While I Am Away

Gracious God, in the midst of the busy-ness of my life, I often forget that you are near me, waiting patiently for my attention. I come to you when I am troubled, but I am so easily consumed with the round of activity that I don’t sit in stillness and feel your presence in the beat of my heart. Help me now, while I am away from work, to enter the space of quiet awe within my own soul, and find you there. Give me the silence and solitude I need to hear my heart beat again. Let me be astonished by the movement of your breath in me and startled by the closeness of your Spirit, so that when I return to the demands of my life, I will know again the importance of staying in your presence. I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.

(from http://www.explorefaith.org/prayer/essays/vacationpray.html)

On July Fourth

Lord my God,
I worship you today,
on this 237th 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 2013,
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.

Another Rhythm of Life

Gracious God,
help me appreciate
another rhythm of life
that comes when work ends for a time.

In my movement from activity to quiet,
from thinking to being,
from producing to relaxation,
give me the softness of your Spirit
that will slow my heart and change its beat.

I ask this for the sake of your love.
Amen.

(from http://www.explorefaith.org/prayer/essays/vacationpray.html)

While I Am Away from the Regular Responsibilities of Life

Gracious God, give me a heart of playfulness while I am away from the regular responsibilities of my life. Give me a spirit of adventure – a spirit that is ready to try new things, taste new food, experience new people. Give me courage to do the unexpected and untried. Give me a desire to delight in what is new and different, knowing that I will return fuller for having been bold enough to stretch myself out. I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.

(from http://www.explorefaith.org/prayer/essays/vacationpray.html)

A New Prayer on Vacation

Gracious God, it is a time to see and do new things now. The work that claims my heart is done now, and my soul is ready for a time of Sabbath rest. Help me be attentive and curious, open and aware, so that the images, experiences and encounters of this time may be bouquets of refreshment when work again is my soul’s delight. I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.

(from http://www.explorefaith.org/prayer/essays/vacationpray.html)

A Prayer While on Vacation

Gracious God,
may I see the wonders of creation
this day.

May the simple gifts
that are so often buried
under the activities of my life
be revealed in glory.

May my heart that
is so often distracted
be clear and still.

May my soul,
hungry for peace,
be fed by your grace.

When I close my eyes in sleep
this night,
may I be filled with gratitude
for the blessing of this leisurely day.

I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.

(from http://www.explorefaith.org/prayer/essays/vacationpray.html)

A Vacation Prayer

Gracious God, it’s hard to shift from a life of busy work to a period of quiet relaxation. Help me let go of my need to produce and of my worry over what will happen at work while I am away.

As I give myself to the relaxation of mind and body, let the activities of my work life silently recede into the background. Let me open my soul to you as if it were an empty canvas waiting for the creative touch of the artist’s hand.

I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.

(from http://www.explorefaith.org/prayer/essays/vacationpray.html)

A Prayer As I Leave for Vacation

Gracious God,

thank you that our vacation is finally here!

Thank you for a week to spend with my wife
and some of it with my children and grandchildren.

Give us all safe travel to and from our destination.
Steer us away from dangers, traffic jams, and speeding tickets.
Deliver us from car problems and health problems.
Give the grandkids grace to travel well,
sleep well,
and eat well.
Give their parents a respite from work and weariness.

May gas, grocery, and restaurant prices not be too high,
crowds not be too large,
temperatures not too oppressive,
and rain not too frequent.

Help us all to enjoy each other,
the lovely surroundings,
and the time to read, rest, and play.

Go with us.
Keep us aware of you,
and of your kindness and generosity,
in Jesus' name, amen.

I Don't Want to Fall Away from You

Isaiah 12 Prayer

God, you are my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
You, Lord God Adonai, are my strength and my song;
you have become my salvation.
With joy I draw water
from the wells of salvation,
for you, God, are my salvation.
I drink from your fulness,
from your freshness,
from your replenishing depths.
Amen.

The Deeper Joy Behind

In Thee lies hid my unknown heart,
   In Thee my perfect mind;
In all my joys, my Lord, Thou art
   The deeper joy behind.

(a prayer by George MacDonald, from Poetical Works, Vol. 1)

Streams and Showers

Lord God Adonai,

please send to me today,

showers of blessing

and streams of refreshing,

in Jesus' name, amen.

Savior, Like a Shepherd

Attentive

Holy Spirit, please make me less attentive
to my own desires
and more attentive
to yours,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Author of My Prayers

Abba, teach me to pray.
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.

Ten Times More

I love Thy skies, Thy sunny mists,
   Thy fields, Thy mountains hoar,
Thy wind that bloweth where it lists--
   Thy will, I love it more.

I love Thy hidden truth to seek
   All round, in sea, on shore;
The arts whereby like gods we speak--
   Thy will to me is more.

I love Thy men and women, Lord,
   The children round Thy door;
Calm thoughts that inward strength afford--
   Thy will than these is more.

But when Thy will my life doth hold
   Thine to the very core,
The world, which that same will doth mould,
   I love, then, ten times more!

(a prayer by George MacDonald, from Poetical Works, Vol. 1)

I Rise

I rise this day,
in the love of the Father.
I rise this day,
with the mind of Christ.
I rise this day,
in the Spirit's power.
I rise this day,
in the blessings of God.

(from the DesertPastor blog)

Lavish Summer

Thank you, God, that

"There is no price set on the lavish summer,

And June may be had by the poorest comer."

(from "The Vision of Sir Launfal" by James Russell Lowell)

Say But the Word

Lord, have mercy.

In light of yesterday's news from Aubrey that Calleigh's lungs can no longer be considered free of complications, I kneel before you, Father, and ask you to heal.

Heal. Heal. Come to her assistance; make haste to help her. Only you can save, Lord; only you can deliver. Only you can make her whole. Say but the word, Lord, and my granddaughter will be healed. Say the word. Say the word, Lord. Please. Heal her and make her whole in body as well as in spirit. Clear her lungs. Re-create her pancreas. Expel all anomalies and dysfunctions in her body. Invade her body with health. Cover her with your hand. Make her and keep her whole, for her sake, for your sake, and the sake of your name, in Jesus’ name, amen.

A Father's Day Prayer

Abba, Father,
thank you for being such a father to me:
patient, wise, loving, constant, and strong.

Thank you for my father,
for the many years you've given him on this earth,
for the example he's shown me
and the things he's taught me.

Thank you for the kind of father
my son and son-in-law are
to my grandchildren:
patient, wise, loving, constant, and strong.

Let this Father's Day be a blessing to you
and to the fathers in my life and family,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Loosen In Me the Hold of Visible Things

Lord, loosen in me the hold of visible things;
   Help me to walk by faith and not by sight;
I would, through thickest veils and coverings,
   See into the chambers of the living light.

Lord, in the land of things that swell and seem,
   Help me to walk by the other light supreme,
Which shows Thy facts behind man's vaguely hinting dream.

(a prayer by George MacDonald, from Diary of an Old Soul)

A Prayer of Columba of Iona

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 forever.
Amen.

A Prayer by Nadia Bolz Weber

Lord of compassion I pray,

As you did in Nain, enter our city gates. Enter into the somber roads down which our hearses drive and the glad streets where children run. Enter the parks where the junkies shoot up and the yuppies listen to jazz. Walk uninvited into starter mansions and public housing and dorms and cheap motel rooms on Colfax that charge by the hour. Stroll into the cool-air freezer section where the pregnant women escape the heat and the bus stop benches where the weary wait. Step into the space between the city worker who wrote me a parking ticket and my mis-guided anger. Enter our city gates, Lord of Compassion, as you did the city of Nain. And bless.

Bless the things we think are dead. Bless that which we have already begun to carry out of town to bury. Bless our rocky marriages and our college age kids who smoke too much pot. Bless the person at work who we love to hate. Bless the young adult who wonders if they are too young to really be an alcoholic and the 6o year old woman who’s had too much work done. Bless public schools lunch ladies and the guy who stole my kid’s bike. Bless the one who has no one. Bless what we call insignificant and which you call magnificent. Bless it all, Lord of Compassion, and love what only you can love: the ugly, and abandoned and unsanitary in the wash of humanity, upon which you have nothing but a gleaming compassion.

Lord of Compassion who saw the Widow of Nain, we thank you for seeing us. Seeing our loneliness and our bravery. Seeing the times we can’t say what we need to. Seeing the ones who suffer in silence. Seeing the moments when we are more than we thought we could be. Seeing what no one else can or will. We praise you for seeing as beautiful what we call ugly and that in your compassion you wipe away all tears.

Reach out once again and wipe our tears and raise us, Lord of compassion. Touch us as you did the wood on which the widow’s son lay dead and speak those same words to us: "Young man arise. Little girl, get up." To those who think they are not worthy to be loved and medicate themselves with food and booze and shopping, say “rise up.” To us who have been hurt by those who say they follow you, say “rise up.” To the proud at heart who think they are not dead, say “rise up.” To the ones who care for the least of these and who feel too burnt out to keep going, say “rise up.” To we who are holding onto resentments like our own personal security blankets say, “rise up.” To those who hide their failings behind good works, say “rise up.” To the unloved child who has no idea that one day they will change the world, say “rise up." To the one who has given up, say “rise up.”

And when again, Lord of Compassion, you have raised the dead...when again you have made whole that which is broken, when again you have ripped out my heart of stone and replaced it with a heart of flesh, when again you have reached into the graves we dig ourselves and loved us back to life, help us, like the young man of Nain, to sit up and speak. Give us the words that are not empty praise or platitudes of piety, but give us strong words, as real as the very soil from which you raised us.

Give us the words to speak of you. And then, as you did the son to his mother, give us one to another, that when we speak others may hear and know that you are without question and without end the Lord of all Compassion. AMEN.

A Prayer for Those in the Path of the Wildfires

Gracious Lord God,
please have mercy on those in the path of the Black Forest fire.

Please help those who are fighting to contain the fire,
and keep them safe.

Please preserve homes and property,
businesses and buildings,
but most of all, of course,
please deliver precious lives from harm,
in Jesus' name, amen.

If the Lion In Us Pray

My prayers, my God, flow from what I am not;
   I think thy answers make me what I am,
Like weary waves thought follows upon thought,
   But the still depth beneath is all thine own,
And there thou mov'st in paths to us unknown.
   Out of strange strife thy peace is strangely wrought;
If the lion in us pray--thou answerest the lamb.

(a prayer by George MacDonald, from Diary of an Old Soul, May 26)

A Short Prayer of George MacDonald

You are such a Father,
that you take our sins from us
and throw them behind your back.

For a New Work of Love

O God, I have tasted Thy goodness,
and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more.
I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace.
I am ashamed of my lack of desire.

O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee;
I long to be filled with longing;
I thirst to be made more thirsty still.
Show me Thy glory, I pray, so that I may know Thee indeed.
Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Amen.

(a prayer of A. W. Tozer)

Make My Worship Pleasing

Father God, lead me back to the heart of worship. Let my daily worship and my weekly worship with others reorient me and place me in the right posture in relation to your throne, in relation to your rule over all. Make my worship pleasing to you; make it also an impetus for repentance and reconciliation with others.

Holy Spirit, teach me as I read and study your Word. Lead me into all truth, as Jesus promised.

And, Lord Jesus, you who are worthy to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise, revive and restore me through the worship I offer. Let my worship bring joy to you. Let it bring heaven to me. Amen.

(a prayer from the book, How to Survive the End of the World, p. 57)

The Call

Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life:

Such a Way, as gives us breath;

Such a Truth, as ends all strife;

And such a Life, as killeth death.

Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength:

Such a Light, as shows a feast;

Such a Feast, as mends in length;

Such a Strength, as makes his guest.

Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart:

Such a Joy, as none can move;

Such a Love, as none can part;

Such a Heart, as joys in love.

(a prayer by George Herbert)

Amazing Love

God, your love is amazing. Thank you for showing to me....the many facets of your love for me. You knew me and loved me before I was even born. You loved me from the moment of my first breath. You loved me in my sin. You loved me and gave your Son for me. You loved me in Christ. You loved me in all my waywardness. You loved me in all my clumsy attempts to please you. You loved me like a rock. You loved me steadfastly. You loved me like a lion, calling me back to your side. You love me still. You will love me ever. Thank you for your unfathomable love, from before the foundation of the world until now. Teach me to love you more truly. In Jesus’ name, amen.

(from Falling in Love with God, by Bob Hostetler, p. 145)

The Thanks I Need to Give

I need to thank you, Lord,
not for your sake, but for mine.

I thank you.
Thank you for your constant and current mercy on me.
By your mercy alone do I live another day,
loved, forgiven, delivered, whole.
Thank you for sleep, and for waking from sleep.
Thank you for the rain today.
Thank you for freedom from pain and discomfort.
Thank you for the love of my life, my bride,
the sweetest and loveliest woman to walk the earth.
Thank you for my children, my daughter and my son;
thank you that they still love me despite my many mistakes,
both early in their lives and late.
Thank you for my friends--many, faithful, and strong.
Thank you for the community I live in,
so clean, convenient, comfortable.
Thank you for dry clothes, clean clothes.
Thank you for shelter, and not just any shelter,
but a clean, lovely, comfortable home.
Thank you that, though troubles come to me and mine
from time to time,
they come no worse than they do
and for no longer than they do.
Thank you for days off--far and few between,
but the more valuable because of that.
Thank you for music.
Thank you for coffee.
Thank you for books.
Thank you for my senses, every one still intact.
Thank you for prayer.
Thank you for hearing me.
Thank you for answering.
Thank you for building me up in my most holy faith,
gently at times and sternly at times. I know I need both.
For these and all your gifts,
I give you thanks, in Jesus' name, amen.

A Prayer Before Speaking

No speaker is saved by the quality of his material;
none succeeds by the multitude of his gifts.
Relying on man's approval is a vain hope, a stupid goal;
despite all its allure it cannot save.
My hope is on your unfailing love, Lord;
I hope for your deliverance.

(based on Psalm 33:16-17)

A Prayer from Hosea 7

Beautiful Lord God, you have always wanted only to love and heal me, but my waywardness has often prevented you, I know. Oh, Lord, save me from being like an oven that never cools, even when empty; deliver me from habits and patterns that would stoke the fires of unfaithfulness in my heart. Save me from being half baked and halfhearted; help me to renew and fulfill a wholehearted covenant with you. Save me from being like a silly bird, flitting here and there, looking for satis- faction from things that will never satisfy; help me to seek and find my soul’s satisfaction in you, and only you. Save me from being like a warped bow; straighten my heart and mind and life until it is all plumb and pointed ever and always to you. Turn me away from everything that would turn me away from you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

(from Falling in Love with God, by Bob Hostetler, p. 112)

A Thirty-Sixth Anniversary Prayer

O God, what thanks can I possibly render to you
for my bride,
my wife,
my thirty-six years of marriage,
and thirty-nine years
with the lovely Robin in my life?

Thank you for yet another year of life together.
Thank you for her faithful,
giving,
loving,
kind,
passionate,
sweet,
constant heart.

Thank you for the happiness we have known together;
the sorrows we have faced together;
the children we have raised
and the grandchildren we have been given.

Thank you for our home,
our health,
our laughter,
our hopes and dreams,
our unfinished plans,
and our small accomplishments.

Thank you that she still laughs at (some of) my jokes.
Thank you that she grows more beautiful every day.
Thank you for all her perfections,
and all my improvements.

Spare us another year to walk together,
and grant that for us it may be true
that the best is yet to be,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

To Suck Out All the Marrow of Life

Lord God,
grant that I may live deliberately,
confront the essential facts of life,
learn all it has to teach, and not,
when I come to die, discover that I had not lived.

Help me to live deep
and suck out all the marrow of life,
to put to rout all that is not life,
to cut a broad swath and shave close,
to drive life into a corner,
and know it by experience,
and show by my life that I did not hastily conclude
that it is the chief end of man here
to "glorify God and enjoy him forever."

Amen.

(based on lines from Walden, chapter two, by Henry David Thoreau)

A Prayer of David Brainerd

Oh, that I might be a flaming fire in the service of the Lord. Here I am, Lord, send me; send me to the ends of the earth!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

As You Wish

O Lord, you know what's good and bad,
what's better and worse,
what's best and worst.

May my prayer be as you wish it to be.

(a prayer of Thomas a Kempis)

Everywhere and Always Is In You

Abba, my language
isn't sufficient for you.
I can't express your beauty,
your majesty,
not even your presence.
I know that no matter where I go,
you are there.
You do not arrive after me,
you do not even arrive before me.
You are not even, to be accurate, already "there,"
for the "there" itself is not
a place you occupy,
any more than a moment is a moment to you...
the "there" itself--like the "now" or the "then"--
is found in you, not you in it, for everywhere and always is in you.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
but I praise you in my ignorance and littleness.

Smile

Smile on me today, Lord,
and speak to me.
Amen.

(a very free paraphrase of Psalm 119:135)

A Prayer from Dan Fogelberg

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Better to Know

Lord,
you stab me
with the beauties
of your world.

Yesterday it happened again.
I listened to birdcalls
in treetops, bushes, and bending grass,
walked barefoot in the morning dew,
eavesdropped on concerts and conversations
of the summer woodland.

Lord, prick me
with rose petal, sunset, and dawn;
assail me with sight and smell and sound;
torment me with shape and texture and taste.
Lord, make me bleed,
the better to know,
the greater to be,
the more to find myself in You.

(a prayer of Gerhard E. Frost, from his book, Blessed is the Ordinary, p. 65)

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)

Not to Be Taken for Granted

A Prayer About Creativity

Heavenly Father, Maker of heaven and earth, nature displays beauty that surpasses the finest music, poetry, or creative genius of all human artists put together. You are the Creator. You are a God of design, color, plan, organization, beauty, magnificence, and order. The great art of the world only copies your splendid creation. The finest model of craftsmanship and artistic skill is found in the creation of the universe. Any creativity I possess is the overflow of a mind filled with the good things you have made, O God. When I'm looking for inspiration, I will fill my heart with your creative wonders. Let my creative expression be glorifying to you, my God and my Maker.

(an excerpt from the book, 365 Pocket Prayers, by Ron Beers; the photo is of a Chrysolina cerealis beetle)

Draw Nigh

Of Making Many Books

Lord God, I have no desire to add to the endless supply of books (Ecclesiastes 12:12). There are so many great books that I--and others--have yet to read. I don't want to write anything that would be a mere distraction from such gems.

But if there is something you want to say, in a new way, maybe, I would love to be a part of that. If you would reveal to me what (if anything) you want me to contribute by way of the written word, then I am listening, Lord. I am all ears. I am alert and, by your grace, I am ready. Amen.

Schedule

Lord, help me to schedule my writing well
and so defend against chaos and whim.*

Help me to plan my writing well
that I might have ample time for reflection,
research, and
revision.

Help me to keep to a healthy writing routine
so that my senses and skills
will be sharpened and honed.

Make my writing calendar
"a net for catching days,"*
and inspiration
and revelation,
in Jesus' name, amen.

(*these phrases borrowed from Annie Dillard, The Writing Life, p. 32)

I Wanna Be Moved

For OKC

Lord, have mercy on the people of Oklahoma City and Moore, Oklahoma.

Please send help to those in danger.
Send comfort and strength to those who've suffered loss.
Send wisdom and stamina to first responders and rescue workers.
Send protection and deliverance to those who are still in harm's way.

Amen.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Long Have I Loved You

Long have I loved you,
O Beauty so ancient,
and so new.

Long have I loved you!
You have been with me when I little knew
how sweetly you sought me!

Time after time, you called, you shouted, you shattered my deafness.
Time after time, you flashed, you shone, you dispelled my blindness.
Time after time, you have breathed your fragrance on me;
I have breathed you in and breathed you out.
I have tasted you and hungered for you.
I have felt your touch and craved your caress.

(based on "Late Have I Loved You," a prayer of St. Augustine of Hippo)

Beautiful Things

Deliver Me Please

Lord God, deliver me please
from the evil of the unexamined life...
the unworshipful life...
the self-centered life...
the self-absorbed life...
the self-satisfied life...
the frantic life...
the marginal life...
the care-filled life...
the accidental life...
the self-reliant life...
the arrogant life...
the inconsequential life...
the shallow life...
the appetite-driven life...
the reactive life...
the fruitless life...
the material life...
the thoughtless life...
the prayerless life...
the small life...
in Jesus' name, amen.

Plant Fresh Flowers in My Garden

Come, O Lord my God;
my soul invites thee earnestly,
and waits for thee eagerly.

Come to me, O Jesus, my well beloved,
and plant fresh flowers in my garden,
such as I see blooming
in such perfection
in thy matchless character!

Come, O my Father,
who art the Husbandman,
and deal with me in thy tenderness and prudence!

Come, O Holy Spirit,
and bedew my whole nature,
as the herbs are now moistened with the evening dews.

Oh, that you would speak to me!
Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.
Oh, that you would walk with me;
I am ready to give up my whole heart and mind to you.

I am only asking what you delight to give.

(a prayer of Charles H. Spurgeon, slightly revised)

To The Lord God of Movement

"Let me bash out praises
to the Lord God of movement":*

Praise for muscular winds,
whipping tree branches,
and flapping birds' wings.

Praise for pitchers' windups
and batters' swings.

Praise for running grandchild feet
and wagging dog's tail.

Praise for spinning car tires
and straining dinghy's sail.

Praise for creaky old legs
and tumbling dryer tubs,
for blinking airplane lights
and the month of May's "darling buds."

Praise for blood in my veins
and still-flowing drains.
Praise for lawn mower blades
and Canada goose parades.

Amen.

(*from "The Way We Live" by Kathleen Jamie)

Daily Bread

Day by day the manna fell;
O to learn this lesson well!
Still by constant mercy fed,
Give me, Lord, my daily bread.

Lord, my times are in your hand;
All my sanguine hopes have planned
To your wisdom I resign,
And would make your purpose mine.

Let me live exempt from care
By the energy of prayer;
Strong in faith, with mind subdued,
Yet elate with gratitude,
in Jesus' name, amen.

(a prayer of hymnwriter Josiah Conder)

Let It Sing

Lord, let my life sing.
Let it sing loud and long.
Let it sing "How Great Thou Art."
Let it sing "Great is Thy Faithfulness."
Let it sing "My Chains Are Gone."
Let it sing "On Christ, the Solid Rock, I Stand,
all other ground is sinking sand."
Let it sing "Oh How He Loves."
Let it sing "Your Love Never Fails,"
"I Will Hold On,"
"My Hope Is In You,"
and let it sing, and go on saying, to any and all,
"There is pleasure in his service, more than all,
more than all."

A Place Called Enough

Lord, let me live in a place called Enough.
Content.
Uncluttered.
At peace and unfettered.

Blessèd Lord, In You Is Refuge

Blessèd Lord, in you is refuge,
Safety for my trembling soul;
Pow’r to lift my head when drooping
’Midst the angry billows’ roll.
I will trust you;
All my life you shall control.

In the past too unbelieving
’Midst the tempest I have been,
And my heart has slowly trusted
What my eyes have never seen.
Blessèd Jesus,
Teach me on your arm to lean.

Give me trust that brings the triumph
When defeat seems strangely near;
Grant me faith that changes fighting
Into vict’ry’s ringing cheer!
Faith triumphant,
Knowing not defeat nor fear,
amen.

(a prayer of Herbert Booth, slightly revised)

Joyful Praise

I praise you, God and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ! In your great mercy, you have given me new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. Through faith I am shielded, by your power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this, I greatly rejoice, though for now I suffer grief in all kinds of trials. But I rejoice in that, too, for I know that these have come so that the genuineness of my faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is finally and fully revealed—him whom I love, though I have not seen him, and him whom I believe in, and thus am filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for I am receiving the end result of my faith, the salvation of my soul. Amen! (based on 1 Peter 1:3-9).

(from the 30-Day Church Challenge Daily Guidebook, p. 62)

Open My Hands

Heavenly Father, every breath is a gift from your hand. Even so, I confess that sometimes my own hand remains tightly closed when I encounter the needs of others. Please open both my hand and my heart that I might learn to open my door to others. As you help me open my heart and hand, O Lord, I ask that you also prompt me to open my life to those who need a taste of your love and bounty. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

(from Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado, p. 61)

I Need You Once Again

Finish What You Started

G' Morning, God!

Like David I pray,
"Finish what you started in me, God.
Your love is eternal--
don't quit on me now"
(Psalm 138:8, The Message).


(a prayer of author and speaker Joan C. Webb)

Rule My Errant Will

O Thou to whom I owe the gift of this day's grace, give to me also, I beseech Thee, the spirit to use it as I ought. Forbid that I should stain the brightness of the morning with any evil thought or darken the noontide with any shameful deed. Let Thy Holy Spirit breathe into my heart to-day all pure and heavenly desires. Let Thy truth inform my mind. Let Thy justice and righteousness make a throne within me and rule my errant will. Let Christ be formed in me, and let me learn of Him all lowliness of heart, all gentleness of bearing, all modesty of speech, all helpfulness of action, and promptness in the doing of my Father's will.

Amen.

(a prayer of John Baillie in A Diary of Private Prayer)

Keeper of the Garden of My Heart

Jesus, tender Lover of my soul,
Pardoner of my sins and friend indeed,
Keeper of the garden of my heart,
Jesus, Thou art everything to me.

Jesus, Thou art everything to me.
Jesus, Thou art everything to me.
All my lasting joys are found in Thee,
Jesus, Thou art everything to me.

Dandelion Prayer

You made dandelions.
So make me
more like them.
Sturdy.
Prolific.
Quick to bounce back.
Indefatigable.
Always abounding
in what you made me to be and to do.
Amen.

31 Prayers of Thanks for My Children

Abba, Father, you have been good. You have been kind. You have answered so many of my prayers, and especially those I have prayed for my children.

I asked you to let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory, and you answered.

I prayed that they may ‘grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,' and you answered.

I prayed that my children may learn to ‘live a life of love,’ through the Spirit who dwells in them, and you answered.

I asked for integrity and honesty to be their virtue and their protection, and you answered.

I asked you to help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be ‘alert and self-controlled’ in all they do, and you answered.

I asked you to let my children grow to find your Word ‘more precious than gold, than much pure gold; [and] sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb,' and you answered.

I asked you to help my children to love justice as you do and to ‘act justly’ in all they do," and you answered.

I asked that my children always ‘be merciful, as [their] Father is merciful,' and you answered.

I asked that my children may ‘show proper respect to everyone,’ as your Word commands, and you answered.

I asked you to help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are ‘God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus,' and you answered.

I asked you to 'let love and faithfulness never leave [my children],’ but to bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts, and you answered.

I asked that my children always ‘Be strong and courageous’ in their character and in their actions, and you answered.

I asked you to ‘Create in [them] a pure heart, O God,’ and let their purity of heart be shown in their actions, and you answered.

I asked that may my children ‘always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else,' and you answered.

I asked that my children may ‘be generous and willing to share [and so] lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age,' and you answered.

I said, "let my children ‘make every effort to do what leads to peace’” and you answered.

I asked for my children to be filled ‘with the joy given by the Holy Spirit,' and you answered.

I asked you to teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to ‘run with perseverance the race marked out for [them],' and you answered.

I asked you to cultivate in my children the ability to ‘show true humility toward all,' and you answered.

I asked you to clothe my children with the virtue of compassion, and you answered.

I asked that my children may learn responsibility, and you answered.

I asked you to teach my children ‘the secret of being content in any and every situation. . . . through him who gives [them] strength,' and you answered.

I prayed that faith would find root and grow in my children’s hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them, and you answered.

I asked you to help my children develop servant hearts, and you answered.

I asked that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit, and you answered.

I asked you to teach my children to value work and to work hard at everything they do, and you answered.

I asked you to instill in my children a soul that “followeth hard after thee,” a heart that clings passionately to you, and you answered.

I prayed that my children may develop self-discipline, and you answered.

I asked that my children’s lives may be marked by prayerfulness, and you answered.

I asked that my children would live lives that are always ‘overflowing with thankfulness, and you answered.

I asked you to give my children a heart for missions, and you answered.

I asked, and you answered. You honored my hopes and dreams for them, and have even excelled what I had faith enough to ask. Thank you, in Jesus' name, amen.

My Cana Prayer

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

For the Beauty

For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies,
Father, unto Thee I raise,
This my hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour,
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon, and stars of light,
Father, unto Thee I raise,
This my hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of ear and eye,
For the heart and mind’s delight,
For the mystic harmony
Linking sense to sound and sight,
Father, unto Thee I raise,
This my hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild,
Father, unto Thee I raise,
This my hymn of grateful praise.

For Thy Church, that evermore
Lifteth holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore
Her pure sacrifice of love,
Father, unto Thee I raise,
This my hymn of grateful praise.

For the martyrs’ crown of light,
For Thy prophets’ eagle eye,
For Thy bold confessors’ might,
For the lips of infancy,
Father, unto Thee I raise,
This my hymn of grateful praise.

For each perfect gift of Thine,
To the human race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
Flowers of earth and buds of Heaven,
Father, unto Thee I raise,
This my hymn of grateful praise.

(a prayer by Folliot S. Pierpoint)

A Prayer of Thomas Aquinas for My Children

Grant to my children your grace, most merciful Jesus, that it may be with them and in them now and to the end of their lives. Grant that they may always desire and will those things that are most acceptable and most dear to you. Let your will be theirs, and let their will ever follow yours and agree perfectly with it. Let their willing and not-willing be in complete unison with your will, and let them not be able to will anything but what you will, nor will not what you will not, in Jesus’ name, amen.

(Based on a prayer by Thomas Aquinas)