That They May Overflow With Thankfulness
Take Me Back
Take me back, take me back, dear Lord,
To the place where I first received you.
Take me back, take me back, dear Lord, where I
First believed.
(a prayer of Andraé Crouch)
Hiding Place
I hide in you right now;
cover me with your hand.
Help me to hide in you throughout this day,
that even when I am out and about among other people,
I remain hidden in you,
in Jesus' name, amen.
When I Forget
when I forget to speak to you,
speak to me
until we speak together.
(a prayer of William Hodges, from The Doubleday Prayer Collection, p. 451; photo by sonictk via everystockphoto.com)
Vacation
Thank you for generous friends,
for gracious hospitality,
for time set aside,
and reunions with beloved family members.
Thank you for the laughs we will share,
the books I will read,
the renewal I hope to experience.
Thank you for work,
and for a break from it,
in Jesus' name, amen.
Need
Before a thought forms in my mind,
before a word is on my tongue, you know it.
So you know.
You know.
Come.
Help.
Supply.
Renew.
Replenish.
Restore.
Revive.
Amen.
(photo by Hobbes Yeo via everystockphoto.com)
A Medieval Prayer
to serve thee devoutly,
and the world busily.
May we do our work wisely,
go to our meat appetitely,
sit thereat discreetly,
arise temperately,
please our friends duly,
go to our beds merrily,
and sleep surely;
for the joy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
(a medieval prayer, author unknown)
A Childlike Heart
Give us a childlike heart.
Give us,
A child's innocence,
that we may be numbered with the pure in heart;
A child's wonder,
that the loveliness of the world
may be to us for ever new;
A child's forgiveness,
that we may forget injustice and unfairness,
as a child forgets;
A child's obedience,
that as a child obeys a father,
we may obey you;
A child's trust,
that as a child trusts his parents for everything,
we may commit our lives in trust to you.
(a prayer of William Barclay, from A Barclay Prayer Book)
A child's innocence,
that we may be numbered with the pure in heart;
A child's wonder,
that the loveliness of the world
may be to us for ever new;
A child's forgiveness,
that we may forget injustice and unfairness,
as a child forgets;
A child's obedience,
that as a child obeys a father,
we may obey you;
A child's trust,
that as a child trusts his parents for everything,
we may commit our lives in trust to you.
(a prayer of William Barclay, from A Barclay Prayer Book)
For Hurting Family Members
Abba, Father,
God of comfort and healing,
please draw close to my hurting family members.
Heal their pain.
Grant them courage to walk the path before them.
Assuage their fears and anxieties.
Restore their confidence, health, and joy.
Repair their hearts.
Rebuild their lives.
Give them beauty for ashes,
the oil of joy instead of grief,
and garments of praise instead of mourning clothes,
in Jesus' name, amen.
(photo by Hamed Saber, via everystockphoto.com)
Without Veneer
please let me learn
to live without veneer.
(from a line by M. Craig Barnes in his book,
The Pastor as Minor Poet, p. 38).
To Do What Leads to Peace
(my prayer today for my kids and my grandkids, from the "31 Ways to Pray for Your Kids" app for iPhone and iPad).
Tevye's Prayer
I realize, Lord, that it's no shame to be poor.
But it's no great honor, either.
(photo by Zoe Goodacre via everystockphoto.com)
Anger
the anger that this day will bring forth.
Teach us to really care,
so that our anger is not occasioned
by trifles to do with our comfort and status,
but by what outrages your heart of love.
(a prayer of Richard Harries, from The Complete Book of Christian Prayer, p. 230)
Birchot HaShachar
Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,Who gave the heart understanding
to distinguish between day and night.
Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,
Who made me an Israelite.
Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,
Who did not make me a slave.
Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,
Who made me in His Image.
Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,
Who made me according to His will.
Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,
Who gives sight to the blind.
Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,
Who clothes the naked.
Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,
Who releases the captives.
Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,
Who straightens the bent.
Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,
Who spreads the earth upon the waters.
Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,
Who has provided for all my needs.
Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,
Who establishes the footsteps of man.
Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,
Who girds Israel with might.
Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,
Who crowns Israel with glory.
Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,
Who gives the weary strength.
Amen.
I Need Some Laughter
I have had enough
of sad saints
and sour religion.
I have had enough
of sin spotting
and grace doubting.
I need some laughter, Lord,
the kind you planted in Sarah.
But, please may I not have to wait
until I am ninety
and pregnant.
(Church of Scotland Prayer, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer: Book Two; HT Leonard Sweet)
Quiet Mind
I come to thee with quiet mind,
Thyself to know, thy will to find;
In Jesus' steps my steps must be,
I follow him to follow thee.
(from a hymn by Catherine Baird)
(from a hymn by Catherine Baird)
Down the Unknown Corridor
Praise be to thee for the night, for the time we lie asleep in the darkness, unconscious and unthinking, as mute and innocent as animals, as trees, as the ancient earth itself. Praise be to thee for the gentle hours of the night when no self-will, no words, no cleverness, separate us from the mystery simply of being . . . sustained by thee.
Praise be to thee…for the miracle of waking, new again, into the newness of another day. Praise be to thee for our freedom…not simply to be thy children but to choose to be. Praise be to thee for our waking minds through which we not only live but know we live and can marvel at thy gift to us of life, can offer our lives to thee to use as thou wilt.
Guide us, we pray, down the unknown corridor of this day and every day. Lead us, each one, to the one door of all the many doors that thou wouldst . . . open. Give us courage to speak there the word that thou wouldst have us speak of love and healing. Give us ears to hear thee speak at every turning of the way—to listen, to listen, to hear, and to obey, even when the heart within us faints. Help us to live this day as though it were the first of all our days or the last of all our days. Amen.
–(a prayer by Frederick Buechner, from his book, The Hungering Dark)
That We Live Our Lives On Fire
Teach us hope.
Sing over us Your heart,
and let Your love to us become life through us,
that we live our lives on fire.
Hold us like a mother,
guard us like a lion,
be jealous for us like a lover,
let Your love control us.
(a prayer by Rodney Ridley, one of my youngest students at the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference in 2013 (I am teaching there again this week); used with permission. Photo, "In the Beginning" by artist Makoto Fujimura, taken at Cairn University the day Rodney Ridley wrote the prayer above)
For Friendly Skies
Father God,
please grant me safe and successful travel today.
Make smooth paths
(and flight schedules) for my feet.
Grant safe and timely travel to the airport.
Help me to make my flights
and safely reach my destination.
Protect me from coach cabin infections.
Guide my steps,
guard my thoughts,
and give me sweet communion with you
and pleasant interactions with others,
and superintend my ride from the airport to the conference.
Make me alert to any opportunity to be a means of blessing
to my fellow travelers,
or those who serve them,
in Jesus' name, amen.
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