A Prayer from Psalm 112

Lord God, I fear you; I find great delight in your commandments. Therefore, my children will be mighty in the land, and even the generation after them will be blessed. Wealth and riches will fill my house. Even in the dark, light will dawn for me. Good will come to me because I am generous and lend freely. I will not fear bad news, because my heart steadfastly trusts in you. I will look in triumph on my foes because my heart is secure. I will even be honored by you, because I honor you! My detractors will be vexed and all their longing for my embarrassment will come to nothing. Thank you, in Jesus' name, amen.

Never Alone

Thank you, Lord God Almighty,
for today's reminder
that I never pray alone:
Thank you for the Spirit's intercession
and for my Lord Jesus,
who "ever liveth" to intercede for me
and with me.
Please let me pray in concert
with you
and in sensitive agreement
with your will.
Amen.

Save me From "Making" 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.

A Prayer of Christina Rosetti

O Lord,
who art as the shadow
of a great rock
in a weary land,
who beholdest thy weak creatures,
weary of labor,
weary of pleasure,
weary of hope deferred,
weary of self:
In thine abundant compassion
and unutterable tenderness,
bring us, we pray thee, unto thy rest. Amen.

Stuff

Father, I confess:
Sometimes I make up stuff.
I do stuff for show.
I pretend to know stuff.
I even act like I'm made of stuff I'm not.
But I thank you that, by your grace,
I am becoming less of a sham
and more of a man.
Amen.

Contentment

Lord God, please teach me contentment.
Teach me to be satisfied in the now,
and grant me the grace to anticipate the not-yet
without pining or worrying,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Attentive

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

A Prayer for the Lord's Day

Abba, Father,
please grant me energy today beyond my resources.
Grant that your people may truly worship you.
Grant that all may be drawn closer to you.
Tear down strongholds.
Route the Enemy.
Convict of sin.
Inspire.
Save.
Be glorified,
in Jesus' name, amen.

A Prayer of Arthur Hays Sulzberger

(This prayer by the late chairman of the board of the New York Times was reportedly inspired by a passage from Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis; it has been revised slightly)

God give me clear eyes and freedom from haste!
God give me anger against all pretence!
God keep me looking for my own mistakes!
God keep me at it till my results are proven!
God give me strength to trust the strength of God!

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your servant who calls upon you, and grant that I may know and understand what things I ought to do, and that I also may have the grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Variation on Lord Astley

Lord, Thou knowest
I shall be verie busie this day.
Let me not forget Thee.
Let Thee not forget me.
Amen.

Cleanliness

Abba, Father,
reading the book Infidel today
drove me to prayer,
to say thank you for the cleanliness
I take for granted in my life:
clean floors,
clean air,
clean streets,
restaurants,
sidewalks,
toilets,
water,
yards,
public places,
and more,
so much so that our most public places
would resemble Disney World to an immigrant
from Somalia or Kenya or many other nations in the world.

So I thank you,
even as I pray for those living in opposite circumstances,
and say Lord, have mercy on them,
in Jesus' name, amen.

I Lay Down

I lay down tonight, Lord. I lay down in peace, in the knowledge that you are sovereign, loving, and utterly trustworthy. I lay down my need to do, and surrender anew to you. I lay down my fears, and rest in your wakeful care. I lay down my agenda for tomorrow and say, "your will be done." I lay down my drive to please man and ask you for the simple--but great--privilege of pleasing you. I lay down. Goodnight.

In Your Hands

Abba, I am in your hands.
Do with me--
and in me, and through me--
what you will,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Confession

Abba, you have helped me to realize that one of the reasons I so love solitude is that there, by myself, I get my way! How stubborn is my selfish nature. Please forgive me. Amen.

My Psalm 72

Endow this pastor with your wisdom, O God,
your servant and son with your guidance.

Help me lead your people in righteousness,
and comfort your suffering children with compassion.

Bring prosperity to your people,
let their lives reflect your nature
as surely as the earth and sky around them.

Defend the afflicted among your people
and save the poor and needy;
crush the oppressor.

Grant that I may live and serve you as long as I am useful,
and then anoint my successor.
Let your hand be upon us like rain falling on a field of fresh-mown hay,
like showers refreshing the soil.
Make the righteous flourish, O Lord;
send prosperity to your people that lasts until the moon disappears.
Exert your rule from end to end in our community,
and show yourself strong throughout the “metroplex!”

Let your foes fall down before you;
press your Enemy’s face into the dust.
Let the powers of this earth,
the mighty, moneyed kings of academia,
bring you tribute and present you gifts.
Let the best and brightest bow down to you,
and all nations and tongues serve you,
because you rescue the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no help.
You take pity on the weak and the poor
and save the destitute.
You rescue them from oppression and violence,
for you watch over them with care and concern.

Lord, strengthen this pastor,
your servant and son.
May your people be faithful in praying for me,
and bless me and my coworkers with their prayerful support.
Protect, preserve, and prosper
your church;
cause it to flourish like Lebanon;
cause it to thrive like the Shephelah.

May our efforts for you endure forever;
may they continue as long as the sun.
May all nations be blessed through us,
and may the names of your saints live on.

Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel,
for you alone do marvelous deeds.
Praise be to your glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with your glory.
Amen and Amen.

Freedom Prayer

Almighty God, help me to honor the freedom you have given me
by offering it to you
and using it for you,

in Jesus' name, amen.

A Prayer by Saint Benedict

O Lord,
I place myself in Your hands
and dedicate myself to You.

I pledge myself to do Your will in all things:
To love the Lord God with all my heart,
all my soul,
all my strength.
Not to kill,
not to steal,
not to covet,
not to bear false witness,
to honor all persons.
Not to do to another what I should not want done to myself.
Not to seek after pleasures.

To love fasting.
To relieve the poor.
To clothe the naked.
To visit the sick.

To bury the dead.
To help those in trouble.
To console the sorrowing.
To hold myself aloof from worldly ways.
To prefer nothing to the love of Christ.

Not to give way to anger.
Not to foster a desire for revenge.
Not to entertain deceit in the heart.
Not to make a false peace.

Not to forsake charity.
Not to swear, lest I swear falsely.
To speak the truth with heart and tongue.
Not to return evil for evil

To do no injury, indeed,
even to bear patiently any injury done to me.
To love my enemies.
Not to curse those who curse me but rather to bless them.
To bear persecution for justice's sake.

Not to be proud.
Not to be given to intoxicating drink.
Not to be an overeater.
Not to be lazy.
Not to be slothful
Not to be a detractor.

To put my trust in God.
To refer the good I see in myself to God.
To refer any evil I see in myself to myself
To fear the day of judgment.
To be in dread of hell.

To desire eternal life with spiritual longing.
To keep death before my eyes daily.
To keep constant watch over my actions.
To remember that God sees me everywhere.

To call upon Christ for defense
against evil thoughts that arise in my heart.
To guard my tongue against wicked speech.
To avoid much speaking.
To avoid idle talk.

Not to seek to appear clever.
To read only what is good to read.
To pray often.
To ask forgiveness daily for my sins,
and to seek ways to amend my life.

To obey my superiors in all things rightful.
Not to desire to be thought holy, but to seek holiness.
To fulfill the commandments of God by good works.

To love chastity.
To hate no one.
Not be jealous or envious of anyone.
Not to love strife.
Not to love pride.

To honor the aged.
To pray for my enemies.
To make peace after a quarrel,
before the setting of the sun.
Never to despair of your mercy, O God of mercy.

All I Ask

Father, if I could,
all I would ask for from this life
would be a quiet place to live,
books to read,
time with my wife,
time with my family,
time to think,
space to write,
a church to love,
and all my bills paid.
If you wanted to make me really happy,
I would let you throw in
an occasional visit with friends,
a nice steak once in a while,
and every year a trip to someplace new.
That would do it,
that would more than do it.
So why, Lord, why did you go and make me a pastor?

When Many Are Coming and Going

When many are coming and going and there is little leisure, give us grace, O heavenly Father, to follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, who knew neither impatience of spirit or confusion of work, but in the midst of his labors held communion with you, and even upon earth was still in heaven; where he now reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.

(A prayer by C. J. Vaughan, 1816-1897)