Dormancy

Lord, I feel like I'm in a season of dormancy.
Cold.
Quiet.
Still.
Hidden.
Fruitless.
But I believe that I am here
in your will,
with your knowledge
and blessing.
I am here because you know best.
You know what is good for me,
and you make all things beautiful
in your time.
So thank you for this.
Thank you for the awareness
that I am not alone,
and you have not forgotten me...
that you are working in me
as truly and faithfully
as in those seasons when shoots spring up
and blossoms appear
and fruit is all around.
And when you say the word,
when you decide the time is right,
I will be glad for a new season
of newness and change and growth and fruit,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Frailty

Lord...how do I despise
What upon trust
Is styled honor, riches, or fair eyes;
But is--fair dust!
I surname them gilded clay,
Dear earth, fine grass or hay.

(a prayer of George Herbert)

You Answered

Prayer-answering God,
thank you
from the bottom of my heart
for the good report yesterday
on Miles's eyesight.

Those who know your name
will trust in you,
for you, LORD,
have never forsaken those who seek you (Psalm 9:10).

For Writing Tools

For fountain pens and India ink,
Legal pads and time to think,
Olivetti, Underwood, Selectric,
Typewriters both manual and electric,
Typing paper, carbon paper,
Correction ribbon and Liquid Paper,
Dictionaries and thesauri,
Keyboards, touchpads, countless styli,
Strunk and White and Zinsser, too,
Staples, tape, and Elmer's Glue,
Desktops, laptops, iPads, printers,
Modems, faxes, scanners, shredders,
Voice recording and dictation,
Chairs for work and relaxation,
Templates, shortcuts, tips and tricks,
Cross pens, Shaffers, Pilots, Bics,
For all the tools that have played their part,
Flow thanks from this poor writer's heart.

A Song of Ascents

I bless you, Lord,
in private
and together with the saints
who stand to sing and pray and give
and sit to listen and read and study
in your house this morning.

I will lift up my eyes.
I will lift up my hands.
I will lift up my voice.
I will lift up my heart
to worship you,
my dwelling place,
my holy place,
my Holy of Holies.

I will bless you
from where I am,
as if I were standing on Zion itself,
in Jesus' name, amen.

(based loosely on Psalm 134)

For Calleigh

Gracious Lord, please have mercy on her. Heal her quickly and completely from this nagging infection in her lungs, and forestall any need for IV treatments, in Jesus' name, amen.

A Prayer of Israel Houghton

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A Poet's Prayer

Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee,
And I'll forgive Thy great big one on me.

(Robert Frost, "Cluster of Faith," 1962)

For the Grace This Day Will Require

O God the author of all good, I come to Thee for the grace another day will require for its duties and events. I step out into a wicked world; I carry about with me an evil heart. I know that without Thee I can do nothing, that everything with which I shall be concerned, however harmless in itself, may prove an occasion of sin or folly, unless I am kept by Thy power. Hold Thou me up and I shall be safe.

Preserve my understanding from subtilty of error, my affections from love of idols, my character from stain of vice, my profession from every form of evil. May I engage in nothing in which I cannot implore Thy blessing, and in which I cannot invite Thy inspection. Prosper me in all lawful undertakings, or prepare me for disappointments. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with food convenient for me, lest I be full and deny Thee and say, Who is the Lord? or be poor, and steal, and take Thy name in vain.

May every creature be made good to me by prayer and Thy will. Teach me how to use the world and not abuse it, to improve my talents, to redeem my time, to walk in wisdom toward those without, and in kindness to those within, to do good to all men, and especially to my fellow Christians. And to Thee be the glory.

Amen.

(from The Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers, edited by Arthur Bennett)

On This Day of Travel

May it be Your will, Lord, My God and God of my ancestors, to lead me, to direct my steps, and to support me in peace. Lead me in life, tranquil and serene, until I arrive at where I am going. Deliver me from every enemy, ambush and hurt that I might encounter on the way and from all afflictions that visit and trouble the world. Bless the work of my hands. Let me receive divine grace and those loving acts of kindness and mercy in Your eyes and in the eyes of all those I encounter. Listen to the voice of my appeal, for you are a God who responds to prayerful supplication. Praised are you, Lord, who responds to prayer.

(Photo: a copy, in Hebrew, of the Traveler's Prayer (prescribed in the Talmud), found in a 1940's era C-47B-5-DK plane, used in the Six-Day War and Yom Kippur War)

Mantle

Lord, Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit, the eldest son's inheritance, to rest upon him. And it was given to him. 

I ask, too, for the mantle of a prophet, 
for a generous inheritance as a writer: 
for insight like Leonard Sweet,
for the pastorly heart and mind of Eugene Peterson,
for creativity like Calvin Miller,
the energy of Josh McDowell,
sensitivity of Brennan Manning,
lyricism of Wendell Berry,
productivity of Jerry Jenkins, 
and influence of N. T. Wright.

I feel silly and arrogant praying such a prayer, but I do so on the basis of James 4:2, in full awareness of my own unworthiness and your surpassing  worth and willingness to answer prayer, in Jesus' name, amen.

Overshadowed (Slightly Revised)

How desolate my life would be,
How dark and drear my nights and days,
If, Lord, your face I did not see,
To brighten all earth's weary ways.

I'm overshadowed by your mighty love--
Love eternal, changeless, pure.
Overshadowed by your mighty love;
Rest is mine, serene, secure.
You died to ransom me from sin,
You live to keep me day by day,
I'm overshadowed by your mighty love,
Love that brightens all my way.

With burdened heart I wandered long,
By grief and unbelief distressed;
But now I sing faith's happy song,
In you, my Savior, I am blest.

Now judgment fears no more alarm,
I dread no death, nor Satan's power;
The world for me has lost its charm,
God's grace sustains me every hour.

(by H. A. Ironside and George S Schuler)

*NOTE: this song is rich in memory and meaning for me, especially since I remember it as one of my mother's favorites

Another Psalm 4

Lord, I trust you're listening--
You, my Defender and my Advocate.

Proclaim Jubilee in my heart, mind, and life.
Have mercy on me and answer my prayer:

For freedom from insults, real or imagined,
freedom from lingering regrets and resentments,
freedom from people-pleasing cares.

I am sure of this:
I belong to you.
I matter to you.
I am clean in your sight.

Set an angelic sentinel at the entrance to my mind,
a guard against untrust and ungrace,
especially in the night watches.

Let me offer you pleasing sacrifices,
and passionate worship.
No looking back.
No wishing or longing for what is not.
Just your smiling face,
the joy of your presence,
the abundance of this moment, this season,
and the restful spirit
of a soul kept by you.
Amen.

Transform

Lord Jesus,
you turned a meager lunch into a banquet for thousands,
a common lake trout into an ATM,
a brash fisherman into a water-walker,
a skeptical Thomas into a staunch devotee,
and a grisly death into death's defeat.

Please turn my faulty thoughts and flailing words
into something worth reading.
Amen.

Amanuensis

Lord, make me your amanuensis.
Your scribe. Your secretary.
Think aloud to me,
slowly and simply enough
that I can transcribe the things you want to say
to me,
through me.
Tune the ears of my heart,
train my fingers to flow,
my muscles to move,
at the slightest inflection of your voice,
the tiniest trace of meaning
from your mind.
Amen.

Joan of Arc Prayer

If I am in your Truth,
God, keep me there.

If I am not in your Truth,
God, put me there.

Amen.

(from the Daily Prayer blog)

But Thine Own

We give Thee but Thine own,
Whate’er the gift may be;
All that we have is Thine alone,
A trust, O Lord, from Thee.

Fruit Prayer

Holy Spirit,
cultivate and proliferate your fruit in my writing.

Let love permeate my words.
Help me experience joy in the writing, and let my readers experience joy in reading.
Use my writing to spread shalom.
Give me patience in the writing.
Let goodness characterize what I write,
and gentleness how I write it.
Make and keep me faithful to you, to the publisher, and to the reader from beginning to end,
and let God-given self control guide my every thought, impulse, and decision as I write, revise, edit, and review,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Where You Lead

Where you lead me
I will follow.
Where you lead me
I will follow.
Where you lead me
I will follow.
I'll go with you,
With you all the way.

Seasons of Love Prayer

In daylights,
in sunsets,
in midnights,
In cups of coffee,
In inches,
in miles,
in laughter,
in strife,
in love...
by any measure,
you have made me
immeasurably
inexpressibly
rich.

Thank you.
Amen.

(based on the song, "Seasons of Love," from the musical, Rent)

Words Fitly Written

Lord,
grant that I may produce today
words fitly written,
that shine like apples of gold
in settings of silver,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Until the Floodgates Open

Lord, I'm behind.
I have a deadline, a goal,
and I have fallen behind.
I will keep working,
inspiration or no inspiration.
I will keep plodding,
and try not to stress.
I will do my best
to let you do all the planning and plotting
while I simply follow along,
step by step,
word by word,
line by line,
page by painstaking page,
until the momentum shifts,
the floodgates open,
and words flow like streams in April,
amen.

Tante Jans's Prayer

Dear Jesus, I thank you that we must come with empty hands.
I thank you that you have done all--all--on the cross,
and that all we need in life or death
is to be sure of this.

(from The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom).

Prayer for a Writing Day

I am your servant
And I am listening;
Speak to me Lord, speak to me.
I need your wisdom
And truth and comfort;
Speak to me Lord, speak to me.

Speak to me,
Speak to me,
Through your word,
Through your Spirit,
Speak your words of life.
Speak to me,
Speak to me,
I am listening,
I am waiting,
Speak to me.

I am your servant
And I am listening;
Speak to me Lord, speak to me.
My heart is silent,
My soul is longing,
Speak to me Lord, speak to me.

(a prayer of Tommy Walker)

Best Thing

Falling in love with you, Jesus,
Was the best thing I've ever
Ever done.

In your arms, I feel protected,
In your arms, never disconnected,
In your arms, I feel protected,
There's no place I'd rather, rather be.

Falling in love with you, Jesus,
Was the best thing I've ever
Ever done.

(From the song by Kirk Whalum, slightly revised)

A Prayer on Epiphany

Almighty and everlasting God, who has made known the incarnation of your Son by the bright shining of a star, which, when the wise men beheld, they presented costly gifts and adored your majesty; grant that the star of your righteousness may always shine into our hearts; and that, as our treasure, we may give ourselves and all we possess to your service, through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.

(from the Gelasian Sacramentary)

One Writer's "Take My Life"

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my keyboard, and my screen; my desk and office chair,
My pages, sentences, and words, my flittings here and there,
My focus and my flow, my pacings up and down,
My insecurities and fears, my grins, my groans, my frowns.

Let every bit be used by you, the good, the bad, and ugly too.
Make me better than I know to be, by being yours while being me,
Let every word I type be true by coming first and most from you.
Suggest, revise, inform, inspire, and take my writing higher and higher.

Take my fingertips, let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.

(based on and drawing from a hymn by Francis Ridley Havergal)

Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian

O Lord and Master of my life,
give me not the spirit of laziness,
despair,
lust of power,
and idle talk.

But give rather the spirit of sobriety,
humility,
patience
and love
to Thy servant.

Yea, O Lord and King,
grant me to see my own transgressions
and not to judge my brother,
for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen.

(A prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, 305-373)

Great Expectations

A Place to Hang My Hat

Thank you for a place to hang my hat,
A refuge from the storm,
A place of comfort, peace, and love,
A haven sweet and warm.

A Prayer on January 1

O Lord,

Length of days does not profit me except the days are passed in thy presence, in thy service, to thy glory.

Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides, sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour,
that I may not be one moment apart from thee,
but may rely on thy Spirit,
to supply every thought,
speak in every word,
direct every step,
prosper every work,
build up every mote of faith,
and give me a desire
to show forth thy praise,
testify thy love,
advance thy kingdom.

I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year,
with thee, O Father, as my harbour,
thee, O Son, at my helm,
thee O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.

Guide me to heaven with my loins girt,
my lamp burning,
my ear open to thy calls,
my heart full of love,
my soul free.

Give me grace to sanctify me,
thy comforts to cheer,
thy wisdom to watch,
thy right hand to guide,
thy counsel to instruct,
thy law to judge,
thy presence to stabilize.

May thy fear be my awe,
thy triumphs my joy.

(from The Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers, edited by Arthur Bennett)