From Things That Go Bump in the Night

From ghoulies and ghosties
And long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!

(traditional Scottish prayer;
photo via publicdomainpictures.net)

Love Divine

Reject Fear

 

As the Bunch of Wild Flowers

Blessed Jesus, you receive with favor the smallest sincere token of affection! You receive our poor forget-me-nots and lovetokens, as though they were intrinsically precious, though indeed they are but as the bunch of wild flowers which the child brings to its mother. We will give you the first fruits of our increase, and pay you tithes of all, and then we will confess "of thine own have we given thee."

(a prayer of Charles H. Spurgeon, updated slightly; photo via pixabay.com).

Descend

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;
Wean it from earth, through all its pulses move.
Stoop to my weakness, mighty as you are,
And make me love you as I ought to love. 

Teach me to feel that you are always nigh;
Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear,
To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh;
Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer. 

Teach me to love you as your angels love,
One holy passion filling all my frame;
The baptism of the Heaven-descended Dove,
My heart an altar and your love the flame. 

(from a hymn of George Croly, slightly revised; photo via pixabay.com)

Doors

 

Today's Prayer for My Kids and Grandkids

My prayer today for my kids and my grandkids, from the "31 Ways to Pray for Your Kids" app for iPhone and iPad.

O Mad Lover!

O eternal, infinite God! 

O mad lover! 

And you have need of your creature? 

It seems so to me, 

for you act as if you could not live without [me], 

in spite of the fact that you are Life itself, 

and everything has life from you and nothing can have life without you. 

Why then are you so mad? 

Because you have fallen in love with what you have made?...

You clothed yourself in our humanity, 

and nearer than that you could not have come.

(a prayer of Catherine of Siena; detail from a photo by christinhumephoto via unsplash.com)

Speak to Me

For Grace in Our Changing Day

It was your custom,
to go to the temple,
to the noisome temple
sometime to the scandalised temple
listening to the mumbo jumbo,
but it was your custom to go.
...
Give us grace in our changing day
to stand by the temple that is the present church,
the noisome temple
the sometime scandalised temple that is the present church,
listening sometime to what again seems mumbo jumbo.
Make it our custom to go
till the new outline of your Body for our day
becomes visible in our midst.

(from George MacLeod, The Whole Earth Shall Cry Glory, p. 39)

Come and Dwell

Sovereign Lord, I come to you with my will, my affection, my very self, and ask you to cleanse me from every evil temper, from every selfish wish, from every secret doubt, and to come and dwell in my heart and keep me pure, and use me for your own glory, in Jesus' name, amen.

(suggested by lines from Helps to Holiness by Samuel Logan Brengle, chapter 19; now revised and updated for modern readers)

Like That One Tree

God, make me like a tree,
that one tree,
that changes early
and easily
and willingly
and beautifully
when the season of change
comes,
in Jesus' name, amen.

(photo via freefoto.com)

For a Long Day of Travel

Father God, 

please grant me and the lovely Robin 

safe and successful travel today. 

Make smooth paths 

(and flight schedules) for our feet. 

Grant safe and timely travel to the airport. 

Help us to make our flights 

and safely reach our destination. 

Protect us from coach cabin and airport terminal infections. 

Guide our steps, 

guard our thoughts, 

and give us sweet communion with you and

pleasant interactions with others. 

Make us alert to any opportunity to be the means of blessing

to our fellow travelers,

or those who serve them,

in Jesus' name, amen.

Hope and Cheer

 

Misplaced

The pride which leads me 

to trust in myself

and not in you,

O Lord, forgive. Amen.

(based on a plaque in Coventry Cathedral; photo by @spiritvisionstudios via unsplash.com)

I Need You

Perfect Peace

 

On My Daughter's Birthday

It's my favorite daughter's birthday, Lord. 

And still, after all this time (sorry, Aubrey), 

I still can't fathom, 

can't even process, 

that she is all she is. 

I'm still and always amazed 

at how kindly, fully, and generously 

you've answered my prayers 

and her mother's prayers 

for her. 

You have made her faithful like Ruth and regal like Esther, 

fierce like Deborah and brilliant like Abigail,

industrious like Lydia and a leader like Junia.

I give you so much praise and thanks

for my only daughter, 

my firstborn, my Blossom; 

for the child you gave me, 

the woman she is, 

the love we share, 

the pride and joy I feel in her, 

the blessings you've given her, 

and the blessings you've given me through her.

Please bless her abundantly today 

and in all the days to come. 

Keep her safe and well. 

Keep her marriage strong and beautiful. 

Prosper her and her husband, 

answer their prayers, 

supply their needs,

fulfill their dreams.

Let her children continue to grow in happiness, health, and holiness.

Reward Aubrey's love and faithfulness and diligence as a mom

with beauty and grace, 

charm and wisdom,

health and wholeness, 

integrity and strength in each of her children 

as you have done for me in mine.

Show her every kindness, 

grant her your favor, 

use her,

bless her,

hold her,

in Jesus' name, amen.

Fly to You

Jesus, lover of my soul, 
I fly to you, 
I lay my head on your chest,  
my Friend,  
my Brother, 
my Lord and my God,  
my Savior, 
my Stronghold.
Amen.

(photo by Free-Photos via pixabay.com)

Reasonably Sweet

Lord, Thou knowest better than I myself
that I am growing older and will someday be old.
Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something
on every subject and on every occasion.

Release me from craving to straighten out everybody's affairs.
Make me thoughtful but not moody; helpful but not bossy.
With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all;
but Thou knowest, Lord, that I want a few friends at the end.
Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details;
give me wings to get to the point.
Seal my lips on my aches and pains;
they are increasing, and love of rehearsing them
is becoming sweeter as the years go by.

I dare not ask for improved memory,
but for a growing humility and a lessening cock-sureness
when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others.
Teach me the glorious lesson
that occasionally I may be mistaken.

Keep me reasonably sweet,
for a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil.
Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places
and talents in unexpected people;
and give, O Lord, the grace to tell them so.

Amen.

(author unknown; photo via pixabay.com)

Bright Flame

Be thou a bright flame before me, 
Be thou a guiding star above me, 
Be thou a smooth path below me, 
Be thou a kindly shepherd behind me, 
Today, 

tonight, 

and for ever.

(a prayer of Columba of Iona; 

illustration by Comfreak via pixabay.com)

In the Cleft

 

The Blessing

Bounty

 

Pierce Our Souls with Your Love

O God and Lord of the Powers, 

and Maker of all creation, 

Who, because of your clemency 

and incomparable mercy, 

sent your Only-Begotten Son 

and our Lord Jesus Christ 

for the salvation of mankind, 

and with His venerable Cross 

tore asunder the record of our sins, 

and thereby conquered the rulers and powers of darkness; 

receive from us sinful people, O merciful Master, 

these prayers of gratitude and supplication, 

and deliver us from every destructive and gloomy transgression, 

and from all visible and invisible enemies who seek to injure us. 

Nail down our flesh with fear of you, 

and let not our hearts be inclined to words or thoughts of evil, 

but pierce our souls with your love, 

that ever contemplating you, 

being enlightened by you, 

and discerning you, 

the unapproachable and everlasting Light, 

we may unceasingly render confession and gratitude to you: 

The eternal Father, with your Only-Begotten Son, 

and with your All-Holy, Gracious, 

and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

(a prayer of St. Basil; photo by Roman Kraft via unsplash.com)

To Find My Value

Please keep me from measuring myself by the wrong standards.

How I compare to others isn't important.
The only thing that matters--and the only way to avoid my insecurities--
is to find my value as a creation of almighty God.

When I reflect on how much you love me, I find the courage to be myself,
and I realize I might be more valuable than I give myself credit for.

(an excerpt from the book, 365 Pocket Prayers, by Ron Beers)

Lovers of Your Word

(today's prayer for my children and grandchildren from the iPhone/iPad app, "31 Ways to Pray for Your Kids," available in the iTunes app store, here)

Your Goodness and Salvation

 

Carillon

Lord God, make my life a prayer to you.
Make my words a hymn.
Make my actions and attitudes a carillon
that calls those around me to worship you,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Greyness of Our Apathy

O Christ, our Morning Star,
Splendour of Light Eternal,
shining with the glory of the rainbow,
come and waken us
from the greyness of our apathy,
and renew in us your gift of hope.
Amen.

(a prayer of Bede the Venerable, by way of the Daily Prayer Blog; photo by @dbmartin00 via unsplash.com)

For the Beauty

For Their Salvation

Today's prayer from the "31 Ways to Pray for Your Kids" app for iPhone and iPad...and my prayer today for my kids and my grandkids.