Prayer in the Night by Tish Harrison Warren
Week 2: Chapter 1 — Keep Watch
Read Chapter 1 of Prayer in the Night by Tish Harrison Warren. Primary Compline phrase: "Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night."
Previewing Week 2 of Prayer in the Night
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 15-week guide when you’re ready.
The opening petition of Compline asks God to keep watch — to stay awake when we cannot. This chapter invites us to consider what it means to trust a God who sees in the dark, even when we feel unseen.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.The Compline prayer asks God to keep watch over three kinds of people: those who work, those who watch, and those who weep. Which of these three categories has most characterized your life in the past year? Which do you find most difficult to bring before God?
2.Warren reflects on what it means to be truly seen — that God's 'keeping watch' is not surveillance but loving attentiveness. How do you personally experience God's watchfulness? Does it feel more like comfort or exposure?
3.She draws attention to the ordinariness of the people mentioned in the Compline petition — night-shift workers, worried parents, grieving friends. Why is it significant that the ancient church built prayer for such mundane and ordinary suffering into its liturgy? What does that tell us about what Christianity is for?