Enter

I will enter your gates
with thanksgiving in my heart, Lord;
I will enter your gates
with praise.
I will enter with anticipation.
I will enter with faith.
I will enter humbly,
expectantly,
adoringly,
grateful simply for the privilege
of entering,
and hopeful of giving you the honor
that is due you,
and whatever I may receive from you
is added blessing.
Amen.

A Prayer for Safe Travel

Lord, I know there are millions of travellers on the roads (and in the skies) today, and you love and care for them all. But please keep an eye out for a black 2004 Mazda Tribute heading home from Kenosha. Grant us Godspeed, in Jesus' name, amen.

Unbroken Thanks

Sleepwakingcomfortablemattresscomfortablechairwarmhomelovingfamilyphonecallsfromkidshealthcleanclothesgoodbooksnewspaperscoffeecinnamonrollsbreadturkeystuffingpumpkinpiecomputeriphonecleanwaterbeautifulwifesafetraveldishwashersunlightfaithcomfortlaughtermusictoothbrushfriendshopehairsightabilitytowalkplantsandflowersmoneytobuygiftshappymarriageprayerandsososomuchmore!Thankyou,inJesus'name,amen.

No Need to Wait

Abba, there is of course no need to wait
for tomorrow to give thanks
for all you are
and all you've given
to me.

How can I possibly
thank you
adequately,
let alone generously,
for all your grace and mercy
and manifold blessings to me?

I who am so rich
in blessings
must unavoidably
be so poor
in thanks.

I can no more thank you sufficiently
than I can repay you.
But I give you thanks nonetheless:
Please forgive my poverty of thanksgiving
even as you have blessed me far,
far,
far,
far,
beyond my deserving,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Just Like Jeremiah

Lord God Adonai, by your great grace
make me, like Jeremiah,
"a fortified city, an iron pillar, bronze walls,"
in Jesus' name, amen.

A Prayer of Columba of Iona

Be thou a bright flame before me,
Be thou a guiding star above me,
Be thou a smooth path below me,
Be thou a kindly shepherd behind me,
Today - tonight - and for ever.

Dawn on Us

The Lord lives! Blessed is the rock,
exalted is the horn of my salvation!
You, Lord, have done great things for me.
You have given triumph over the Enemy.
You have granted strength to your people.
You have helped us this far;
now, today, dawn on your people like the morning light,
like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning,
like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth (2 Sam. 23:4),
in Jesus' name, amen.

My Psalm 78

O Lord, bless my teaching today;
grant me words worth listening to.
In parable,
in mystery,
new insights or old,
let me speak what
the testimony that will make you glad.

Let my words be accessible
to young and old;
let everyone grasp the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
your power, and the wonders you have done.

The statutes decreed to your people,
the law you established in Israel,
which you commanded them
to teach their children,

so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.

Let my flock put their trust in you
as they did in their best moments,
and not forget your deeds
but follow you passionately.

Let us not be like our predecessors,
and like so many these days,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose hearts are not loyal to you,
whose spirits are not faithful to you.

Let us not
turn back on the day of battle;

Let us not
forsake our covenant with you
and refuse your guidance.

Let us not
forget what you have done,
the wonders you have shown us.

Let us not
forget your miracles,
both in ancient times
and the ones we have seen with our own eyes.

Seas divided,
walls of water,
a cloud by day
and fire by night.
Water from rocks in the desert
and manna every morning.

But they continued to sin against you,
rebelling against the Most High.

They willfully put you to the test
by demanding the food they craved.

They spoke against you, saying,
"Can God spread a table in the desert?

When water gushed from a rock,
and streams flowed abundantly,
they kept complaining,
demanding meat from your hand.

Save us from such complaining and faithlessness, Lord God.
Save us from your anger.

Bread of heaven, feed us till we want no more!

Let us never forget that you are our Rock,
that God Most High is our Redeemer.

Let our hearts remain loyal to you,
whatever our outward circumstances.
Teach us to measure our success
by your mercy,
your forgiveness,
your constant forbearance and goodness to us.

What you have done before,
do again, Adonai!

Lead us like sheep through a desert.
Guide us safely, and teach us to be unafraid.
Drive out our enemies before us,
and give us the fulfillment of your every good promise.

You have given your people a sanctuary,
like Zion,
you have established even more
than you had before.

You have anointed fine servant leaders,
and brought together many skilled hands to serve your people.

Make this flock like Israel of old,
and our leaders like David the shepherd king. Amen.

A Fenced Wall

Let your angels be a fenced wall around us against all our enemies,
amen.

(part of a prayer by Martin Luther)

I Choose Peace

I choose peace today, Lord, in all I do,
in all my prayer and work,
in every contact and conversation,
in what gets done and what doesn't.
You are my peace, Jehovah-Shalom. Amen.

Hot Water

Lord God, thank you for hot water.
The real kind, not the figurative kind.
Amen.

A Morning Prayer by John Baillie

Here am I, O God,
of little power and of mean estate,
yet lifting up heart and voice to Thee
before whom all created things are as dust and a vapour.
Thou art hidden behind the curtain of sense,
incomprehensible in Thy greatness,
mysterious in Thine almighty power;
yet here I speak with Thee familiarly
as child to parent, as friend to friend.
If I could not thus speak to Thee,
then were I indeed without hope in the world.
For it is little that I have power to do or to ordain.
Not of my own will am I here,
not of my own will shall I soon pass hence.
Of all that shall come to me this day,
very little will be such as I have chosen for myself.
It is Thou, O hidden One, who dost appoint my lot
and determine the bounds of my habitation.
It is Thou who hast put power in my hand to do one work
and hast withheld the skill to do another.
It is Thou who dost keep in Thy grasp the threads of this day's life
and who alone knowest what lies before me to do or to suffer.
But because Thou art my Father, I am not afraid.
Because it is Thine own Spirit that stirs
within my spirit's inmost room,
I know that all is well.
What I desire for myself I cannot attain,
but what Thou desirest in me Thou canst attain for me.
The good that I would I do not,
but the good that Thou willest in me,
that Thou canst give me power to do.

Dear Father, take this day's life into Thine own keeping.
Control all my thoughts and feelings.
Direct all my energies.
Instruct my mind.
Sustain my will.
Take my hands and make them skillful to serve Thee.
Take my feet and make them swift to do Thy bidding.
Take my eyes and keep them fixed upon Thine everlasting beauty.
Take my mouth and make it eloquent in testimony to Thy love.
Make this day a day of obedience,
a day of spiritual joy and peace.
Make this day's work a little part
of the work of the Kingdom of my Lord Christ,
in whose name these my prayers are said,
Amen.

(a prayer of John Baillie in A Diary of Private Prayer, Ninth Day, Morning)

Thanks for a Car

Thank you, Lord, for a faithful car,
a dependable little Ford Focus
that still serves me well
after 125,000 miles
and asks very little
besides regular doses of fuel
and oil
and an occasional pat on the hood.
Amen.

Due

Praise is due you, Lord,
for a glorious day
in which you honored
the labor and worship
and prayers and dedication
and sacrifice and commitment
and willingness and submission
and repentance and servanthood
of your people.
You have done great things.
You have been faithful.
You have done marvelously.
You have answered prayer.
You have certainly, and abundantly, blessed me,
and I give you praise and thanks and honor,
to which you are abundantly due, amen.

Rush

Spirit of the Lord,
rush upon me
from this day forward (1 Samuel 16:13),
in Jesus' name, amen.

Te Deum

We praise thee, O God
: we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee
: the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud
: the Heavens, and all the Powers therein.
To thee Cherubim and Seraphim
: continually do cry,
Holy, Holy, Holy
: Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty
: of thy glory.
The glorious company of the Apostles : praise thee.
The goodly fellowship of the Prophets : praise thee.
The noble army of Martyrs : praise thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world
: doth acknowledge thee;
The Father : of an infinite Majesty;
Thine honourable, true : and only Son;
Also the Holy Ghost : the Comforter.
Thou art the King of Glory : O Christ.
Thou art the everlasting Son : of the Father.
When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man
: thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb.
When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death
: thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God : in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come : to be our Judge.
We therefore pray thee, help thy servants
: whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy Saints : in glory everlasting.
O Lord, save thy people
: and bless thine heritage.
Govern them : and lift them up for ever.
Day by day : we magnify thee;
And we worship thy Name : ever world without end.
Vouchsafe, O Lord : to keep us this day without sin.
O Lord, have mercy upon us : have mercy upon us.
O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us
: as our trust is in thee.
O Lord, in thee have I trusted
: let me never be confounded.

(From the Book of Common Prayer)

Crush

God of peace, Jehovah Shalom,
please crush Satan under my feet (Romans 16:20),
in Jesus' name, amen.

Absences

Thank you, Abba, for the absences I enjoy today.
Thank you for the absence of pain in my body;
for the absence of hatred in my heart;
for the absence of hunger in my belly;
and the absence of fear in my soul.
Thank you for no sniffles and no tears,
no bruises, no splinters,
no pulls or strains or breaks.
Thank you that I have no onerous duty awaiting me--
no friend to bury,
no loved one to correct,
no one to reprove.
Thank you for the void
of tragedy and calamity
I enjoy right now,
and use it please to rest me
and strengthen me
for the day when that void is filled,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Dread Warrior

Dread Warrior,
today strike my Enemy "hip and thigh" (Judges 15:8).
Let him and his work be crushed before my very eyes.
And split open "the hollow place"
and send waters of refreshing and revival
for me and all your people (Judges 15:19),
in Jesus' name, amen.

Stream

Abba, make my heart like a stream of water in your hand; turn it wherever you will.

Yahweh Yireh

Abba, give me the faith
to believe in you as Yahweh-Yireh,
God my Provider.
Give me faith to see you
at work
at all times,
achieving my good,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Teach Me

Lord, teach me to pray (Luke 11:1). Teach me again. Teach me your ways. Teach me to love your Word, and to experience your presence, and to hear your voice. Teach me to say no to sin. Teach me to trust you. Teach me to rest. Teach me to cast all my cares on you. Teach me to preach. Teach me to lead. Teach me to write. Teach me to be all you call me to be, in Jesus' name, amen.

Privilege

Lord God, thank you for the powerful reminder you sent yesterday of the awesome privilege you've granted me of being a laborer in your vineyard, a teacher of your Word, of making known the manifold wisdom of God. Completely restore to me the joy and excitement of this ministry, in Jesus' name, amen.

All Things Bright and Beautiful, Slightly Revised

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
You, Lord God, made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
You made their glowing colors,
You made their tiny wings.

The purple headed mountains,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning
That brightens up the sky,

The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
You made them every one.

The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water,
To gather every day.

You gave me eyes to see them,
And lips that I might tell
How great you are, my Father,
Who has made all things well.

(from the hymn by Cecil Frances Alexander)

Praise for Hard Workers

Lord God, I praise you with my whole heart
for hard workers
who stick with a job
and get things done
and make things happen
and spend every last ounce
of energy and industry
for the sake of the flock.
Reward them all, Lord,
with restoration and renewal,
prospering them in every way,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Arise, O Lord

Arise, O Lord,
and defend your people today.
Deliver us!
Hosanna!
Exalt yourself,
frustrate your enemies,
and satisfy your people,
in Jesus' name, amen.

A Prayer for All Saints' Day

How shining and splendid are your gifts, O Lord
which you give us for our eternal well-being
Your glory shines radiantly in your saints, O God
In the honour and noble victory of the martyrs.
The white-robed company follow you,
bright with their abundant faith;
They scorned the wicked words of those with this world's power.
For you they sustained fierce beatings, chains, and torments,
they were drained by cruel punishments.
They bore their holy witness to you
who were grounded deep within their hearts;
they were sustained by patience and constancy.
Endowed with your everlasting grace,
may we rejoice forever
with the martyrs in our bright fatherland.
O Christ, in your goodness,
grant to us the gracious heavenly realms of eternal life.

(Unknown author, 10th century)