Godstorm

Lord,

I could sit down and brainstorm ideas

for something fun, interesting, worthwhile--         maybe even profitable--
to write.
But I would much rather write Godstormed ideas.
Would you please send a storm
of inspiration
to my little brain?
Thank you.
Amen.

A Prayer Suggested by Van Morrison

Lord, thank you for a wife who is as sweet as Tupelo Honey. Amen.

Just Today

Jesus, today you lead, and I will follow. 

Whatever I have to do today in my relationships, my body, my health, and my finances are in your hands. 

I won't try to figure out the rest of my life. 

I won't try to solve every day. 

Just today. 

You lead. 

I'll follow. 

(a prayer of John Ortberg, from The Me I Want to Be)

True Confession

Let Me Worship You Truly Today

Lord, let me worship you truly today.

Quicken
my conscience with your holiness.
Purge
my imagination with your beauty.
Open
my heart to your love.
And help me to fully
devote
my will to your purpose, in Jesus' name, amen.

(Based on a stanza by Dr. William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury).

Everything to Me

Six Lines

I love you, Lord, my Strength.
I love you to the height and length
and depth of all there is of me,
with all my aching, flawed emotion,
all the grateful, awed devotion
all the all-in-all could draw from me.

And Still Just Scratching the Surface

Abba, I have so much for which to be thankful!

Thank you for my personal liberty, and for the measure of health I enjoy. Thank you for food, the appetite to eat it, and the ability to digest it. Thank you for clothes to wear and books to read. Thank you for the Church, the Bible, the revelation of Jesus Christ, the Fountain opened for sin and uncleanness. Thank you for home and friends, and for heaven bending over all, in Jesus’ name, amen.

(based on lines by Samuel Logan Brengle, in Heart Talks on Holiness, chapter 19)

A Prayer for Christian Leaders and Teachers

O Lord,
evermore give to Your people
leaders and teachers filled with the Spirit
and clothed with His wisdom!

(a prayer of Samuel Logan Brengle,
from The Soul-Winner's Secret, chapter 12)

Another Psalm 5

Here I am, Lord, praying,
groaning. Can you hear?
Are you listening,
my King, my God,
my all in all,
my only source and supply and strength?

Morning by morning,
I call on you,
I say the same things most days,
and I wait for you to answer.

I know you take no pleasure in wickedness,
I know you hate sin more than anyone.
And yet.
And yet.
There they stand in their pride.
Their lies, their poison, their deception continues unabated.

But wait.
Here I stand, too.
I can only enter your house because of your unfailing love.
I can only approach your presence because of your great mercy.
I should not be so impatient for justice, should I? Lest it fall on me.

I need you, Lord.
I need your presence and guidance
or my enemies will get the best of me.
But you will have to spell things out for me.
You will have to make it obvious,
because I am up against it;
my enemy is a liar and a thief, a gossip and a cheat,
a foul and clever flatterer.
And I am a sucker.

O God, help.
You alone are my hope,
my refuge.
Give me cause to rejoice, once more,
and forever.

Spread your wings of protection over me,
pour out your blessings upon me,
for I know you love to bless those who love you,
and envelop us in your care.

Your Presence is Heaven to Me

Prayer for First Sunday in Lent

Jesus, may we follow you on the pilgrim way of Lent,
May we journey with you into the wilderness,
Willing to move beyond the ordinary,
So that we can discover your unexpected sacred places.

Jesus, may we wash our hands and purify our hearts,
Learning to thirst after righteousness and hunger after justice,
May we humble ourselves before you,
Expecting to see you revealed in a new light.

Jesus, may we walk with you no matter how challenging the path,
Learning to be patient with darkness and growth,
Willing to live with not knowing,
Until your mustard seeds take root and sprout into life.

(from GodSpace)

Because You Are Leading the Dance

Giver of life, creator of all that is lovely,
Teach me to sing the words to your song;
I want to feel the music of living
And not fear the sad songs
But from them make new songs
Composed of both laughter and tears.

Teach me to dance to the sounds of your world and your people,
I want to move in rhythm with your plan,
Help me to try to follow your leading
To risk even falling
To rise and keep trying
Because you are leading the dance.

(author unknown)

For Things Important to a Writer

Abba, Father, Lord God,
thank you that I can type so fast,
that the internet makes research relatively easy (if dangerous),
that I can work at home or in a coffee shop.

Thank you that I can send manuscripts and galleys via email,
that I can quickly search a document,
that I can access, order, and download books online.

Thank you that I can choose between screen and paper,
digital or analog,
old ways and new ways.

Thank you for the quiet of my home office,
and for the vast choices of music I can tap into
to accompany and enliven my writing hours.

Thank you for the ability to scan and print,
to edit in hard copy or onscreen,
to sit or stand as I write.

Thank you for the "Do Not Disturb" function on my phone,
for the "Reminders" I can set,
and for the layers of Time Machine backups,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Valentine

Like summer snow
floating from a sun-filled sky,
draping airy-white on flowered fields,
Your love astonished me.

No frilly show,
no assorted-chocolate pledge,
no candy hearts or silver kisses
disclosed your care for me;

But unsparing,
thorn-wearing
cross-bearing love,
that opened hands and feet and side
to spill your heart for me,

To recreate,
inundate my longing soul
with giving, holding, accepting,
enfolding love for me.

Ashes on My Heart

Ah, dear Jesus! I feel the ashes of mortality upon my heart. Give me, please, the courage to acknowledge them; then give me the faithful sight to see them on your forehead; for you have died the death in my stead, my Redeemer and my Lord! Amen.

(a prayer by Walter Wangerin, Jr., from his book, Reliving the Passion)

Presence Prayer

Beautiful Feet

How beautiful
upon the mountains
are the feet
of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace,
who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns” (Isaiah 52:7, ESV).

Lord Jesus, you have done
all those things
in your life
and Passion
and on the cross,
and you do them still
in your daily ministry
to me.

Thank you.
Amen.

Guide My Reading

God,
in your infinite wisdom,
please guide my reading
so as to inspire
and inform
what you want me to think,
what you want me to notice,
what you want me to remember,
what you want me to write,
and what you want me to quote,
in Jesus' name,
amen.

Beautiful Lord and Fierce

Lord of snowfall,
Lord of starfall,
Lord of icicle and rain puddle,
Lord of mountain trail and babbling brook,
Lord of gain and loss,
Lord of fog and snow,
Lord of lightning,
Lord of burrow,
Lord of change,
Lord unchanging,
Beautiful Lord and fierce,
I praise you
with my tiny
voice,
my tiny
self,
my tiny heart.
Amen.

Our Grace Lapses

A prayer of Mechtid of Magdeburg

O burning mountain,
O chosen sun,
O perfect moon,
O fathomless well,
O unattainable height,
O clearness beyond measure,
O wisdom without end,
O mercy without limit,
O strength beyond resistance,
O crown of all majesty,
the humblest you created sings your praise,
Amen.

Knowing He Hath Wings

Make me like a bird that, halting in its flight,
Rests on a bough too slight.
And feeling it give way beneath him sings,
Knowing he hath wings.

(a prayer by Lettie Cowman
in Streams in the Desert (p. 61),
slightly revised)

Genesis 32:26 Prayer

I will not let you go until you heal them, in Jesus' name, amen.

For Overnight Success

Lord,
I wouldn't mind
if you chose tonight
as the night
to make me
an
overnight
success.
Amen.

Do What Only You Can Do

I'll take my cold, cold heart
I'll take my unrenewed mind
I'll take Your word in my hand
And I'll give You time, to come and melt me

I can't even love You unless You call my name
I can't even worship unless You anoint my heart
I can't een want to unless You want me first
So come fan the flame

Do what only You can do - Come fan the flame
Do what only You can do - Come fan the flame
Do what only You can do - Come fan the flame
Do what only You can do

Just let my heart be alive
Let me be living deep, deep on the inside
Just let my heart be alive
Let me be living deep, deep on the inside
Come fan the flame

Socrates Prayer

I pray thee, O God, that I may be beautiful within.

Thanks and Petition

I think about my family, my relatives, the neighbors, people with whom we will spend this day. Dear Jesus, as I look at their faces and remember their stories, there are feelings of gratitude and some fear and anxiety. Thank you for these loved ones and please forgive me for the ways I have been less than accepting and loving. Please heal the wounds, division and conflicts that stand between us and help me to remember how dearly you love them. I only want to remember that you have come to save us all. Amen

(from The War Cry, February 2013, p. 29)