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Abba, thank you for the hundreds
of Bible translations that are available to me,
and for their forerunners throughout history,
who have made
your precious Word
understandable and accessible, often at great personal cost.

Thank you for of the 72 Jewish elders recruited by Ptolemy II
who translated the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek.

Thank you for William Tyndale,
who gave his life to "Write down the revelation and make it plain" (Habakkuk 2:2).

Thank you for the 47 scholars who transformed the Textus Receptus
into the beauty and majesty of the King James Version.

Thank you for Moffatt and Phillips,
for Ken Taylor and Eugene Peterson,
for the 32 scholars who gave us the NASB,
and the more than 100 scholars who produced the NIV.

Thank you for the efforts of more than 90 scholars
that went into the New Living Translation,
and that of the scores of scholars and advisors
who produced the English Standard Version.

May my appreciation and obedience to your Word
honor their efforts,
and yours in inspiring them.

May my life translate Scripture
into a language those around me can read,
in Jesus' name, amen.

(inspired by a blog post of Mark Batterson)

Pity My Unsettled Soul

Jesus, Shepherd of the sheep,
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.

(Charles Wesley)

May I Not Seek More

God,
may I not seek more
than you desire for me.

Save me
from longing for less.

May contentment complete me.
Let trust triumph.

Amen.

(A Twitturgies prayer)

You Have to Break My Heart Always

Lord, you know that I will forget to follow you and depend on you.
You know that I will not turn to you anymore as your child
if I feel I can make it on my own.
So you have to break my heart always,
you have to keep me poor and humble,
you have to keep me incapable of anything without you.

You have to make it clear to me
that I can do nothing without your grace,
and that will never be clear to me
if I think things are going well.
You have to break my heart.

(A prayer of Fr. Vincent Nagel, from the book Magnificat Year of the Priest Companion)

Bless the Lord

A Prayer of Appreciation for The Loft

What you have done, Lord God Adonai!
What you have done.
You led your people Cobblestone
to fifty acres
we never knew to ask for.
You guided us
through the thorns and brambles
of banks and funding
and plans and permits
and clearing and grading and building.
By your grace, we moved in
just one year ago.
We enter a building this morning
that is already furnished.
We sit on chairs
we don't have to put away
when worship is over.
We enjoy a commodious auditorium
and welcoming atrium
and accessible classrooms
and ample parking
and displays
and filtered water
and heating we control
and lighting we adjust
and a fine sound system
and so much more.
Oh, God, you have blessed your people
abundantly.
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much.
Thank you so very much.

Morning Prayer

Glory to you, King, God almighty, who through your divine and loving providence have consented that I, an unworthy sinner, should rise from sleep and obtain entrance into your holy house. Accept, Lord, the voice of my prayer as you accept those of your holy and spiritual powers. And that not through my defiled lips, but from a pure heart and humble spirit. Praise may be offered to you so that I also, with the bright lamp of my soul, may become a companion of the wise virgins and glorify you, God the Word, who is glorified in the Father and the Spirit. Amen.

Good

Abba,
you are so good to me.
Amen.

A Thanksgiving on Rising

As I rise from sleep, I thank you, Holy Trinity, for because of your great goodness and patience, you were not angry with me, an idler and sinner, nor have you destroyed me in my sins, but have shown your usual love for me. And when I was prostrate in despair, you raised me to glorify with your power. Enlighten now my mind’s eye, open my mouth to study your words and understand your commandments, to do your will and sing to you in heartfelt adoration, and praise your most holy name, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

(An Orthodox prayer)

My Psalm 105

Thank you, LORD!
I am thrilled to call on your name,
and blessed to be called
to make known among the nations what you have done.

Hear my song,
extolling your wonderful deeds,
glorifying your name,
rejoicing in your presence!

I look to you, LORD,
and draw my strength from your strength.
Communion with you is my life blood.

I remember the wonders you have done,
the miracles I have seen,
the moments in my life when your wise judgment has been vindicated.

Thank you, God, for making me a descendant of Abraham your servant,
a son of Jacob, your chosen ones.
Thank you for grafting me in!

You are my LORD and God;
I see your work all around me.

As you did with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
you have done with me:
you have kept all your promises,
you have fulfilled your word.

When my mood is low,
I forget.
But thank you for reminding me,
and teaching me that your faithfulness
is never dependent on my moods!

I wander;
you draw me back.

I feel attacked or oppressed;
you defend me.

I wallow;
you lift me up.

I feel sold out like Joseph;
you use everything to bring about my good!

Everything you do--
allowing gossip,
sending persecution,
performing miraculous signs,
sending darkness,
turning water to blood
or turning water to wine,
sending swarms of frogs or flies,
plagues of hail and locusts,
even death--
is intended for the deliverance of your loved ones!
And I am included in that number.

As you delivered Israel,
you deliver me.
Part the seas in my life, Lord,
Send pillars of fire and cloud ahead of me.
Feed me with manna and quail,
and open rocks to bring forth water!
Do it ALL,
so that your people will rejoice,
your chosen ones will shout with joy.
Do for your church what you did for your people of old:
give us the lands of the nations,
and make us heir to what others have toiled for
that we might show how you treat those
who love you and follow you
and walk in your ways,
in Jesus' name,
Amen!

Then Now Then

Forgive, 0 Lord, what we have been,
Direct what we are,
And order what we shall be,
For your mercy's sake,
Amen.

Faults

Lord, show me my faults.
Amen.

All You Did Was Save My Life

(I was so blessed by this song, sung in this morning's worship celebration at Cobblestone. As Con Brio was singing it, it became a prayer for me)

You, looked at me as you walked in the room;
Like the red sea, you split me open.
Somehow I knew these wings were stolen,
All you did was save my life.

Tried to run but I couldn't move,
Well, I paid for these concrete shoes
Like a singer that sings the blues,
You saw hope in the hopeless.

I'm not dying;
All you did was save my life.
Pulled me out of that flatline,
Put the heartbeat back inside.
I'm not dying;
All you did was get me through,
I owe every breathe to you.
Heart and soul unparalyzed,
All you did was save my life.

I'm not for sale but I've been sold,
The more I hear the less I know,
The lies are swallowed whole,
In their insignificance.
The story's been told a million times
but it's different when it's your life.
I won the lottery tonight,
The lottery tonight.

I'm not dying;
All you did was save my life.
Pulled me out of that flat line,
Put the heartbeat back inside.

I'm not dying;
All you did was get me through,
I owe every breathe to you.
Heart and soul unparalyzed,
All you did was save my life.

I started to come around,
The dogs are backing down,
I'm not afraid to see.

The devil's gone underground,
This tightrope's been cut down,
And I can finally breathe.

You, looked at me as I walked in the room
Like the red sea you split me open
Somehow I knew these wings were stolen

I'm not dying;
All you did was save my life.
Pulled me out of that flat line,
Put the heartbeat back inside.

I'm not dying;
All you did was get me through,
I owe every breathe to you.
Heart and soul unparalyzed,
All you did was save my life.

All you did was save my life.
(Put the heart beat back inside)
All you did was save my life.
(Put the heart beat back inside)
All you did was save my life.

A Prayer for the Victims

Heavenly Father,

I come to you asking that you would comfort the family and friends of the victims of the Fort Hood shootings. Meet each of these people at the point of their need and speak the words they need to hear in order to be comforted at this moment. Let the families and friends bind together and be strengthened as they mourn the untimely passing of their loved ones. And for those who are injured, be in the hospital room with them right now. Be at their bedside and hold their hands. Impart healing energy into their room and do what you do best as Jehovah Rophe, the God who heals stitch by stitch. Be with their loved ones who are in hospital waiting rooms awaiting news. Be with the doctors who will treat them, giving those doctors knowledge, wisdom and discernment. Let everyone who will and can pray for the recovery of those who are wounded, the comfort of those who are mourning and even the remorse for the shooters. I pray all of these things in the mighty and matchless name of Jesus, Amen.

(from beliefnet.com)

Learn

Abba, help me to learn
what you want me to learn.
Amen.

Richer Than Solomon

Thank you, Lord,
that I am richer than David,
in the children and grandchildren
who love me
and bless me with their company.
Thank you
that I am richer than Solomon
in the commodious confines of my heated,
air-conditioned,
running-watered,
indoor-plumbinged,
wired-for-electricity,
coffee-brewing,
food-refrigerating home.
Thank you
that I am richer than Herod,
in my ability to see your wonderful world,
the Andes one week,
the Smokies the next,
and my home and hearth the next!
I not only walk with the King,
I live like a king!
Thank you, in Jesus' name, amen.

I Need Thee

I need Thee,
O I need Thee.
Every hour, I need Thee.
O bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.

God, Submerge Me

God, submerge me
in the darkness of your love,
that the consciousness of my false, everyday self
falls away from [me]
like a soiled garment. . . .
May my 'deep self' fall into your presence . . . .
knowing you alone . . .
carried away into eternity
like a dead leaf in the November wind.

(Thomas Merton, The Ascent to Truth, p. 238)

Whatever May Come

Abba, whatever may come today,
I KNOW that you love me,
I KNOW that you saved me,
I KNOW that I belong to you,
I KNOW that your plans for me are good,
I KNOW that you have called me,
I KNOW that you will never leave or forsake me,
I KNOW that you accept me though others reject me,
I KNOW that you will uphold me and defend me,
whatever I may feel.
Thank you for the things I know.
Please supply also the things you want me to know,
and give me grace to embrace the mystery in all other things,
amen.

An All Saints Day Prayer

Father, All-Powerful and ever-living God,
you have knit together your elect
in one communion and fellowship
in the mystical body
of Your Son, Christ our Lord,
and kindled the flame of your love
in the hearts of the saints.
I praise you for the holy men and women
you have raised up
in every time and place.
Give me grace so to follow their example
in devotion and godliness
that I may come
to those ineffable joys
that you have prepared for those
who unfeignedly love you,
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord,
who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns,
one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

(updated and modernized from the Catholic Liturgy of the Hours, the Gothic Missal, and The Book of Common Prayer, 1979)