For My Unsettled Soul
Pity my unsettled soul;
Guide and nourish me and keep,
Till Thy love shall make me whole.
Give me perfect soundness, give;
Make me steadfastly believe.
I am never at one stay,
Changing every hour I am;
But Thou art, as yesterday,
Now and evermore the same.
Constancy to me impart,
Stablish with Thy grace my heart.
Give me faith to hold me up,
Walking over life's rough sea;
Holy, purifying hope,
Still my soul's sure anchor be.
That I may be always Thine,
Perfect me in love divine.
(by Charles Wesley; photo by Daniel West, via everystockphoto.com)
Nowness
By Your Magnificent and Radiant Resurrection
with all the powers of our heart and mind,
to praise You Father
and Your Only-begotten Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ:
Dear Father, by Your wondrous
condescension of loving-kindness toward us,
Your servants, You gave up Your Son.
Dear Jesus You paid the debt of Adam
for us to the Eternal Father by
Your Blood poured forth in loving-kindness.
You cleared away the darkness of sin
By Your magnificent and radiant Resurrection.
You broke the bonds of death
and rose from the grave as a Conqueror.
You reconciled heaven and earth.
Our life had no hope of eternal happiness
before You redeemed us.
Your Resurrection has washed away our sins,
restored our innocence and brought us joy.
How inestimable is the tenderness
of Your love!
(Saint Gregory the Great's Easter Prayer)
Rest You Well
Rest you well, beloved Jesus,
Caesar’s Lord and Israel’s King,
In the brooding of the Spirit,
In the darkness of the spring.
(N. T. Wright, from The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is)
Beneath Thy Cross
Am I a stone, and not a sheep,
That I can stand, O Christ, beneath Thy cross,
To number drop by drop Thy blood's slow loss,
And yet not weep?
Not so those women loved
Who with exceeding grief lamented Thee;
Not so fallen Peter weeping bitterly;
Not so the thief was moved;
Not so the Sun and Moon
Which hid their faces in a starless sky,
A horror of great darkness at broad noon--
I, only I.
Yet give not o'er,
But seek Thy sheep, true Shepherd of the flock;
Greater than Moses, turn and look once more
And smite a rock.
(by Christina Rossetti)
Not Only My Feet
Lord, wash,
not only my feet,
but also
my hands
and
my head.
And
my heart.
And
my mind.
And
my life.
Amen.
(based on John 13:9).
In This Sacred Week
Lord Jesus, gracious Savior, I come to you in this sacred week to ponder your great and wondrous love; love that led you to the cross that my sin might be blotted out and that I might be reconciled to my heavenly Father. O Christ, give me strength and grace to crucify my sinful desires and dedicate myself anew to you, who has loved me with an everlasting love and brought to me eternal salvation. I confess to You my sins. They are many, and You know them all. For each and every one of them you suffered the agony of the cross and shed your precious blood that I may be cleansed and made acceptable in your sight. Thank you for the forgiveness and cleansing that is mine. Thank you that none of the sins of yesterday cling to me. Humbly I come, grateful for your mercy. Daily let me fulfill the tasks and duties to which You have called me with joy, confessing you as my Lord and Savior, and being of service to my neighbor.
Grant that your suffering and death, proclaimed for the salvation of mankind, may by the power of the Holy Spirit awaken in many a deeper love to You. O Lord, have mercy upon me and all sinful mankind, and create in me and all that seek you a clean heart, holy desires, and an undying love. Hear my prayer, gracious Redeemer. Amen.
(borrowed and revised from http://scotkinnaman.com)
It Was on a Tuesday
Lord Jesus,
it was on a Tuesday that you
spoke out against
abuse of power, collaboration with oppressors,
misuse of authority.
So today we pray,
Comforter of the abused,
strengthen those burdened by corrupted rule
or injustice;
rescue the overwhelmed;
be present to those who call on your name,
to those we name on our lips,
and in the silence of our hearts,
those whose concerns are known only to you,
amen.(illustration: Woe to you hypocrites by James Tissot).
Simple Prayer
My prayer is simple:
Your son, Jesus, suffered and died for me.
I know only
that I cannot have real strength
unless I rely on you.
I cannot feel protected
from my many weaknesses
until I turn to you
for forgiveness and your unalterable love.
Help me to share this
strength, protection and love with others.
(from One Prayer a Day for Lent)
On This Day of Great Rejoicing
On this day of great rejoicing,Lord Jesus Christ,
when we welcome You as our King and Savior,
we also walk in the shadow of Your cross.
Hosanna! we cry.
Blessed are You
who come in God’s name to save us.
Hosanna!
Strengthen our faith
on this Palm Sunday
so that when the time comes
to carry the cross
we might still call out to You
with heartfelt praise.
Give us the grace and the courage
to follow You this Holy Week
from death to resurrection,
from darkness to the fullness of light.
We need You, Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Hosanna! Amen.
Lent is Spring
So we do thank thee, Father in heaven, for reining the sun up this way again; for making these warming days as long as the starry nights with the growing moon.
Would our Lord have need of our colt today?
Before the very stones cry out, we wave branches and shout, "Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."
But must our righteous King be crucified?
Must our viable seed be buried in the dark earth?
Thy will be done.
(excerpt from the book, The Farmer Gives Thanks; photo by Katzenfee50 via pixabay.com)
To Your Holy Mountain
to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem,
to God himself, to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which graciously forgives.
(based on Isaiah 66:20, Hebrews 12:22-24; painting: Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, by David Roberts in 1842, Library of Congress)
Caverns of My Soul
Sometimes, O God, my thirst for you is pushed aside, ignored, or simply quenched by something other—something reasonable, something more popular—than you. But you never go away, never stop, never leave the depths of me. Like an underground spring, you are fresh and free, breaking through. Help me prepare a place for you in the caverns of my soul. Amen. (a prayer by Pamela Hawkins, from page 36 of The Awkward Season: Prayers for Lent, copyright 2009 by Pamela Hawkins)
When My Time Comes
in my sleep
I want to go to bed
and be awakened
by you
saying
Get up son
it's the first day of school
the beginning of your new job
the dawn of eternity.
Here are your clothes.
Your older brother
wore them first
now they're yours
forever
white and fresh and clean
smelling of heaven.
(from Joseph Bayly's Psalms of My Life, p. 32)
A Birthday Prayer
But not nearly as much
As your great love deserves.
Each day I have left
Let me love and serve you
With more passion and zeal
Than the 23,376 (or so)
that have gone before.
Amen.
Be Merciful to Me, a Fool
O Lord,Be merciful to me, a fool!
No pity, Lord,
could change the heart
From red with wrong
to white as wool;
The rod must heal
the sin: but Lord,
Be merciful to me, a fool!
'Tis not by guilt the onward sweep
Of truth and right, O Lord, we stay;
‘Tis by our follies that so long
We hold the earth from heaven away.
These clumsy feet, still in the mire,
Go crushing blossoms without end;
These hard, well-meaning hands we thrust
Among the heart-strings of a friend.
The ill-timed truth we might have kept–
Who knows how sharp it pierced and stung?
The word we had not sense to say–
Who knows how grandly it had rung!
Our faults no tenderness should ask.
The chastening stripes must cleanse them all;
But for our blunders — oh, in shame
Before the eyes of heaven we fall.
Earth bears no balsam for mistakes;
Men crown the knave, and scourge the tool
That did his will; but Thou, O Lord,
Be merciful to me, a fool!
(from a poem by Edward Rowland Sill)
And I am Your Reflection
my longing,
my flowing stream,
my sun,
and I am
your reflection.
(a prayer of Mechtild of Magdeburg)
Owls
and I must heartily agree.
I rejoice that there are hawks and eagles, too,
those majestic circlers in the air.
I rejoice in the robins that come with Spring,
and cardinals that splash color on the canvas of winter.
I rejoice in the chevron of red
on the redwing blackbird's shoulder,
and thrill at a rare glimpse of bluejay in the tree.
I rejoice at the trill of a sparrow in the morning
and the distant knock of a woodpecker.
I rejoice that there are herons
and hummingbirds,
juncos
and chickadees,
in Jesus' name, amen.
(Image by Agto Nugroho via unsplash.com)
The Pride Which Leads
The pride which leads me
to trust in myself
and not in you,
O Lord, forgive. Amen.
(based on a plaque in Coventry Cathedral)
With All of Who We Are
Heavenly Father, Creator of our bodies, grant that we may worship you with all of who we are.
Each Morning Broken
Amen.
(a prayer of Soren Kierkegaard, slightly revised; image by jclovesu via pixabay.com)
Afford a Spring to Me
Let me feel like what I see;
Speak, and by your gracious voice,
Make my drooping soul rejoice.
On your garden deign to smile,
Raise the plants, enrich the soil;
Soon your presence will restore
Life to what seemed dead before.
(from a hymn by John Newton, slightly revised; image by @alpduran via unsplash.com)
Winds of March
Who but Thee, O Lord, who slept in the hinder part of the ship and commanded us to be not fearful.
And told the storm: be still.
Give us that same great faith, O God, as we come into the new spring.
Bless our plows, and our harrows too.
Let our grass seed fall on good ground, rot naturally in the moist earth, and live again in the warmth of the sun.
Bless every suckling on this place, our Father.
Strengthen the mothers, and spread their tender spirit of love and sacrifice into the hearts of men the world around.
We saw the wild geese in echelon flying, O God, and we are thankful.
Amen.
(from the book, The Farmer Gives Thanks; photo via everystockphoto.com)
Spring
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
For song of bird, and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!
For blue of stream and blue of sky;
For pleasant shade of branches high;
For fragrant air and cooling breeze;
For beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!
(by Ralph Waldo Emerson; photo by ROverhate via pixabay.com)
Path and Guide
Holy Father, always be our path and guide,our protection and shield,
our consolation and strength.
Set our feet, minds, and hearts onto your path of divine peace. Make your holy and divine Word, which you allow us to hear, vibrant and active in our hearts so we might please and serve you until the end of our lives. Amen.
(from the book Amish Prayers, compiled by Beverly Lewis)
On His Birthday
Oh, Lord, my God,
gone are the days
when my little boy
could climb into my lap
and melt my heart with a smile.
Gone are the nights
when I could read him a book
and smile with joy
at his plea for more
or sing him a lullaby
without knowing he could do it far better.
But oh, what a son he still is today.
Oh, how you've blessed me,
not only with a boy,
but with such a son,
such a husband,
such a father,
and such a friend as he is.
And though I know it is selfish
to ask more when you have given so much already,
I ask.
Lord, I ask.
Please make his every dream
come true.
Please.
Continue making him like Enoch, who walked with you,
like Noah, who found grace in your sight,
like Abraham, who walked by faith,
like Joseph, a dreamer and doer,
like Moses, who walked on holy ground,
like his namesake Aaron, who led your people into your presence,
like Caleb and Joshua, who saw with eyes of faith,
like Elijah, who received food from your hand,
like Elisha, who was given a double portion,
like David, who danced before you, a man after your own heart,
like Jehoshaphat, who trusted in you,
like Hosea, who forgave largely,
like John, a beloved disciple,
like Barnabas, a mentor and encourager.
Make him more than anything, like Jesus, lover of souls.
Bless him, Lord, on his birthday,
and every day to come,
as you have so blessed me with him,
in Jesus' name, amen.
Sea of Love and Goodness
O Lord, sea of love and goodness, let me not fear too much the storms and winds of my daily life, and let me know that there is ebb and flow but that the sea remains the sea. Amen.
(A prayer of Henri J.M. Nouwen; photo by Joseph Barrientos via Unsplash.com)
Harbor
to your quiet harbor,
where I can be safe from the storms
of sin and conflict.
Show me the course I should take.
Renew in me the gift of discernment,
so that I can always see the right direction
in which I should go.
And give me the strength and the courage
to choose the right course,
even when the sea is rough and the waves are high,
knowing that through enduring hardship and danger
in your name
we shall find comfort and peace. Amen.
(a prayer of Basil of Caesarea)
Mistakes
Lord, please redeem,
even sanctify,
my mistakes,
for I make a lot of them.
for I make a lot of them.
Amen.
(photo detail by Timasu via pixabay.com)
First Speaker
First Speaker,
you whispered your love to me
in my mother's womb.
First Knower,
you knew me
long before I knew you.
First Finder,
you found me
before I looked for you.
First Lover,
you loved me
before I had the first chance to love you back.
And you are still speaking,
knowing,
finding,
and loving me
first,
every day,
every moment;
you are always
speaking,
knowing,
finding,
and loving
me first.
Thank you,
in Jesus' name, amen.
(photo by Calvin Craig via Unsplash.com)
The Economics of Enough
the economics of enough.
If in greed
I ask too much of you.
If in fear
If in fear
I ask too little.
Measure daily my bread.
Amen.
(from http://twitter.com/twitturgies; photo courtesy of everystockphoto.com)
Measure daily my bread.
Amen.
(from http://twitter.com/twitturgies; photo courtesy of everystockphoto.com)
Our Ashen Way
On this Wednesday, we submit our ashen way to you —
you Easter parade of newness.
Before the sun sets, take our Wednesday and Easter us,
Easter us to joy and energy and courage and freedom;
Easter us that we may be fearless for your truth.
Come here and Easter our Wednesday with
mercy and justice and peace and generosity.
We pray as we wait for the Risen One who comes soon.
(excerpted from Prayers for a Privileged People by Walter Brueggemann; photo by Amplitudy via pixabay.com)
you Easter parade of newness.
Before the sun sets, take our Wednesday and Easter us,
Easter us to joy and energy and courage and freedom;
Easter us that we may be fearless for your truth.
Come here and Easter our Wednesday with
mercy and justice and peace and generosity.
We pray as we wait for the Risen One who comes soon.
(excerpted from Prayers for a Privileged People by Walter Brueggemann; photo by Amplitudy via pixabay.com)
Lift Up
(a prayer from The Imitation of Christ (Classic Devotions in Today's Language, by Thomas à Kempis, compiled and edited by James N. Watkins)
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