritus of Calvin Theological Seminary and a senior fellow with the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. (Eerdmans)