Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish.
Amen.
(a prayer of Michelangelo)
No Mistake
I love you, O Lord, my strength; through you every hostile power yields to me, worm that I am, and the guile of the ancient serpent is laughed to scorn by the angels you send to minister to us, so that his desire to hurt is turned to our advantage instead.I love you, Lord, my powerful defender, wise guide, gentle consoler, generous rewarder. Confident, I cast all my care on him whose strength cannot be overthrown, whose wisdom cannot be led astray, whose loving kindness cannot be exhausted in fulfilling my every need. How much better, how much safer it is to have him caring for me than to be looking after myself. How much better it is to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man. How justly cursed is the man who, trusting in man, makes flesh his arm, whose heart turns away from the Lord. Indeed I am poor and needy but if the Lord takes thought for me I am rich and blessed; no mistake, everything works for good in me.
Therefore let those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not forsake those who put their trust in you.
Amen.
(a prayer of Guerric of Igny)
On Memorial Day
In the quiet sanctuaries of our own hearts, let each of us name and call on
the One whose power over us
is great and gentle,
firm and forgiving,
holy and healing…
You who created us,
who sustain us,
who call us to live in peace,
hear our prayer this day.
Hear our prayer for all who have died,
whose hearts and hopes are known to you alone…
Hear our prayer for those who put the welfare of others
ahead of their own
and give us hearts as generous as theirs…
Hear our prayer for those who gave their lives
in the service of others,
and accept the gift of their sacrifice…
Help us to shape and make a world
where we will lay down the arms of war
and turn our swords into ploughshares
for a harvest of justice and peace…
Comfort those who grieve the loss of their loved ones
and let your healing be the hope in our hearts...
Hear our prayer this day
and in your mercy answer us
in the name of all that is holy.
Amen.
(from the Concord Pastor blog)
Chorus X
Too bright for mortal vision.
O Greater Light,
we praise You for the less;
The eastern light
our spires touch at morning,
The light that slants
upon our western doors at evening,
The twilight over
stagnant pools at batflight,
Moon light and star light,
owl and moth light,
Glow-worm glowlight on a grassblade.
O Light Invisible, we worship You!
We thank You for the lights that we have kindled,
The light of altar and of sanctuary;
Small lights of those who meditate at midnight
And lights directed through the colored panes of windows
And light reflected from the polished stone,
The gilded carven wood, the colored fresco.
Our gaze is submarine, our eyes look upward
And see the light that fractures through unquiet water.
We see the light but see not whence it comes.
O Light Invisible, we glorify You!
In our rhythm of earthly life, we tire of light.
We are glad when the day ends, when the play ends; and ecstasy is too much pain.
We are children quickly tired: children who are up in the night and fall asleep as the rocket is fired; and the day is long for work or play.
We tire of distraction or concentration, we sleep and are glad to sleep,
Controlled by the rhythm of blood and the day and the night and the seasons.
And we must extinguish the candle, put out the light and relight it;
Forever must quench, forever relight the flame.
Therefore we thank You for our little light, that is dappled with shadow.
We thank You who has moved us to building, to finding, to forming at the ends of our fingers and beams of our eyes.
And when we have built an altar to the Invisible Light, we may set thereon the little lights for which our bodily vision is made.
And we thank You that darkness reminds us of light.
O Light Invisible, we give You thanks for Your great glory!
(a prayer of T. S. Eliot; photo via everystockphoto.com)
Your Gifts
The best.
Generous,
thoughtful,
fitting,
useful,
timely.
Please make me more like you.
Amen.
Only Speak
“Only speak the word,” the centurion said to you, Jesus.
It is my prayer, too.
Only speak the word and they will be healed.
I ask again.
I ask still.
I ask until.
Only speak the word.
Amen.
Prayer Before My Keynote
Lord, please speak through me.
If you don't speak,
it won't matter what I say.
But if you do speak,
it won't matter what I say.
Jabez Redux
(a prayer of Susie Larson, from her book Embracing Your Freedom)
To Be Clothed With Compassion
My prayer today for my kids and my grandkids, from the "31 Ways to Pray for Your Kids" app for iPhone and iPad:
Prattle Prayer
and in my childish prattle ask for your favor.
In your infinite wisdom, feed me what I need,
and help me to recognize
even the sourest spoonfuls
as your good gifts to me,
in Jesus' name, amen.
Nepsis
Lord, teach me nepsis:
to be watchfull, alert, vigilant,
to control my thoughts
instead of being controlled,
in Jesus' name, amen.
to be watchfull, alert, vigilant,
to control my thoughts
instead of being controlled,
in Jesus' name, amen.
Plunge
Lifting my heart, I cry to Thee my prayer.
Spirit of peace, my Comforter and Healer,
In whom my springs are found,
let my soul meet Thee there.
From a hill I know,
Healing waters flow,
O rise, Immanuel's tide,
And my soul overflow.
Wash from my hands the dust of earthly striving;
Take from my mind the stress of secret fear;
Cleanse Thou the wounds from all but Thee far hidden,
And let the waters flow, and my healing appear.
All that I need is in that healing fountain,
All I require to cleanse me and restore;
Flow through my soul, redeem its desert places,
And make a garden there for the Lord I adore,
in Jesus' name, amen.
(a prayer of Albert Orsborn, revised to fit the cry of my heart)
Here Is My Heart
Here is my heart, O God, here it is
with all its secrets;
look into my thoughts,
O my hope,
and take away
all my wrong feelings;
let my eyes ever be on you
and release my feet from the snare.
Amen.
(a prayer of Augustine)
Window and Door
Open wide the window of our spirits, O Lord,
and fill us full of light;
open wide the door of our hearts,
that we may receive and entertain you
with all our powers of adoration and praise.
(a prayer of Christina Rossetti)
Dread Warrior
please defend us
and mend us
and superintend us,
in Jesus' name,
amen.
(based on Jeremiah 20:11, ESV;
photo by mamjodh via everystockphoto.com)
Saturday Psalm #17
be alert to my prayer,
come close as I pray,
even as you give me grace to pray rightly and honestly.
Let every syllable I pray come first from your mind and heart,
and let your eyes look on me with kindness and grace, because of your Son, my Savior.
You know my heart;
you see me more clearly than anyone,
I can hide nothing from you, who sees me just as I am.
Guard my lips, even now, as I cry out to you,
and let me pray truly, sincerely, honestly.
Guard my feet, let me walk uprightly,
and keep me from slipping into sin even as I pace before you.
I cry out to you, knowing you will hear me, O God:
Abba, read my heart, and bend your ear to my whispered pleadings.
Show me your love,
reveal your salvation, you who save all who trust in you.
Keep me as the apple of your eye,
and hide me under the shadow of your wings,
from those who attack me, from my deadly enemies, who surround me.
Save me from their hard, stubborn hearts,
their proud, wagging tongues.
They would love it to see me shamed,
they would thrill to thwart my best efforts.
They are destroyers, not builders,
anxious to tear me apart like a lion lurking in the bush.
Arise, O Lord, disappoint them. Frustrate them.
Deliver me from my Enemy’s attacks with your strong arm,
Save me from his messengers and tools with your mighty hand.
Keep me from all those who pursue worldly agendas
and selfish ends.
Turn them, Lord, according to your lovingkindness,
lest their children become like them.
As for me, I just want to see your face,
I just long to stand before you in righteousness:
Satisfy me, every morning, with your presence,
and that will be enough.
(photo via everystockphoto.com)
Forward. Outward. Upward.
Heavenly Father, please
keep
me
looking
forward,
not backward;
outward,
not inward;
upward,
not downward;
to Jesus,
and
not
to
other
people,
in Jesus’ name,
amen.
Let Salvation Spring Up
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