This prayer, abundantly answered for my children, I now pray once a month for my grandchildren (from the iPhone/iPad app, "31 Ways to Pray for Your Kids," available in the iTunes app store, here):
Success and Blessing
Lord, please let my life reflect
the difference between success
and blessing.
Amen.
(photo by ChadoNihi via pixabay.com)
A Great "Give Me" Prayer
(based on lines from Take Time to Be Holy, by Samuel Logan Brengle, p. 228)
The Secret of Being Content
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.
Wildfire Prayer
Abba, Father, Lord, have mercy on all of those affected by and contending with the wildfires throughout California, including my son and daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Save them, Lord. Protect them. Preserve them, their loved ones, neighbors, friends, pets, and livestock; their homes, churches, and businesses; grant that the flames and smoke may be turned back and away, and dangers and damages miraculously limited by your strong hand, in Jesus' name, amen.
To Know Your Zeal
a God of joyful shouting,
a God of celebration,
a God who leaps and dances,
a God who sings,
a God who is (in Tozer's words)
"having a good time!"
God, help me to know your joy, your zeal, your zestful nature.
Put me in touch with your singing, dancing, shouting heart. Let me laugh with you today and enjoy what you enjoy. Restore to me the joy of your salvation...of your very nature, in Jesus' name, amen.
Generous and Willing to Share
My prayer today for my kids and my grandkids, from the "31 Ways to Pray for Your Kids" app for iPhone and iPad.
Shepherd of the Stars
You are Shepherd of the Stars.
Whole galaxies form your royal train.
The countless host of heaven,
blazing suns,
mighty planets,
dappled moons,
comets, asteroids, vapors, black holes,
all follow after you like so many ducks behind their mother.
And yet, Lord, my immmense, mind-boggling, Star-Shepherd,
you condescend to me,
to sit with me,
whisper to me,
commune with me.
Such thoughts are too marvelous for me,
I cannot attain unto them!
But I praise you and thank you,
in Jesus' name, amen.
(photo by skeeze via pixabay.com)
Until Respondent Voices Rend the Air
Son of the All-highest, bringer of salvation to the human race, you to whom your Begetter has committed all the powers of his Fatherhood, keeping none back in envy, but giving freely, open a way for my prayers and safely convey them to your Father's ears.
Grant me a heart, O Father, to hold out against all deeds of wrong, and deliver me from the serpent's deadly venom, sin....
Prepare a road that I, being freed from the fetters of this frail body, may be led up on high, where in the clear heaven the Milky Way stretches above the wandering clouds of the wind-vexed moon--that road by which the holy men of old departed from the earth; by which Elias, being caught up in the chariot, once made his ways alive above our lower air; and Enoch, too, who went before his end without change of body.
Grant me, O Father, the effluence of everlasting light for which I yearn, and bring to your altar the offering of a stainless life.
Grant me your pardon, Father, and relieve my anguished breast...and when the hour of my last day shall come, grant that the conscience of a life well spent cause me not to fear death, nor yet long for it. When, through your mercy, I appear cleansed from my secret faults, let me despise all else, and let my one delight be to await in hope your judgment. And if that day delays, keep me far from that fierce tempter, the serpent, with his false allurements.
Claim these prayers as your own before the eternal Father, Son of God to whom I pray, Savior, God and Lord, Mind, Glory, Word and Son, very God of very God, Light of Light, who remains with the eternal Father, reigning throughout all ages, whose praise the harmonious songs of tuneful David echo forth, until respondent voices rend the air with "Amen."
(a prayer by Ausonius, shortened and updated slightly)
Radiancy
Christ, the true, the only Light,
Sun of Righteousness, arise,
Triumph o’er the shades of night;
Dayspring from on high be near;
Day-star, in my heart appear.
Visit now this soul of mine,
Pierce the gloom of sin and grief;
Fill me, Radiancy divine,
Scatter all my unbelief;
More and more Yourself display,
Shining to the perfect day.
(from a hymn by Charles Wesley; photo via everystockphoto.com)
Respectful
Saturday Psalm #150
I praise you
for the capacity to praise you.
I praise you
that I can praise you in song,
and for the privilege of praising you
in harmony with others who praise you.
I praise you
under your great blue blanket of sky;
I praise you for your mighty acts
and your magnificent greatness.
I praise you with joyful laughter
and with quiet weeping.
I praise you with dance,
and I praise you by kneeling.
I praise you loudly
and I praise you softly.
I will praise you facedown
and I praise you with a fist pump!
I praise you with all that I have,
and all I am;
let every living thing join in!
Amen.
To Walk in the Day
Grant, Lord, that I may walk in the day,
and not stumble,
because I see the Light of this world (John 11:9),
in Jesus' name, amen.
(photo by Nordseher via pixabay.com)
Enter and Enlarge
My soul is like a house, small for you to enter, but I pray you to enlarge it. It is in ruins, but I ask you to remake it. It contains much that you will not be pleased to see: this I know and do not hide. But who is to rid it of these things?
(a prayer of St. Augustine of Hippo, from his Confessions, Book 5.1; photo via pixabay.com)
Today in Your Classroom
Through self-quarantining and semi-seclusion, you are teaching me to persevere and deny myself.
Through scarcity and need you are teaching me to recognize you as the source of my daily bread, to rely on you for the supply of all my needs, and to plan carefully and choose wisely.
Through delay and waiting you are teaching me patience and trust, reminding me that "in quietness and confidence" is my strength (Isaiah 30:15).
Through changing circumstances you are are teaching me (again) to pray, and to remember from whence my help--and help for my children and grandchildren--comes.
Through disappointment and difficulty, you are teaching me humility, contentment, and new ways of doing old things.
Through it all, Lord, I can see your hand, and your wisdom. Through it all, teach me some of that wisdom, the kind that comes only from you. Help me to learn such lessons well so as to learn the next one--and the ones after that--quicker and better, in Jesus' name, amen.
Through delay and waiting you are teaching me patience and trust, reminding me that "in quietness and confidence" is my strength (Isaiah 30:15).
Through changing circumstances you are are teaching me (again) to pray, and to remember from whence my help--and help for my children and grandchildren--comes.
Through disappointment and difficulty, you are teaching me humility, contentment, and new ways of doing old things.
Through it all, Lord, I can see your hand, and your wisdom. Through it all, teach me some of that wisdom, the kind that comes only from you. Help me to learn such lessons well so as to learn the next one--and the ones after that--quicker and better, in Jesus' name, amen.
Saturday Psalm #149
I will sing to you,
a new song,
an old song,
a slow song,
a fast song,
my own song,
anyone's song.
I will rejoice in you, my Maker;
I will be giddy in your presence, my King.
I will praise your name with dancing
(try not to laugh);
I will turn anything into an instrument of praise to you.
For you delight in your people;
you crown your lowly subjects with salvation!
I rejoice in honor from you,
I sing for joy that you listen to my prayers!
Your praise will be in my mouth,
your Word a double-edged sword on my lips,
to wield spiritual warfare
and send petty demons fleeing,
to bind them with fetters, with shackles of iron,
for it is my glory to be your lowliest soldier
in the struggle of the ages.
Amen.
For Seeds I Have Sown
let the seeds I have sown over the years,
no matter where they landed
or how long they have waited
find receptive soil at last
and bear fruit,
yield blessing,
and lead to eternal life
for all I have known,
in Jesus' name,
amen.
Make Them Prayerful
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.
Farmer Thanks
Those caissons which go rolling along up and down the corn rows are panoplied with plows and not with powder.
We put up hay, make grass silage, seed sweet Sudan, that every one in thy image may have milk and meat enough.
So for those heavy lambs, healthful heifers, pink-combed pullets, and pigs well weaned we would give thee our farmer thanks.
Make us just as glad to share our blessings as to glory in our work.
Amen.
(excerpt from the book, The Farmer Gives Thanks; photo by klimkin via pixabay.com)
Saturday Psalm #148
I praise you under the night sky,
I praise you while driving into the sun.
I praise you for the faculty to praise you.
I praise you that my brain works (mostly),
that my tongue moves,
that my heart resounds with your praise.
I praise you for the sun you created,
and for the moon and stars you hung in place.
I praise you for the unfathomable expanse of the universe,
and for the mysteries of deep space.
I praise you for signing your work,
and making it reasonable for us to praise it.
I praise you for this clockwork solar system
and the ancient and future splendor of the skies.
I praise you for this earth,
its resiliency,
beauty,
majesty,
mystery,
efficiency,
and energy.
I praise you for the sheer numbers in your Creation:
20,000 species of fish,
6,000 species of reptiles,
9,000 birds,
1,000 amphibians,
15,000 species of mammals
and over a million insect species...that we know of!
I praise you for lightning and hail,
snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do your bidding,
for Kilimanjaro and the Piedmont,
for almond trees and pomegranate,
for wild horses and curious marmots,
tiny hummingbirds and great egrets,
for fall plumage and winter blankets,
for the strength of young men,
the beauty of young maids,
the wisdom of the old
and the patience of the aged.
I praise you, Lord,
for the joy of praising your name,
for the grace of beholding your splendor
in earth and sky.
I praise you, Champion of your people,
the praise of all your saints,
the joy of people close to your heart.
I praise you.
(photo via Pixabay.com)
Baseball is Back
Thank you for outfields of green
and the crack of the ball on a wooden bat.
For pitchers with eccentric windups,
for stolen bases
and diving catches.
For double plays
and double steals,
bunts and brushbacks,
squeeze plays and home runs.
For "cold beer here!" and ballpark franks.
For the seventh inning stretch.
For day games and night games.
For OBPs and ERAs,
pickoff plays and headfirst slides,
for opening days (even really late ones) and hope springing eternal.
Amen.
An Invocation Before Writing
O for a muse of fire
that would ascend
the brightest heaven of invention
(Henry V, Prologue, 1).
Come, King of Grace
Enlighten my heart, rule my life, and sanctify my thoughts so that they all may be reverent and pleasing to you. Surround me with your grace, that I may never be removed from it.
Come to me, Holy Trinity! Make me your dwelling and your temple. Spark in me the light of your knowledge, faith, hope, humility, patience, prayer, perseverance, and reverence. Amen.
(from Amish Prayers, compiled by Beverly Lewis)
Praise Belongs to You
Mighty God,
Transcendent,
Righteous,
Merciful,
and Just.
I praise you for being a mighty fortress,
a kind, forgiving Father,
a gentle, nursing mother,
a friend,
a king,
a warrior,
a shepherd,
a rose of Sharon,
a morning star,
a sun, and shield, a shelter,
all that I need, and all I aspire to be.
(image by Emmie_Norfolk via pixabay.com)
Saturday Psalm #147
How I love to sing praises to you, my God,
how pleasant and fitting it is to praise you!
Build up your people, Lord;
gather them from exile and exclusion.
Heal the brokenhearted
and bind up their wounds.
You know the number of the stars,
you call each one by name.
You are so great, Lord, and mighty in power;
your understanding is infinite.
You sustain the humble,
but cast the wicked to the ground.
I sing to you, LORD, with thanksgiving;
I love to worship you in song,
especially among your gathered saints,
and especially in four-part harmony!
You cover the sky with clouds;
supply the earth with rain
and make grass grow on the hills.
You provide food for cattle
and for the young ravens when they call.
Your greatest pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor in human ingenuity...
you delight in those who fear you,
who put their hope in your unfailing love.
Extol the LORD, O people of God;
praise your God, you saints,
for he is your protector
and your reward.
He gives peace
and nourishment.
He sends his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
He spreads the snow like cake icing
and scatters the frost like glitter.
He hurls down his hail like pebbles.
Who can withstand his icy blast?
But then He sends his word and melts them all;
he stirs up his breezes, and the spring waters flow.
When he can do all that,
do you doubt that he can speak his word to your heart?
Can you seriously worry
that he will not be faithful to you--
you whom he has chosen,
you whom he has favored?
Praise the LORD.
(photo by AlexasFotos via pixabay.com)
Like a Shepherd
In your pleasant pastures feed me, for my use your folds prepare.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! You have bought me, I am yours.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! You have bought me, I am yours.
I am yours, my Friend and Helper, be the Guardian of my way;
Keep me safely in your favor, seek me when I go astray.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! Hear, O hear me when we pray.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! Hear, O hear me when we pray.
You have been so gracious, Gentle Shepherd, saved my soul and set me free;
You have led me into spacious pasture, daily shown your face to me.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! I will serve you all my days.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! I will serve you all my days.
(from the hymn, Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us, revised and updated)
Through Weakness
Your power works best in my weakness.
Let the power of Christ work in me
through weakness
by your gracious favor.
Amen.
(based on 2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT; photo by Veri997 via pixabay.com)
You Turn Tables
have long spoken of you.
And we have their spokenness in our hands,
in these old texts.
We propose now to study you,
to weigh and test,
to examine and assess,
to make you our "object"
and so to get a grade.
In your strangeness,
you are studied only temporarily
object only penultimately,
weighed and tested only at the outset.
But then - as always -
You turn tables,
You become subject who addresses,
sovereign who commands,
mother who loves,
warrior who defends,
And we find ourselves turned in our study to praise and adoration.
So we ask for freedom to love you with our minds,
that we may know a little as we are known,
and in knowing may love and adore,
and in loving and adoring, may obey...
to your praise,
and our joy, Amen.
(from Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: The Prayers of Walter Brueggemann, by way of the Daily Prayer blog. The background of the photo is explained here, on the Hither & Yon blog)
On Her Birthday
the loveliest bride,
the perfect woman for me,
and I am grateful.
Thank you
for hearing my heart's cry 46 years ago
and thank you
for giving her in marriage to me 43 years ago.
And thank you
for every day with her since then,
in Jesus' name, amen.
To Joyfully Set Out
creator of a good and beautiful world,
may we joyfully set out on this day
in your name,
and fill it with acts of love
for you and our brethren.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen.
(illustration by jplenio via pixabay.com)
Saturday Psalm #146
Oh, how I praise you, LORD.
I praise you with my whole heart!
I praise you with my life;
your praise will live in me as long as life lives in me!
I have learned the folly of putting my trust in people,
of expecting constancy and faithfulness from mere humans.
We are all so faithless and so fleeting,
and even the best among us fall so far short.
That's why it makes sense to look only to you for help, God of Jacob.
That's why my hope is in you alone,
maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
Yahweh, Adonai, El Shaddai, the Faithful One forever.
You uphold the cause of the oppressed
and defend the defenseless.
You give food to the hungry
and set prisoners free.
You give sight to the blind,
lift up those who are bowed down.
You give yourself to those who give themselves to you,
you watch over the alien
and sustain the fatherless and the widow,
while frustrating the ways of the wicked.
Why do I forget all this, Lord?
Why do I so easily forget your faithfulness?
Why do I stress,
get worked up,
as if you weren't on the job?
Yet I have seen you
vindicate the righteous
and humble the proud.
I have seen you
prove yourself faithful to those whose hope is in you.
I have seen little, vindictive, unforgiving people
wither and waste
like untended vines.
You reign forever,
God of Zion,
God of me,
for all generations.
Oh, how I praise you!
To Know Who They Are
My prayer today for my kids and my grandkids, from the "31 Ways to Pray for Your Kids" app for iPhone and iPad:
Grant Me These Good Things
to grant me a good heart,
a good portion,
a good inclination,
a good friend,
a good name,
a good eye,
a good soul,
a lowly disposition,
and a humble spirit. Amen.
(from the Talmud, Tractate Berakhot)
Until Respondent Voices Rend the Air
Son of the All-highest, bringer of salvation to the human race, you to whom your Begetter has committed all the powers of his Fatherhood, keeping none back in envy, but giving freely, open a way for my prayers and safely convey them to your Father's ears.
Grant me a heart, O Father, to hold out against all deeds of wrong, and deliver me from the serpent's deadly venom, sin....
Prepare a road that I, being freed from the fetters of this frail body, may be led up on high, where in the clear heaven the Milky Way stretches above the wandering clouds of the wind-vexed moon--that road by which the holy men of old departed from the earth; by which Elias, being caught up in the chariot, once made his ways alive above our lower air; and Enoch, too, who went before his end without change of body.
Grant me, O Father, the effluence of everlasting light for which I yearn, and bring to your altar the offering of a stainless life.
Grant me your pardon, Father, and relieve my anguished breast...and when the hour of my last day shall come, grant that the conscience of a life well spent cause me not to fear death, nor yet long for it. When, through your mercy, I appear cleansed from my secret faults, let me despise all else, and let my one delight be to await in hope your judgment. And if that day delays, keep me far from that fierce tempter, the serpent, with his false allurements.
Claim these prayers as your own before the eternal Father, Son of God to whom I pray, Savior, God and Lord, Mind, Glory, Word and Son, very God of very God, Light of Light, who remains with the eternal Father, reigning throughout all ages, whose praise the harmonious songs of tuneful David echo forth, until respondent voices rend the air with "Amen."
(a prayer by Ausonius, shortened and updated slightly)
That Inner Gift
Lord, I would share,But first possess,That inner gift, serenity.Then, comforted, blessed, free from unrest,Serve you nonetheless,But with tranquility.(from Abundant Living, by E. Stanley Jones, p. 155; slightly revised)
It Pales
All that is future and unknown
All that the world would sell--it pales compared to you.
All that is in us hears your call
Mountains of doubt before you fall
All that we could not give before--abandoned now.
(by Frederick Booth-Tucker;
photo via everystockphoto.com)
An Independence Day Prayer
Lord my God, I worship you today,
on this 244th 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 2020,
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.
To Feel the Music of Living
Giver of life, creator of all that is lovely,
Teach me to sing the words to your song;
I want to feel the music of living
And not fear the sad songs
But from them make new songs
Composed of both laughter and tears.
Teach me to dance to the sounds of your world and your people,
I want to move in rhythm with your plan,
Help me to try to follow your leading
To risk even falling
To rise and keep trying
Because you are leading the dance.
(author unknown)
Ready to Give Us Pardon
(a prayer of John Calvin, in his Commentary on Hosea, translated into English in 1846 and updated by me into modern English; photo illustration by fancycrave1 via pixabay.com)
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