One Into a Thousand Rise

(A prayer of Charles Wesley, slightly updated)

Savior, I know you are
In every age the same;
Now, Lord, in mine exert
The virtue of your name,
And daily, through your Word, increase
Your blood-besprinkled witnesses.

Your people, saved below
From every sinful stain,
Let multiply and grow
If you, Lord, but ordain,
And one into a thousand rise
And spread your praise through earth and skies.

In every soul--and mine--
You have displayed your power;
Now to your people join
Ten thousand thousand more,
Saved from the guilt and strength of sin
In life and heart entirely clean.
Amen.

Thick Skin

Lord God, I pray for thick skin,
that I may serve you better...
and longer...
but mostly, I suppose,
that I might not get hurt so often.

Even so, Lord, hear my prayer,
in Jesus' name, amen.

For Servants

Thank you, Lord God Adonai,
for the willing
and dedicated
and faithful
and seemingly tireless
servants you have granted me
to work with me,
to serve your church,
to inspire and encourage me,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Have Mercy

Lord, sometimes all I can pray is
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy,
Lord have mercy.

But I thank you that I can at least pray that.

My Psalm 69

Save me, O God,
from the rising floodwaters.

Save me from the mud beneath my feet.
I am in over my head,
and I know that only too well.

I will call out to you until I am worn out,
until my tongue cracks
and my throat parches.

i will keep looking to you
until my eyes fail.
What else can I do, Lord?
I have no other hope besides you.

My enemies are numerous;
their attacks seem incessant,
and you know how foolishly
I listen to them and give in to their deceits.

May those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me,
O Lord, the LORD Almighty;
may those who seek you
not be ashamed because of me,
O God of Israel.

By your grace, I endure
what I endure
for your sake.
i put myself out there
where every man Jack can find fault
and second-guess me.
But I am zealous for your house, Lord,
I love your church
and I will spend myself for your flock,
because I love them, too...
and I love you.

I weep and fast,
I scratch and claw,
and make myself vulnerable.

That's okay. I pray to you, O LORD,
and count on your favor;
in your unceasing love, O God,
answer me with your mighty deliverance.

Save me from the mud,
do not let my feet slip,
and deliver me from every attack,
and every flash flood of oppression.

Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.

Turn my face to you,
for you have never turned your face from me,
and I know that only too well.

Come! Rescue me!
Defend me from my foes.
Answer all the scorn, disgrace, and abuse
that may be aimed at me.
Heal every wound,
answer every accusation,
and reverse my discouragement
with your comfort.

Send my Enemy packing, Mighty God.
Tear down every stronghold,
in me and among your people.

Let your salvation, O God,
infuse me and protect me.

Let me praise your name in song
and glorify you with grateful living.
Let my living sacrifice please you.
Let the lot of others be improved
because of my offerings to you.

You, LORD, hear my needy cries
and never fail to come to my aid.

Let this whole wide world praise you,
let all Creation resound with your praise,
let my heart pulse with faith,
with the confidence that you save me,
that you will save your people
and establish a place for us,
where we will glorify you
where those who love your name will dwell.
Amen.

Sabbath Choices

Abba, I choose today to rest in you.
I choose to cease my striving.
I choose to let you handle the world instead of me.
I choose not to stress or worry.
I choose not to let others' stress or hurry
pressure me.
I choose to let you decide, act, control...
and pray you'll let me do more of that
the other six days of the week,
letting my Sabbath infect my week
instead of the other way around,
in Jesus' name, amen.

I Am Fasting

Lord, I am fasting
to focus my heart and mind on you,
to say to you that your blessing
and your help
is more important to me than food.
I am fasting to remind myself
that all things are worthless and tasteless
if you don't hear and answer my cries.
I am fasting to become a better coworker with you,
and let you know that nothing
matters more to me
than your favor
and your intervention
in the things I am asking of you right now,
in Jesus' name, amen.

A Prayer by John Wesley

I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will;
Put me to doing; put me to suffering;
Let me be employed for you or laid aside for you,
Exalted for you, or brought low for you;
Let me be full, let me be empty;
Let me have all things, let me have nothing;
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
You are mine and I am yours. So be it.
And the covenant made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

For Answered Prayer

Thank you, God,
for the answered prayers
I see all around me.

Thank you, too,
for the answered prayers
I see in me.

Amen.

Prayer for Worship Leaders

Lord, I lift up our pastor of worship to you,
and her dynamic ministry.
I appeal to you for her team,
those ministers of the Gospel
who praise you with the modern equivalent
of harp and lyre.
Grant them the full splendor of Your holiness
and let them praise You out of that experience.
Help them lead us faithfully
in thanks for Your enduring love.
Use their praise to defeat the enemy.
May they be the true worshipers
You are looking for who worship in spirit and in truth,
and may their tribe increase among us.
Let them glory only in You, and put no confidence in their own flesh,
in Jesus' name, amen.

A Prayer for Spring

(A prayer by Ralph Waldo Emerson)

For flowers that bloom about our feet,
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet,
For song of bird, and hum of bee,
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!

For blue of stream and blue of sky,
For pleasant shade of branches high,
For fragrant air and cooling breeze,
For beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!

Bless My Family with Your Love

O Loving God,
bless my family with your love.
Guard us from all danger and harm;
deliver us from anger that leads to division;
empower us to forgive as we have been forgiven;
and send us into the world
to witness to your love and grace;
in the name of Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.

(a prayer by Vienna Cobb Anderson, adapted from "Prayers of Our Hearts" © 1991 Vienna Cobb Anderson)

Presence Prayer

Abba, I often come to you in prayer
to ask for favors.
Today I simply ask for your presence.
Let my heart respond to your love.
Amen.

My Psalm 68

Arise, God, and scatter your enemies!
Make all your foes run scared.
Blow them away,
like campfire smoke in a windstorm;
Disable them completely,
like wax on a hot stovetop.

But make the righteous glad,
and let them skip and dance and sing before you;
make them giddy with laughter.

I will sing to you, God,
I will sing praise to your name;
I will boast about you, Cloudrider,
and I will rejoice in your presence, Yahweh,
father to the fatherless,
defender of widows,
Holy One,
family-maker,
adopter of the lonely,
liberator of prisoners.
The rebellious reject you
to their own desiccation.

March out before your people, O God,
march us through this rough terrain,
as you did your people long ago,
when the earth shook,
and the heavens poured down rain,
before God, the One of Sinai,
before God, the God of Israel.

You sent refreshing showers, O God;
you renewed your weary ones.
Your people settled in the land,
and out of your generosity,
out of your plenty, O God,
you provided for the poor.

Do it again, Lord.
Do it for us, please.
Announce your word here in our time,
in our land,
and multiply the company of those who proclaim it.
Rout kings and armies flee;
dump the plunder of the wicked into our laps.
Show your power by prospering your people
even while we sleep!
Just as you scattered the kings of Canaan,
just as you made jealous the mountains of Bashan,
make the powers and institutions of this world
gaze in envy on your people, Cobblestone,
because you are pleased to reign among us,
and with your presence comes your power,
with your working comes mighty wonders,
and great joy,
and vibrancy.

Commission your chariots, God,
twice ten thousand,
even thousands of thousands,
and come to us,
abide with us,
fight for us.

When you ascended on high,
you led captives in your train;
you received gifts from men,
even from the rebellious—
O LORD God, do it again,
among us,
for us,
through us,
in Jesus’ name!

Bear our burdens.
Save!
Deliver from death.
Crush the heads of your enemies,
turn the heads of those who go on in their sins.

Make “The Loft” your parade ground, O God,
make it your gallery of fine art.
Lead us in triumphal procession
over these coming months,
day by day, week by week,
and make your praise glorious,
contagious, drawing hundreds into your church,
making paupers into princes,
cripples into athletes,
the dead into living,
the sick into the thriving,

Parade your power, O God,
and show the whole community around us
just how faithful and generous you can be.

I sing your praise.
I write your praise.
I speak your praise,
Sky-Rider,
Cloud-strider,
Lightning-scribe
and Thunder-composer.

I give you my praise,
my standing ovation,
for all you have done
and all you do.

Show us your beauty again,
your terrible beauty, O God,
your awesome splendor,
like that you wrote in the heavens,
like that you showed to Israel.

Show your power and might
to your people, Cobblestone,
such that we will never get over it.
Amen.

A Prayer of Reinhold Neibuhr

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

Open the Eyes of My Faith

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of my faith, that I may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, amen.

Let Me Be Known By the Marks of Thy Cross

(A hymn by General Albert Orsborn)

Where are the marks, the marks of Thy anointing?
Savior, reveal, how am I joined with Thee?
Have I embraced the cross of Thy appointing,
Thy cross constrained a true response in me?
Spare not the truth, I spurn all shallow seeming;
Where are the proofs of Thy dying in me?
As I am Thine by Thy pure love redeeming,
Let me be Thine by my pure love to Thee.
Henceforth, for Thee inured to gain or loss,
Let me be known by the marks of Thy cross.

Thy brow was torn, but mine has known no bleeding;
Thy hands were nailed, but mine are whole and free.
Thy cheek was burned beneath the traitor's greeting;
Have I endured the lonely way for Thee?
Thy tears fell down upon a world's transgression;
When have I wept for the souls that loved not Thee?
It was Thy heart that filled Thee with compassion;
Oh, may that heart renew Thy life in me!
Henceforth, for Thee inured to gain or loss,
Let me be known by the marks of Thy cross.

Amen.

Give Me Eyes To See What You Are Doing

"Jesus said to the people, 'In truth I tell you, by himself the Son can do nothing; he can only do what he sees the Father doing: and whatever the Father does the Son does too'" (John 5:19).

Abba,
give me eyes to see what you are doing,
where you are leading,
how you are working,
that I might follow Jesus
by doing what I see the Father doing.
Amen.

Give Us This Day

Give us this day our daily bread.
Give us this day our daily energy.
Give us this day our daily rest.
Give us this day our daily exercise.
Give us this day our daily work.
Give us this day our daily health.
Give us this day our daily oxygen.
Give us this day our daily creativity.
Give us this day our daily community.
Give us this day our daily encouragement.
Give us this day our daily fun.
Give us this day our daily memory.
Give us this day our daily sights,
and sounds,
and smells,
and tastes.
Give us this day our daily...you.
Amen.

I am Like James and John

(A prayer by poet Robert Raines, author of A Faithing Oak)

I am like James and John
Lord, I size up other people
in terms of what they can do for me;
how they can further my program,
feed my ego,
satisfy my needs,
give me strategic advantage.

I exploit people,
ostensibly for your sake,
but really for my own sake.

Lord, I turn to you
to get the inside track
and obtain special favors,
your direction for my schemes,
your power for my projects,
your sanction for my ambitions,
your blank checks for whatever I want.

I am like James and John.

My Psalm 67

God, be gracious to us and bless us
and make your face shine upon us;
let us be an example,
an advertisement
of your ways on earth,
your saving ways among all people.

I praise you, O God;
may all the people around me praise you.

May the nations be intoxicated
with the joy that follows
your just rule
and faithful shepherding.

I praise you, O God;
may all the people around me praise you.

Let our efforts
yield a bountiful crop,
a harvest of souls discovering.
loving
and praising you,
and enjoying your blessings.

Bless us God,
and let every corner of the earth
resonate with reverence and praise for you.
Amen.

Shelter

(A prayer by poet Robert Raines, author of A Faithing Oak)

water running down the airplane window
like tears
people walking with umbrellas
for shelter

shelter
I need
shelter
Lord

heal the wounds
of those I have wounded
and my wounds

lead me
walk beside me
follow me

let forgiveness
take my arms
and hope
invite my feet


shelter us all
toward a
time
of
safety
and
confidence

The Hardest Test

(A hymn by General Albert Orsborn)

When the angel gives the record
Of my inmost soul today,
I want my thoughts and actions
With unbroken voice to say:
"The love Thy servant bears Thee
Will endure the hardest test,
And only be happy
In giving the best."

Let it be so,
in Jesus' name, amen.

A Prayer of Joe Bayly

(from Psalms of My Life, by Joe Bayly)

Lord Christ
Your servant
Martin Luther
said he only had
two days
on his calendar
today
and that day
and that's
what I want too.
And I want
to live
today
for
that day.

My Psalm 66

I shout with joy to you God!
I sing the glory of your name;
I praise you, I give you glory.

I say to you, "How awesome are your deeds!
Your power is so complete
that your enemies cower in fear,
and all the earth bows down to you;
the darling buds of Spring give a wave offering,
and early robins and cardinals sing praise to your name.

You have done great things, Lord,
you have worked wonders on my behalf.

You made the churning waves solid beneath my feet.
You restored to me the joy of your salvation.

You rule in might,
and the more so when I am made aware of my weakness,
my utter inadequacy.
You show yourself sufficient over and over again.

I praise you, God,
My heart and my lips resound with praise for you;
you have preserved my life
and kept my feet from slipping.

You allowed this time of testing,
and your refining fire made me still stronger.

I am your love slave, your prisoner,
and yet I complained of the burdens I carry.
But no more.
You have lifted my head,
you have brought me through fire and water,
you have once more opened a verdant vista to my eyes.

I renew my covenant with you,
and fulfill my vows to you,
those vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke
when I was young and ignorant.

But now I am older and wiser,
and I still bring my offering to you,
my pittance,
but my best,
and my all.

I will stop my complaining, with your help,
and focus on telling others what you have done for me.
I will pour out my petitions
and my praise
in your presence.

Despite my sinful, selfish ways,
you have once more listened
and heard my voice in prayer.

Praise to you, God,
for not rejecting my prayer
or withholding your love from me!