For Transformed Desires

Not the goods of the world, but You. 

Not riches, but You. 

Not honors, but You. 

Not distinction, but You. 

Not dignities, but You. 

Not advancement, but You. 

You always and in everything. 

(from lines written by St. Vincent Pallotti, slightly revised; photo by Free-Photos via pixabay.com)

Lantern

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

O Love that will not let me go, 

I rest my weary soul in you; 

I give you back the life I owe, 

That in those ocean depths its flow 

May richer, fuller grow. 

O Light that follows all my way, 

I yield my flickering torch to you; 

My heart restores its borrowed ray, 

That in your sunshine’s blaze its day 

May brighter, fairer glow.

(a hymn by George Matheson, updated and revised; photo by conger design via pixabay.com)

Refiner

Hope and Stay

Contentment

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.

Then Sings My Soul

Rush

O Holy Spirit, rush upon me. 

Amen.

(a prayer based on 1 Samuel 16:13, ESV: "And the Spirit of The Lord rushed upon David"; photo illustration by Sponchia via pixabay.com)

Spirit-Made

God, save me
from the desire--
and my tendency--
to be a self-made man
instead of
a Spirit-made man.

(photo by "white bird," courtesy of photoXpress)

That We May Be Children of Light

Our loving Father, from Thy hand have come all the days of the past. To Thee we look for whatever good the future holds. We are not satisfied with the world as we have found it. It is too little the kingdom of God as yet. Grant us the privilege of a part in its regeneration. We are looking for a new earth in which dwells righteousness. It is our prayer that we may be children of light, the kind of people whose coming and ministry the world is waiting. Amen.

(from the Martin Luther King, Jr., Papers Project, "Prayers" section)

Lord of Eternity

Before and After

Today, O Lord — 
let me put others before self; 
let me put things of the Spirit before the things of the body; 
let me put the attainment of noble ends before the enjoyment of present pleasures; 
let me put principle above reputation; 
and let me put you before all else. 

(a prayer of John Baillie, from A Diary of Private Prayer; photo by Arcaion via pixabay.com)

Stir the Embers

As I stir the embers of my daily fire, I ask you, living God, to stir the embers of my heart into a flame of love for you, my family, my neighbor, and my enemy. Amen. 

(an ancient Celtic prayer, used each morning as the embers in the household hearth were stirred; photo by Conanil, courtesy of everystockphoto.com)

Cleft

Let the Morning

To Accurately Understand Things as They Truly Are

Strengthen me, O God, by the grace of your Holy Spirit. Give me discipline to be strengthened with power in my inner person. Free my heart from all care and trouble, so I may not be drawn away by various desires after anything with little value or great. But may I look on all things as passing away and myself as passing away with them, because there is no profit under the sun, and all is futile and troubling to your spirit. "But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless--like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere" (Ecclesiastes 2:11). Oh how wise are those who understand this!

Give me, Lord, heavenly wisdom, that I may learn to seek you above all things and to find you. Help me desire you above all things. May I love you. Grant me, according to your wisdom, to accurately understand things as they truly are. Help me to wisely avoid the flatterer and patiently to bear with the one who opposes me. It is great wisdom, not to be carried by every wind of words, nor to give ear to the wicked flattering seductress. With this mindset, we go safely on in your way, Lord. 

(from The Imitation of Christ: Classic Devotions in Today's Language, by Thomas à Kempis, compiled and edited by James N. Watkins; photo by Caniceus via pixabay.com)

Refuge and Shield

I Will Wait for You

The Way

A New Psalm 57

Have mercy on me and mine, O God, 

have mercy on us;

You are our refuge. 
We hide in the shadow of your wings 
and await your vindication.

We cry out to you, God Most High,

begging you to fulfill your purpose in and for us. 
Send your hosts from heaven and save us, 
scattering those who lie, slander, and attack.

Send your love and faithfulness

as our defense against hateful beasts, 

who snarl and claw, 

rant and rage.

Just do your thing, God;
show your strength and glory.
Make our hearts steadfast, O God; 
let us sing and make music,
praising you so loud
and serving you so passionately
that we will keep the day awake
and prevent the night from getting any sleep.

We will praise you, O Lord, no matter what;
we will serve you to our last breaths. 
For your love stretches all the way to the heavens; 
your faithfulness extends from our little place
to the outermost reaches of the universe.

Just do your thing, God;
show your strength and glory.

(based on Psalm 57; photo by Tama66 via pixabay.com)

Hiding Place

Epiphany

Almighty and everlasting God, who has made known the incarnation of your Son by the bright shining of a star, which, when the wise men beheld, they presented costly gifts and adored your majesty; grant that the star of your righteousness may always shine into our hearts; and that, as our treasure, we may give ourselves and all we possess to your service, through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. 

 (from the Gelasian Sacramentary; image by Pancho_2323chivas via pixabay.com)

For Richard

Lord, as you know, today is Richard Wright's funeral and committal in his hometown of Chillicothe, Ohio. I know that you've already welcomed him into your gracious presence and his eternal reward, with (I hope) a Dixieland band, a raucous party, and a table spread with lots of coffee, potato salad, banana cream pie, milk shakes, Hershey bars, and every homemade dish that ever made his eyes light up. Let his final sendoff be a fitting tribute to the man who was a loving father to my wife, a second father to me, and the hardest working man I ever knew. Amen.
 

Way of Life

Great is Your Mercy

In This New Year

In this new year, 

I abandon myself into your hands. 

Do with me whatever you will. 

Whatever you may do, I thank you. 

I am ready for all, I accept all. 

Let only your will be done in me, 

and in all your creatures. 

Into your hands I commend my spirit. 

I offer it to you with all the love that is in my heart. 

For I love you, Lord, and so want to give myself, 

to surrender myself into your hands, without reserve 

and with boundless confidence, 

for you are my Father. 

Amen. 

(a prayer by Charles de Foucauld, slightly revised; photo by Myriads-Fotos via pixabay.com)

Unknown Waters

O Lord,

Length of days does not profit me except the days are passed in thy presence, in thy service, to thy glory.

Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides, sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour,
that I may not be one moment apart from thee,
but may rely on thy Spirit,
to supply every thought,
speak in every word,
direct every step,
prosper every work,
build up every mote of faith,
and give me a desire
to show forth thy praise,
testify thy love,
advance thy kingdom.

I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year,
with thee, O Father, as my harbour,
thee, O Son, at my helm,
thee O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.

Guide me to heaven with my loins girt,
my lamp burning,
my ear open to thy calls,
my heart full of love,
my soul free.

Give me grace to sanctify me,
thy comforts to cheer,
thy wisdom to watch,
thy right hand to guide,
thy counsel to instruct,
thy law to judge,
thy presence to stabilize.

May thy fear be my awe,
thy triumphs my joy.

(from The Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers, edited by Arthur Bennett)

On the Last Day of 2020, Thank You God!

Good Lord,
it's the last day of 2020...

Only a few hours left in this old year
which seemed so new
oh, not-so-long ago...

Where has the old year gone, Lord?
And how did it go?

And how did I go with you,
make my way with you, Lord,
these past twelve months?

I remember the times
we walked and talked together,
side by side,
you and I...

And I remember the times
when I forgot, somehow,
that you were right there by my side,
and the times I tried to pretend
that you weren't there,
always within arm's reach...

I remember the times when you took delight
in my words and my work
and I remember the times I ignored and forgot you
- but still you loved me
and in your mercy, you forgave me...

Nothing I've done, Lord,
merits what you've given me:
all your love is grace,
an unearned gift
from your heart to mine...

In return I offer so little
and I have so little to offer...

But there comes now a new year, Lord,
and with it my prayer
to live a life more worthy
of all you so freely give me...

In this new year, Lord,
make strong my resolve to be faithful,
make deep my trust in your presence
and make sure my hope in your promise,
for without your help
I will fail...

Lord, you offer me only
what is true and pure,
good and just, strong and graced...

In this new year, help me recognize
what is false, cheap and sham...

Help me to settle for nothing less
than what comes from your heart and hand...

Nourish me, Lord:
give me a hunger for what is genuine,
a thirst for what is holy,
a wisdom for discerning your gifts...

It's the last day of the old year, Lord...

Shake from my heart what has no place there
and wake my heart
to the gift of your grace
and the dawn of a new beginning...

Amen.

(from my online friend Austin Fleming's A Concord Pastor Comments blog, and updated to 2020)

At the Close of Another Year

Our great and Gracious God,

As we come to the close of another year, we would indeed make it the prayer of our hearts that you would abide with us.

We thank you that you have been with us through the days of this past year.

Perhaps many a day we have not felt you near,
Perhaps at times we have even felt that you have
forsaken us and forgotten us but we thank you
that it has never been so.
We thank you that you are constantly with your people, and that you have enabled us to persevere in grace,

You have comforted our hearts,
You have heard our prayers,
You have come so often to our aid.
We pray that you will go with us into this new year.

There is none of us who knows what the new year will hold, but we thank you that every moment of that year is in your hands, and you will be with your people.
We thank you that with that promise girding us, we can go forward with confidence and in your peace. We pray that you will help us to walk with you in this new year better than we have ever done before. Forgive us, Lord, for our sins and our backslidings of this past year.

Grant to us, as the days of the new year unfold, an ever closer walk with you.
Help us to put sin to death,
Help us gladly yield our lives unreservedly to Jesus Christ, our Savior, and God that we may regard ourselves entirely at his disposal to be, to go, to do, as he would wish
We pray that it may be our privilege to serve him,
to bring glory to him, to help others to know him better, and to help some, indeed, to come to know him for the first time.
Have mercy, we pray, upon those connected with us who come to the end of this year and their hearts are still closed against you, still hardening their hearts against you.

Spare them, O God, we pray; spare them! Grant that this new year would mark the beginning of new life in Jesus Christ. We are so thankful for the almighty Holy Sprit, for his limitless power
to bring conviction of sin,
to give new birth,
and to draw those who are away from you
to faith and to repentance.
We pray, Lord, that you would do that in the hearts and lives of all who are upon our hearts.
For Jesus’ sake, Amen.

(from Heart Cries to Heaven by David Campbell)

Unfailing

Poor and Needy

On Ryder's Birthday

Lord, I pray for this boy on his ninth birthday. 

Thank you for him and his ebullient spirit,

for his brilliant mind and tender heart, 

and for his blessedly good health. 

Please continue the good, good work you began in him, 

and for which I prayed at his dedication, 

making him like Enoch, who walked with God; 

like Gideon, who though the circumstances of his birth 

were far from perfect, 

who though his family was of no reputation, 

who though he had many disadvantages in life arrayed against him, 

learned that with God even the smallest can be great;

and making him like David, the man after God's own heart, 

who knew what it was not only to walk with you 

not only to fight and win great battles on your behalf, 

but who also knew how to dance before you. 

Make it so, in this boy's life, 

on today, his birthday, and every day to come. 

Give him and his parents and his sisters

every blessing and every advantage, 

in Jesus' name, amen. 

Shine Forth

Almighty God,
you have poured upon us
the new light
of your incarnate Word:
Grant that this light,
enkindled in our hearts,
may shine forth in our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God,
now and for ever.
Amen.

The Day of Joy Returns

The day of joy returns, Father in Heaven, and crowns another year with peace and good will. Help us rightly to remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wisemen. Close the doors of hate and open the doors of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil, by the blessing that Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clean hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and the Christmas evening bring us to our bed with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake, amen. 

(a prayer by Henry Van Dyke; photo by JillWellington via pixabay.com)

Come, Jesus, I Await You

Night has fallen; the clear, bright stars are sparkling in the cold air; noisy, strident voices rise to my ear from the city, voices of the revelers of this world who celebrate with merrymaking the poverty of their Saviour. Around me in their rooms my companions are asleep, and I am still wakeful, thinking of the mystery of Bethlehem.

Come, come, Jesus, I await you. . . .

I am a poor shepherd; I have only a wretched stable, a small manger, some wisps of straw. I offer all these to you, be pleased to come into my poor hovel. I offer you my heart; my soul is poor and bare of virtues, the straws of so many imperfections will prick you and make you weep--but oh, my Lord, what can you expect? This little is all I have. . . . I have nothing better to offer you, Jesus, honour my soul with your presence, adorn it with your graces. Burn this straw and change it into a soft couch for your most holy body.

Jesus, I am here waiting for your coming. Wicked men have driven you out, and the wind is like ice. I am a poor man, but I will warm you as well as I can. At least be pleased that I wish to welcome you warmly, to love you and sacrifice myself for you.

Amen.

(This prayer, written by a young Italian seminarian named Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli in 1902 who would later become Pope John XXIII, has become a Christmas Eve tradition for me, and for this blog).

The O Antiphons: O Emmanuel

The O Antiphons: O King of Nations

The O Antiphons: O Rising Sun

The O Antiphons: O Key of David

The O Antiphons: O Root of Jesse

The O Antiphons: O Adonai

The O Antiphons: O Wisdom

O Come

My Soul's a Shepherd Too

The shepherds sing; and shall I silent be?
My God, no hymn for Thee?
My soul's a shepherd too; a flock it feeds
Of thoughts, and words, and deeds.
The pasture is Thy word: the streams, Thy grace
Enriching all the place.

(a prayer by Gerard Manley Hopkins)

In the Bleak Midwinter

In the Process of Your Coming

I’ve begun to understand something I have known for a long time: You are still in the process of your coming. Your appearance in the form of a slave was only the beginning of your coming, a beginning in which you chose to redeem men by embracing the very slavery from which you were freeing them. And you can really achieve your purpose in this paradoxical way, because the paths that you tread have a real ending, the narrow passes which you enter soon open out into broad liberty, the cross that you carry inevitably becomes a brilliant banner of triumph.

It is said that you will come again, and this is true. But the word again is misleading. It won’t really be “another” coming, because you have never really gone away. In the human existence that you made your own for all eternity, you have never left us.

But still you will come again, because the fact that you have already come must continue to be revealed ever more clearly. It will become progressively more manifest to the world that the heart of all things is already transformed, because you have taken them all to your heart.

Behold, you come. And your coming is neither past nor future, but the present, which has only to reach its fulfillment. Now it is still the one single hour of your Advent, at the end of which we too shall have found out that you have really come.

O God who is to come, grant me the grace to live now, in the hour of your Advent, in such a way that I may merit to live in you forever, in the blissful hour of your eternity.

(from Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas; photo by Free-Photos via pixabay.com)

When Seeds are Hidden in the Soil

The feast day of your birth resembles You, Lord 
Because it brings joy to all humanity. 
Old people and infants alike enjoy Your day. 
Your day is celebrated from generation to generation.
Kings and emperors may pass away, 
And the festivals to commemorate them soon lapse. 
But Your festival will be remembered until the end of time. 
Your day is a means and a pledge of peace. 
At Your birth heaven and earth were reconciled, 
Since You came from heaven to earth on that day 
You forgave our sins and wiped away our guilt. 
You gave us so many gifts on the day of your birth: 
A treasure chest of spiritual medicines for the sick; 
Spiritual light for the blind; 
The cup of salvation for the thirsty; 
The bread of life for the hungry. 
In the winter when trees are bare, 
You give us the most succulent spiritual fruit. 
In the frost when the earth is barren, 
You bring new hope to our souls. 
In December when seeds are hidden in the soil, 
The staff of life springs forth from the virgin womb.

(a prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian; photo by Foundry via pixabay.com)

Tiptoe

Lord Jesus,
the day of your nativity approaches,
the day on which we commemorate
your birth,
your condescension,
your humble incarnation.
Please help me and mine
to approach that day
on tiptoe,
with reverence and awe,
mindful of your holiness and beauty,
and grateful for the privilege
of finding
and approaching
and kneeling at
your manger, amen.

In the Whirl

With All My Heart

Path Prayer

Your Eternal Goodness

Come

Like an Ever-Flowing Stream

One Short Hour in Thy Presence

Lord, what a change within us one short hour 

Spent in Thy presence will prevail to make; 

What heavy burdens from our bosoms take, 

What parched fields refresh as with a shower. 

We kneel, and all around us seems to lower; 

We rise, and all, the distant and the near, 

Stands forth in sunny outline, brave and clear;

We kneel how weak; we rise how full of power! 

Why should we ever weak or heartless be,

Why are we ever overborne with care,

Anxious or troubled, when with us is prayer,

And joy, and strength, and courage are with Thee?

(a prayer of Richard Trent; image via pixabay.com)

I Have No Idea Where I am Going

(a prayer of Thomas Merton, read by Father Matt, who was a novice at the Abbey of Gethsemani when Merton was novice master)

Table-Turning Savior

My Hedge

Lord, you know I tend to want to “hedge my bets.” 

But you are my hedge. 

I trust in you.

On my best days, at least. 

Help me to trust in you every day. 

(photo by timajo via pixabay.com)

Into Your Chamber

Draw me completely into yourself,

So that I might completely melt in your love.

Lay upon me, stamp upon me,

So that my stubborn pride might be destroyed.

Embrace me, kiss me,

So that my spiritual ugliness may turn to beauty.

Lock me into your chamber,

So that I might never stray 

from your presence.

(a prayer by Johann Freylinghausen; photo by truk via pixabay.com)

As I Am

For a Serious Seeking

Keep me O Lord, while I tarry on this earth, 

in a serious seeking after you, 

and in an affectionate walking with you, 

every day of my life; 

that when you come, I may be found 

not hiding my talent, 

nor serving the flesh, 

nor yet asleep with my lamp unfurnished, 

but waiting and longing for you.

 (a prayer by Richard Baxter; photo by Pexels via pixabay.com)

You Speak Words of Promise and We Answer

You speak words of promise, 

and we answer. 

A thousand times we answer, 

in a thousand tongues-- 

we answer in hymns of praise, 

we answer in songs of thanksgiving, 

we answer in lyrics of gladness, 

we answer in candor about hurt, 

we answer in abrasive anger, 

we answer in deep abandonment. 

We answer and draw close to you. 

And in answering we are changed: 

given freedom, 

come to truth, 

bound in obedience. 

We answer and are yours, all yours, 

not our own, 

yours, and 

glad that we belong to 

you our faithful savior. 

(a prayer by Walter Brueggemann, from his book, Prayers for a Privileged People, p. 169)

On Thanksgiving

Our Father in Heaven, 

If ever we had a cause to offer unto Thee our fervent thanks, surely it is now, on the Eve of our Thanksgiving Day, when we, the people of this Nation, are comfortable, well fed, well clad, and blessed with good things beyond our deserving. May gratitude, the rarest of all virtues, be the spirit of our observance. 

Let not feasting, football, and festivity end in forgetfulness of God. May the desperate need of the rest of the world, and our own glorious heritage, remind us of the God who led our Fathers every step of the way by which they advanced to the character of an independent nation.

May the faith and conviction of George Washington be renewed in us as we remember his words:

...there is no truth more thoroughly established than that there exits in the economy and course of nature an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness; between duty and advantage; between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity; since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained...

For if we do not have the grace to thank Thee for all that we have and enjoy, how can we have the effrontery to seek Thy further blessings? God, give us grateful hearts. 

For Jesus' sake.

Amen.

(a prayer from the Senate of the United States, November 26, 1947, by Rev. Dr. Peter Marshall, Chaplain)

On Calleigh's Birthday

Abba, Father, Most Blessed, Most High, 

this girl. 

Isn't she precious? 

Thank you for giving to our family 

the gift of Calleigh,

this precious young woman, 

this beautiful granddaughter, 

this wonderful Calleigh. 

Thank you for preserving her 

through every trial and challenge.

Thank you for her health, 

wholeness, 

charm, 

beauty, 

innocence, 

and intricacy. 

Thank you for entrusting her to the care of such wonderful parents. 

Gentle Shepherd, 

continue as you've begun, 

adding more health, 

more strength, 

more happiness, 

more brilliance, 

more love, 

character, 

and delight

to her life and to our life through hers, 

in Jesus' name, amen. 

For Your Mercies on Me

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; illustration by avi_acl via pixabay.com)

My Little Vessel is Full

O My God, 

Thou fairest, greatest, 

first of all objects, 

my heart admires, 

adores, 

loves thee, 

for my little vessel 

is as full as it can be, 

and I would pour out 

all that fullness before thee 

in ceaseless flow. 

When I think upon and converse with thee 

ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up, 

ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed, 

ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart, 

crowding into every moment of happiness.

I bless thee for the soul thou hast created, 

for adorning it, for sanctifying it, 

though it is fixed in barren soil; 

for the body thou hast given me, 

for preserving its strength and vigour, 

for providing senses to enjoy delights, 

for the ease and freedom of my limbs,

for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding;

for thy royal bounty providing my daily support,

for a full table and overflowing cup,

for appetite, taste, sweetness,

for social joys of relatives and friends,

for ability to serve others,

for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,

for a mind to care for my fellow-men,

for opportunities of spreading happiness around,

for loved ones in the joys of heaven,

for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.

I love thee above the powers of language to express, 

for what thou art to thy creatures.

Increase my love, O my God, 

through time and eternity. 

(from The Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers, edited by Arthur Bennett)

Only in God