Like a Tree
Lord, make me like a tree
planted by streams of living water.
Let my roots go down deep into you,
your love and kindness.
Let me grow stronger and taller
and give shade to many,
in Jesus' name, amen.
Make Them Clingers
(my prayer today for my kids and my grandkids, from the "31 Ways to Pray for Your Kids" app for iPhone and iPad).
On the Eleventh Anniversary of This Blog
thank you for the first eleven years
of this prayer blog.
Thank you for the more than 3,600 prayers
I have prayed on this blog
to date.
Thank you for the blessings
and growth
and grace
that have come to me
through these prayers,
and for the many thousands of other people
who have read them
and prayed them,
in Jesus' name, amen.
(to see the first prayer posted on this blog, go here)
Lord, Make Calvary Real to Me
Lord, make Calvary real to me.
Lord, make Calvary real to me.
Open mine eyes to see victory in Christ for me;
Lord, make Calvary real to me.
A Morning Prayer from Shakespeare
How thou pleasest, God, dispose the day!
(Henry V, Act 4, Scene 3)
Zarephath
Lord God Adonai,my defender and provider,
I pray once more
as I have prayed before:
let it be to me
as it was to the widow
of Zarephath.
You know my need of the moment;
you know my need in the future.
You know what is yet to come in,
and what is yet to go out.
You know the state of my jars,
the condition of my pantry.
I lean on you still,
I depend on you
to make much of little
and enough of not enough,
in Jesus' name, amen.
(Based on 1 Kings 17:14)
For Us and Loved Ones on a Day of Many Travels
Lord, come behind,
grant safe and timely travel
and peace of mind,
in Jesus' name,
amen.
Whatever May Come Today
Abba, whatever may come today,I KNOW that you love me,
I KNOW that you saved me,
I KNOW that I belong to you,
I KNOW that your plans for me are good,
I KNOW that you have called me,
I KNOW that you will never leave or forsake me,
I KNOW that you accept me,
I KNOW that you will uphold me and defend me,
whatever I may feel.
Thank you for the things I know.
Please supply also the things you want me to know,
and give me grace to embrace the mystery in all other things,
amen.
We Adore You
Adoramus te, Christe,
et benedicimus tibi,
quia per sanctam crucem tuam
redemisti mundum.
Qui passus es pro nobis,
Domine, Domine, miserere nobis.
English translation:
We adore You, O Christ,
and we bless You,
who by Your Holy Cross
have redeemed the world.
He who suffered death for us,
O Lord, O Lord,
have mercy on us.
Overcome
Lord, please teach meand teach my world
not to return evil for evil
but to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21),
darkness with light,
ugliness with beauty,
hatred with love,
anger with understanding,
grief with comfort,
frustration with faith,
and despair with hope,
in Jesus' strong name, amen.
Recitare
O Elusive and Captivating Spirittake hold of me
like a well-worn saxophone
press Your lips to me
play and moan
Your jazz and blues
embrace me, O Living Music
rush through
as i become your wind instrument
in both laughing song
and sad lament
set us all up as Your
orchestra of delight
sparking to ignite
the grace
to embrace
a world curled in fright
(by Steven Hamilton, used with permission)
On Robin's Birthday
all you have done for me
in giving to me
the loveliest bride,
the perfect woman,
the best friend
I could ever have asked or hoped for.
Thank you
for hearing my heart's cry 42 years ago
and thank you
for giving her in marriage to me 39 years ago.
And thank you
for every day with her since then,
days that could not have been
so wonderful,
so beautiful,
so warm and loving,
without her.
Please bless her abundantly on her birthday...and every day.
Surround her and infill her with love.
Wake her in beauty and send her to sleep in peace.
May she feel as loved today as she makes everyone around her feel her love,
in Jesus' name, amen.
For Tenley
Gracious Lord, have mercy on your daughter, Tenley, today as she has open heart surgery today.Show your closeness to her through every second of that long surgery. Guide every person who waits on her, works with her, and helps in the process. Save her from trauma of mind and body. Grant a gloriously successful surgery and a complete and blessed recovery.
Give peace and hope to her parents, siblings, and all her family through this process, in Jesus' name, amen.
For Police
G-d of the selfless, G-d of the strong and the brave,
Watch over those who dedicate their lives
To serving and protecting others,
Men and women who have answered the call
Of honor, duty and service,
Who risk life and limb to maintain law and order,
Who risk life and limb among the first responders
To natural disasters and man-made terror.
Grant them protection in the pursuit of our safety.
Grant them skill in the pursuit of our well-being.
Grant them wisdom in the pursuit of justice.
Bless the souls of those who’ve died in our service.
May their memories be sanctified with joy and love.
Rock of Truth,
Watch over our communities with love.
Bring an end to crime and violence,
So that all may know
Your compassion and Your grace.
Rock of Ages,
Stronghold and Shelter,
Bless all who serve in the policing professions with Your care.
In their work, bless them fortitude and strength,
Insight and judgment.
In their lives, bless them with joy and health,
Security and well-being.
Let their deeds resound with fairness and integrity,
The calling of their profession,
A source of blessings in our midst.
Rock of Love,
Heal the wounds of our nation.
Heal the grief that tears us apart.
And let us all be blessed with peace.
© 2016 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.
Photo illustration: by CarbonNYC via everystockphoto.com
For Your Constancy and Perseverance
Abba, I give you praise today;
for your constancy and perseverance in all things,
from the rotation of the earth
to your faithfulness to me;
for your justice,
from your laws and decrees
to your discipline of me;
for your mercy,
from your care for the birds of the air
to your kind mercy toward me,
shown even now in the mercy of a new day,
of my latest breath.
I give you praise, Abba;
if I could praise you enough,
it would take all my breath for all of eternity,
and still would not be enough.
for your constancy and perseverance in all things,
from the rotation of the earth
to your faithfulness to me;
for your justice,
from your laws and decrees to your discipline of me;
for your mercy,
from your care for the birds of the air
to your kind mercy toward me,
shown even now in the mercy of a new day,
of my latest breath.
I give you praise, Abba;
if I could praise you enough,
it would take all my breath for all of eternity,
and still would not be enough.
Pneuma
Lord God Adonai,
teach me please not to be blown around
on the waves of circumstances,
but to sail solely
by the wind
of the Spirit,
in Jesus' name, amen.
I Come to You
(suggested by lines from Helps to Holiness by Samuel Logan Brengle, chapter 19)
On Independence Day
I worship you today,
on this 240th birthday of this nation,
these wonderful United States of America
in which I live.
I thank you for the freedom
to worship you publicly...
even as I ask you
to show kindness and mercy
to those who lack that freedom
because they live elsewhere.
Thank you for all those
who have sacrificed for my freedom,
for those who risked
(and some who gave) their lives
to make this a free and independent nation,
for those in my nation's armed services, past and present,
and for all who have served the cause of liberty in other ways...
even as I pray for those who even now
are in harm's way,
far from home,
in this nation's service.
Please meet their needs,
watch over them and their loved ones,
and grant them your favor in every way.
And, Father, on this Independence Day 2016,
I pray for the people in this land
and every land
who have not yet discovered the freedom
that is offered to them in your Son, Jesus Christ.
Draw them to you,
set them free
from sin and sadness and strife,
and grant them the eternal freedom
that is found only in trusting you,
in Jesus' name, amen.
(photo art by Beverly Pack, via everystockphoto.com)
Temper My Dysfunctions
please temper my dysfunctions,
align my disjunctions,
cleanse me from sin,
repair me within,
and grant the remission
of all unsubmission
to you, in Jesus' name, amen.