Raindrops striking leaves,
Making them tremble and wave.
Such beauty. Thank you!
(photo courtesy of photoxpress.com)
Haiku
Today's Prayer for My Children and Grandchildren
For Those Who Gave Their Lives
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)
Fill
I lift it up, Lord.
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.
Bread of heaven,
feed me till I want no more.
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.
(photo by anitapeppers via morguefile)
I Do Not But I Would
God, you are my God,and I seek you this morning;
let my prayers rise before you
like the morning sacrifice.
Please grant that I may seek you wholeheartedly,
which I confess I do not now.
Grant that I may seek you only,
which I do not now.
Grant that I may seek you moment-by-moment,
consistently, and constantly,
which I do not now,
for I need you constantly and completely
and only, amen.
Light These Idle Sticks
light these idle sticks of my life
and may I burn for Thee.
Consume my life, my God,
for it is Thine.
I seek not a long life,
but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus.
(a prayer by Jim Elliot, martyred missionary to the indigenous people of Ecuador; photo via everystockphoto.com)
Striding Through the World as Though We Owned It
that we have imagined true humanness,
after the Enlightenment model,
to mean being successful,
having it all together,
knowing all the answers,
never making mistakes,
striding through the world
as though we owned it
(a prayer of N. T. Wright, from The Challenge of Jesus, p. 193).
Saturday Psalm #52
please save me from the wickedness of pride,
and show me your chesed all day long.
Make my enemies few,
save me from deceitful people,
let me love righteousness
and speak what is right.
Grant me a truthful tongue,
and plant me firmly
among those who love you and live for you.
Oh, God, you are my refuge;
make it obvious to me and those around me.
Help me not to trust in riches,
and save me from evil desires.
Make me like a green olive tree in the house of God;
sink my roots deep into your lovingkindness.
Let me reach out to you with thanks
like a tree reaches its branches to the sky.
And help me to wait on you,
and trust in your wisdom, power, and love, in Jesus’ name, amen.
(photo via freeimages.com)
Soaked with Your Love
O my God,let me, with thanksgiving,
remember, and confess unto you
your mercies on me.
Let my bones be soaked with your love,
and let them say unto you,
Who is like you, O Lord?
You have broken my chains in pieces.
I will offer unto you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
And how you have broken them, I will declare;
and all who worship you, when they hear this, will say:
Blessed is the Lord in heaven and in earth!
Great and wonderful is his name!
(a prayer of St. Augustine)
Speak to the Mountain
So I do.
I speak to the mountain of tasks that await me this day; let it be accomplished.
I speak to the mountain of self-doubt that tells me I can’t write; let it be gone.
I speak to the mountain of weariness that tempts me to loaf; let it be removed.
I speak to the mountain of distractions that allure me away from my desk; let it be still.
I speak to the mountain of confusion that keeps me from seeing things clearly; be dispelled.
I speak to the mountain of panic that makes me despair of meeting my deadline; be gone.
I speak to the mountain of words I have yet to write; be written.
I speak to the mountain of things I have yet to learn; be done.
I speak to the mountain of weakness that tempts me to settle for less than the best I have to give; be vanquished,
in Jesus’ name, amen.
In the Faith and Love
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)
She Walks in Beauty
I know I don't have to tell you how blessed I am
by the wife you've given to me,
and the kind of mother she has been--
and is--
to our children,
and grandmother to our grandchildren.
To quote Byron,
she walks in beauty, like the night
of cloudless climes and starry skies.
She showers blessing, like August rain,
on every dry and needy place.
She denies herself, like the pelican of legend,
feeding her loved ones with her own lifeblood.
She fights with passion, like a badger,
to defend and protect her home and family.
What a gift she is to me and to this family.
Lift her up in our love,
encourage her with our gratitude,
and let her feel your favor
flowing through ours,
in Jesus' name, amen.
Saturday Psalm #51
not according to what I deserve,
not according to anything I have to offer,
but according to your unfailing love;
and your great compassion
wipe away all my sins.
Cleanse me from every stain
and root out the tiniest impurity.
For I know my sinfulness;
I can’t escape my fallenness.
I have sinned against you,
I have offended your holiness
and betrayed your grace toward me;
you are right in showing me my fault
and totally justified in your righteous judgment.
I’m a sinner by birth
and a sinner by habit.
But you’ve been with me from the beginning,
and you’ve taught me better all along.
Scrub me clean, Lord God;
scour me until I sparkle, by your grace.
I’m sick of myself;
lead me into joy and gladness once more.
I’m tired of being tired;
renew me, Lord.
Give me a pure heart once more, O God,
and rekindle the flame within me.
Don’t reject me;
don’t disappoint me.
Restore to me the joy of your great salvation
and send winds of refreshing into my soul again.
Ordain me again to teach fellow sinners your ways,
and show lost souls the way home.
You have delivered me, my God, my Salvation;
I will sing my praise to you.
Set my praises free, Lord;
loose my lips once again.
Save me from going through the motions;
deliver me from empty ministry.
I’ve been your slave from my youth,
when you laid me low with your love;
now I come to you, broken again,
and ask you to look on me with favor once more.
Make my heart, my life, my body, like Zion—
the place you delight in.
Repair my shattered spirit
the way you built up Jerusalem
and made her the joy of the whole earth.
Draw from my life the worship you deserve,
may my offerings
and my sacrifices
be pleasing to you in every way,
O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer. Amen.
For Proper Respect
My prayer today for my kids and my grandkids, from the "31 Ways to Pray for Your Kids" app for iPhone and iPad:
Song of the Three
Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers;You are worthy of praise; glory to You.
Glory to you for the radiance of Your holy Name;
We will praise You and highly exalt You forever.
Glory to You in the splendor of Your temple;
On the throne of Your majesty, glory to You.
Glory to You, seated between the Cherubim;
We will praise You and highly exalt You forever.
Glory to You, beholding the depths;
In the high vault of heaven, glory to You.
Glory to You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
We will praise You and highly exalt You forever!
(“Song of the Three Young Men," an apocryphal addition to the ancient versions of the canonical text of the Book of Daniel)
Saturday Psalm #50
you have spoken,
and have published your Word to all humanity
from where the sun rises to the place where it sets.
From Mount Zion, the apex of beauty,
you shine forth in glory and light.
You come,
and you speak.
Your unfiltered presence is a consuming fire,
and your wrath like the fury of a storm.
Your voice penetrates the heavens above and the earth below,
and you pronounce justice, summoning your people,
judging those (like me) who claim to worship you.
So, Lord, let the heavens proclaim your justice,
for you are always righteous in your judgments.
Let your people listen to your voice.
Let us all be convicted by your Spirit,
for you are God, you are OUR God!
Are you pleased with our sacrifices?
Do the offerings we give please you?
You do not need our singing
or our money,
for all the animals of the forest are yours,
and you can prompt praise from the mooing of cows
and the singing of every bird on the mountains;
your resources are limitless.
Are you made richer by our gifts? No.
Do you need what we offer? Of course not.
But you do enjoy hearing my thanks,
and my obedience makes you smile.
So I will call on you when I am in trouble,
and you will deliver me,
and I will give you glory.
About the wicked, Lord,
regarding those who recite your decrees
and pretend to obey your covenant,
and yet refuse your discipline
and treat your words like trash,
and admire and imitate dishonesty
and envy adulterers,
whose mouths overflow with wickedness,
and whose tongues are full of lies,
who badger and slander their brothers,
I ask you to rouse yourself,
and show that you care.
Rebuke them transparently and unequivocally,
so that they may repent,
and so avoid further and worse punishment.
But whatever others may do,
I will just focus on giving thanks to you,
and keeping to your path.
I will put one foot in front of the other,
and pray that my life and ministry will reveal the salvation of God.
(photo of Jerusalem's Zion Gate via everystockphoto.com)
Integrity Prayer
My prayer today for my kids and my grandkids, from the "31 Ways to Pray for Your Kids" app for iPhone and iPad:
(Please feel free to share this prayer with others using the Twitter, Facebook, and other buttons below. You can also subscribe to this blog in your blog reader or enter your email address at top right to receive posts via email)
Author
Save me from "making" prayers.
Help me to know how to pray,
what to pray,
for whom to pray.
Prompt my praying.
Guide my praying.
Be the author of my prayers,
from beginning to end, amen.
(photo via everystockphoto.com)
For Safe, Successful, and Healthy Travel
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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