A Prayer Before Preaching

O Creator of the universe, who has set the stars in the heavens and causes the sun to rise and set, shed the light of your wisdom into the darkness of my mind. Fill my thoughts with the loving knowledge of you, that I may bring your light to others. Just as you can make even babies speak your truth, instruct my tongue and guide my pen to convey the wonderful glory of the Gospel. Make my intellect sharp, my memory clear, and my words eloquent, so that I may faithfully interpret the mysteries which you have revealed. Amen.

(a prayer of Thomas Aquinas)

Journey Prayer

Bless to me, O God,The earth beneath my foot.
Bless to me, O God,
The path whereon I go;
Bless to me, O God,
The thing of my desire;
Thou Evermore of evermore,
Bless Thou to me my rest.

Bless to me the thing
Whereon is set my mind,
Bless to me the thing
Whereon is set my love;
Bless to me the thing
Whereon is set my hope;
O Thou King of kings,
Bless Thou to me mine eye!

As Thou wast before
At my life's beginning,
Be Thou so again
At my journey's end.
As Thou was besides
At my soul's shaping,
Father, be Thou too
At my journey's close.

Be with me at each time,
Lying down and arising,
Be with me in sleep,
Companioned by dear ones. Amen.

(an ancient Celtic prayer)

A Writer's Double Portion

Gracious God, who inspired faulty and feeble men in times past to write for the purpose of changing lives, please let some of that spirit--a double portion, even, as I am more faulty and feeble than they--rest on me as a writer.

Grant me the productivity of Moses, who though he lived in an age before paper or press is credited with "the books of Moses," revered as Torah by one generation after another.

Grant me David's lyricism and imagery evident in line after line of psalm after psalm, from "The Lord is my shepherd" to "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."

Grant me Isaiah's facility with word and phrase, he who wrote "Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace," and "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint."

Grant me Solomon's wisdom, Ezekiel's vision, Jeremiah's compulsion, and Daniel's spine.

Grant me Hosea's courage in telling my story, and in obeying and reflecting you in its every twist and turn.

Grant me the Gospel writers' recall. Luke's accuracy. Paul's intensity. James's practicality.

And grant, please, whenever my end approaches, whatever my final book or sentence may be, a finish like that of your servant John.

All this I am so bold to ask only through the merit of my Savior, Lord, and King, in whose name I ask it, amen.

Simple Prayer

An Ash Wednesday Prayer

Grant, Lord, that during this season of Lent, I may
fast from discontent and feast on gratitude;
fast from anger and feast on patience;
fast from bitterness and feast on forgiveness;
fast from self-concern and feast on compassion;
fast from discouragement and feast on hope;
fast from laziness and feast on commitment;
fast from complaining and feast on acceptance;
fast from lust and feast on respect;
fast from prejudice and feast on understanding;
fast from resentment and feast on reconciliation;
fast from lies and feast on the truth;
fast from wasted time and feast on honest work;
fast from grimness and feast on joy;
fast from suspicion and feast on trust;
fast from idle talk and feast on prayer and silence;
fast from guilt and feast on the mercy of God.

(based on lines attributed to William Arthur Ward)

For Those In Turmoil

Lord, I pray for those in turmoil in this world,
those whose governments have fractured,
who have been invaded,
who are suffering from aggression and upheaval.

I pray for the people of Ukraine,
that you will expel the invader
and cause righteousness to prevail
and a new government to form
that will secure their rights
and protect the common good.

I pray for the people of Ecuador,
that their voices may be heard,
that oppression may cease,
that human rights may be respected,
and that freedom may grow.

I pray for the people of Syria,
that their long suffering may be ended soon.
Let the war cease.
Let the hatred and horror cease.
Bring about hope and health,
reconciliation and restoration,
in that broken land.

I pray the same for those in other places,
whose struggles don't make the news,
whose nightmares are accepted as the norm by so many:
those in North Korea,
and Egypt,
and Central African Republic, Nigeria, Somalia,
and so many other, sad, places.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Amen.

(photo of St. Michael's Church, Kiev, courtesy of everystockphoto.com)

Just a Clay Jar

God,
help me to resign from the ranks of the “experts.”
Help me not to act like someone who has arrived.

Remind me constantly and repeatedly
of what I was when I was called:
not wise by human standards;
not influential;
not of noble birth.
But you chose this foolish thing,
as you choose so many foolish things of the world
to shame the wise;
you chose this weak thing to shame the strong.
You chose this fragile, earthen pot
to make it clear that all I have
and all I am
and all I do
is from you,
that the glory and honor may be yours.

Help me to be way too curious
and way too humble
and way too vulnerable to act like an expert on anything....
except maybe your incredible sense of humor in extending grace to me!

(based partly on 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 and 2 Corinthians 4:7; photo by hotblack, courtesy of morgueFile)