What is Forward Day By Day?

Forward Movement has been creating and sharing Forward Day by Day for nearly a century. Our founders knew that daily prayer and study was a critically important practice for making disciples—and that helping Christians grow deeper in discipleship was critically important to the Church. The appeal of Forward Day by Day came from its accessible and inviting way to encourage disciples to read a bit of scripture, reflect on that scripture, and pray briefly every day.

Many folks in the Church have been praying with Forward Day by Day their whole lives. Others might have slipped a pamphlet in their bag at one point and then forgotten about it. Still others might be asking “what is this Forward Day by Day thing about anyway?” The good news is, if you are looking for a place to start learning and growing, there’s no better way to start than by picking up Forward Day by Day.

A Look Inside

Start your journey of discipleship by finding the page for the current day. Each page starts with a brief Bible verse. If you’d like to read the verse in context, or in conversation with the rest of scripture, you can look up the suggested readings just below. Each day’s readings come either from the Revised Common Lectionary (a cycle of Bible passages used in worship by churches across North America) or the Daily Office Lectionary from the Book of Common Prayer. The texts we use put the reader in community with everyone else reading that text today.

The heart of each daily page is the day’s meditation, from a new author each month. (Keep reading for more about our authors!) Sometimes it’ll be a personal story, an elaboration on the scripture text, or some connection back to our daily life of faith. Each page ends with “Moving Forward,” a prompt for further reflection or an action step you can take back into your day. You’ll also be invited to pray for a church in the Anglican Cycle of Prayer —a church in our communion, with our shared heritage, from all over the world.

Before or after you read the meditation, you might want to pray one of the prayers on the front or back inside cover. These prayers, “A Morning Resolve” and “For Today,” have been printed alongside Forward Day by Day meditations for decades. Countless readers have found these prayers grounding and inspiring as they begin their day.

Let’s go back to the meditations for a moment. Who writes the reflections for each day? Each month you’ll hear from a new author. Authors include poets and teachers; priests and lay people; youth ministers and retired folk; and so much more. In a month of meditations, you’ll get to know each author’s perspective and unique take on scripture. Some perspectives will be familiar; others will be challenging. All will bring you to a greater understanding of God and the rich particularity of the Christian community.

How to Get Forward Day By Day

We offer many editions of Forward Day by Day to make this daily habit of prayer accessible to all.

The classic pocket-size version in English or Spanish easily fits into your crowded and busy life. About the size of a cell phone, but thinner, this edition travels easily.

The large print edition offers larger type and more room for taking notes in the margins. Though larger, it still fits neatly into your bag, desk, or car.

Each issue is translated into Spanish—or, in some months, shared in a Spanish-speaking author’s original language. Subscribe to Adelante dia a dia to get our meditations in Spanish.

Order Forward Day by Day for your entire church community by subscribing in bulk. With this subscription, you can offer copies to your whole congregation so they can carry their prayers through the other six days of the week. Subscriptions ship one month in advance, so you’ll have plenty of time to get them into your community’s hands – empowering them for three months of daily prayer and inspiration.

Want to experiment before committing to a bulk subscription? Maybe you’d like to order multiple copies for a one-time church event, or carry a few copies with you so you’re ready to share God’s word when given the opportunity. Our Share It Forward packets are perfect for this purpose. Each one-time order comes with 10 copies of the current issue, ready to share.

Here at Forward Movement, we seek to share Forward Day by Day with everyone we can. We make a Braille edition available on request, and free of charge to any person who is visually impaired. We also ship thousands of free copies every year to prisons, hospitals, military bases, and places of need. When you subscribe to Forward Day by Day, you’re supporting this work—and joining a community across the church.

Whether you’re new to these pages or have been reading for years, we welcome you to the community of writers and readers who support Forward Day by Day. Since Forward Movement’s beginnings, the staff have gathered in prayer regularly to read the day’s meditation and to pray for each other and for all our readers worldwide. We invite you to pray for us—and pray with us—in the pages of Forward Day by Day.