Portions of the Day

Zac Eswine suggests that biblically the day can be divided up into four main portions:

The morning (6am / sunrise - noon)
The noon day / afternoon (noon - 6pm / sunset)
The evening (sunset / 6pm - 10pm)
The watches of the night

Each has its own themes, opportunities and temptations.

Even if you don't find all the details here convincing, it's worth reflecting on. Eswine cites a number of biblical events (e.g. from the life of Christ) and characteristics associated with each.

Each portion of the day might begin and end with a short time of silence, reflection and prayer.

Although Eswine doesn't make this point, these times might correspond to Morning Prayer, Prayer During the Day / Midday Eucharist, Evening Prayer, Compline / Night Prayer.

The Morning is resurrection time. It is time to rise up and give God thanks and praise. It is a time for singing. It offers opportunity and grace, a fresh start, possibilities. There will be work to be done, but first we can receive from God and offer him the day, looking to his strength.

The afternoon is the time of the greatest light and heat. It can be a time of scrutiny and pressure. We must toil and bare the heat of the day. We will be tempted to grow weary and droop. Or be distracted. It is not yet time to relax and we must resist the lure of Happy Hour! Again, we will need God's grace.

The evening is a time for grateful rest, for refreshment, perhaps for hospitality. We must not use the coming darkness as a cover for evil. We can rejoice that we have gone another mile, or at least another step. We must leave behind the undone work. God willing, there will be tomorrow.

It will do us good at some point to look back over the day: what flowers are there to celebrate and is there any muck that needs clearing up?

The night may be for sleep and dreams. In a way we will always be alone with God. There might be times of watchfulness and wakefulness.

And just as there are rhythms to the day, there is a weekly sabbath and seasons of the year too.

These quick jottings from memory might encourage you to get hold of the chapter if you can:

The Imperfect Pastor: Discovering Joy in Our Limitations through a Daily Apprenticeship with Jesus, (Crossway, 2015) Chapter 11: Finding Our Pace esp. pp172-182