Revelation Prayer

Lord Jesus, I praise you because you are mighty.
You are Faithful and True.
You judge fairly.
Your eyes are like blazing fire,
and on your head are many crowns.
You wear a robe dipped in blood,
and your name is the Word of God.
You lead the armies of heaven.
From your mouth issues a sharp sword,
with which to humble the nations,
which you rule with an iron rod.
You tread the winepress of the fierce wrath of almighty God.
You bear the title: King of kings and Lord of lords,
and I praise you,
my King and my Lord, amen.

(based on Revelation 19:11-16).

Prayer for Holy Monday

God of love,
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)

Palm Sunday Prayer

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.

My Regular Prayer on Sermon Writing Day

I am your servant
And I am listening;
Speak to me Lord, speak to me.
I need your wisdom
And truth and comfort;
Speak to me Lord, speak to me.



Speak to me,
Speak to me,
Through your word,
Through your Spirit,
Speak your words of life.
Speak to me,
Speak to me,
I am listening,
I am waiting,
Speak to me.

I am your servant
And I am listening;
Speak to me Lord, speak to me.
My heart is silent,
My soul is longing,
Speak to me Lord, speak to me.

(a prayer of Tommy Walker)

Tax Day Prayer

Lord Jesus, I've been there,
or very near,
where you sent Peter
to cast his line
and catch a fish
in whose mouth
was a coin that paid
your taxes,
and his.

I'm no fisherman, Lord,
but I would not be averse
to a similarly miraculous provision from you
that would meet my need
and satisfy the IRS.
Amen.

You Struck the Rivers

Lord, I praise you
because you struck the rivers
and parted the sea;
you sent your chariots of salvation for your people.

You commanded your weapons of power!
You split open the earth with flowing rivers!
The mighty deep cried out, lifting its hands to you.
You are mighty, and worthy of praise!

(from Habakkuk 3:8-10)

Battle

Grant
that
I
may
pray
like
I am going
into
battle,
for
I
am.
Amen.

Hebrews 4:16 Prayer

Father God, I come before you in awe of who you are and of the amazing privilege that we have to approach your throne boldly. Thank you for this awesome gift you give us. Today, I bring these requests before you for all those in need and humbly lay them at your feet.

Where there is pain, apply a soothing balm. Where there is sorrow, fill them with joy. Where there is turmoil, grant them peace. Where there is confusion, give clarity. Where there is deep hurt, deliver encouragement.

Restore hope to the hopeless. Rest for the weary. Sweet comfort for the broken hearted.

To those who have lost their way, gently steer them back on the path to you. To those that are in a season of loneliness, show them that you are the friend above all friends.

To those that are sick, place your healing hand upon them. Minister deeply to hurting spirits. Strengthen the weak. Cheer up the downhearted.

Wrap those in need in your loving embrace and allow your sweet Holy Spirit to flow freely through their bodies and do a mighty work.

Draw us all closer to you and fill us with love unimaginable.

I ask all this in the mighty and saving name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

(from the Daily Prayer blog)

Praying Again for Japan

Lord God Adonai, lover of all humanity, hear my prayer for the people of Japan and all places throughout the lands that are and will be affected by the latest earthquakes and the resulting landslides, tsunamis, evacuations, and more:

Have mercy, Lord,
on all the displaced,
the injured,
the bereaved.

Have mercy, Lord,
on all who lose homes
and farms
and businesses
and livelihoods.

Have mercy, Lord,
on all who join in relief and rescue efforts,
who risk their lives to save others,
who sacrifice for the sake of your children.

Have mercy, Lord,
on leaders and decision-makers
and grant them clarity
and decisiveness,
wisdom and effectiveness.

Have mercy, Lord,
on the souls of those who are swept away
by this great tragedy,
and grant remission of sins and your merciful pardon,
through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Have mercy, Lord,
and move your church,
the Body of Christ,
to compassion
and service
for the victims of this tragedy,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Daniel Prayer

Lord, I pray for strength,
health,
and beauty in my life.
Help me to become well versed
in every branch of learning,
gifted with knowledge and good sense,
and have the poise needed
to effectively serve you, my King,
in Jesus' name,
amen.

(based on Daniel 1:4)

I Preach Today, Lord

I preach today, Lord.

Let me do so, please,
with passion,
and warmth.

Awaken my own heart
that I may awaken others'.

Speak to me
and then speak through me.

Move in me
and then move through me.

Grant me the eye of faith,
a heart of compassion,
a sharp mind,
and the joy of one
who sees you work
and rejoices to have
humbly played his part,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Dayspring from on High Be Near

Christ, Whose glory fills the skies,
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.

(by Charles Wesley)

False Prophet Prayer

Lord God Almighty,
remove from among your people
all false prophets
and the unclean spirits that inspire them.
Amen.

(based on Zechariah 13:2)

Foot-Soldier Prayer

Lord God Adonai,
you thunder
at the head of your army;
your forces are beyond number,
and mighty is the army that obeys your command.

I submit to you today as your foot-soldier;
help me to faithfully and effectively follow your orders.
Amen.

(based on Joel 2:11)

A Prayer of St. John Scholasticus

My God, I pretend to nothing upon this earth,
except to be so firmly united to you by prayer
that to be separated from you may be impossible;
let others desire riches and glory;
for my part, I desire but one thing,
and that is to be inseparably united to you,
and to place in you alone
all my hopes of happiness
and repose.

For Your Happy Willingness

Thank you, Lord,
for your "happy willingness" to create,
as Tozer phrased it.

Thank you that you were pleased
to form the heavens and the earth,
night and day,
Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.

Thank you that you lovingly and laughingly created
the otter and the eel,
the hawk and the hippopotamus,
roses and orchids,
blacked-eyed Susans and black-eyed peas.

Thank you that you delivered Israel out of Egypt
and me out of sin and condemnation.
Thank you that you made me whole
and gave me new life and fellowship with you, amen.

53

I never imagined
I'd be this old, Lord.

I never gave it a thought.

I'm now four years older
than my mother when she died,
yet just over half
of the course my father has
so far run.

Yet I thank you
that this old
is not so old
as it once was,
and that I am not quite
so decrepit
as I once imagined
53 to be.

Thank you for so many
kindnesses
and mercies
you have so far shown.

Thank you for each sunrise
and sunset,
for so many--countless--
healthful and happy times.

Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah;
lead me all my journey through.

Amen.

Lay Thy Terror Upon Me

Lord Jesus, I come to Thee for spiritual preparation. Lay Thy hand upon me. Anoint me with the oil of the New Testament prophet. Forbid that I should be come a religious scribe and thus lose my prophetic calling. Save me from the curse that lies dark across the modern clergy, the curse of compromise, of imitation, of professionalism. Save me from the error of judging a church by its size, its popularity or the amount of its yearly offering. Help me to remember that I am a prophet - not a promoter, not a religious manager, but a prophet. Let me never become a slave to crowds. Heal my soul of carnal ambitions and deliver me from the itch for publicity. Save me from bondage to things. Let me not waste my days puttering around the house. Lay Thy terror upon me, O God, and drive me to the place of prayer where I may wrestle with principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world. Deliver me from overeating and late sleeping. Teach me self-discipline that I may be a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

I accept hard work and small rewards in this life. I ask for no easy place. I shall try to be blind to the little ways that could make life easier. If others seek the smoother path I shall try to take the hard way without judging them too harshly. I shall expect opposition and try to take it quietly when it comes. Or if, as sometimes it falleth out to Thy servants, I should have grateful gifts pressed upon me by Thy kindly people, stand by me then and save me from the blight that often follows. Teach me to use whatever I receive in such manner that will not injure my soul nor diminish my spiritual power. And if in Thy permissive providence honor should come to me from Thy church, let me not forget in that hour that I am unworthy of the least of Thy mercies, and that if men knew me as intimately as I know myself they would withhold their honors or bestow them upon others more worthy to receive them.

And now, O Lord of heaven and earth, I consecrate my remaining days to Thee; let them be many or few, as Thou wilt. Let me stand before the great or minister to the poor and lowly; that choice is not mine, and I would not influence it if I could. I am Thy servant to do Thy will, and that will is sweeter to me than position or riches or fame and I choose it above all things on earth or in heaven.

Amen.

Writer's Prayer

O God, who hast hitherto supported me,
enable me to proceed in this labor,
and in the whole task of my present state;
that when I shall render up, at the last day,
an account of the talent committed to me,
I may receive pardon,
for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.

(written by Samuel Johnson on April 3, 1753, on the day he signed a contract to write the first complete dictionary of the English language)

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)