One Prayer a Day

A Prayer for Our Prayers

Lord, accept our prayers,
but judge us not through our prayers;
grant them with mercy.

(first century Jewish prayer)

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Wild Grapes

Grant, Almighty God, that as you train us up with so much diligence and assiduous care, and regard us as dear and precious like an hereditary vine--O, grant that we may not bring forth wild grapes, and that our fruit may not be bitter and unpleasant to you, but that we may strive to so form our whole life in obedience to your law, that all our actions and thoughts may be pleasant and sweet fruits to you. And as there is ever some sin mixed up with our works, even when we desire to serve you sincerely and from the heart, grant that all stains in our works may be so cleansed and washed away by the sacrifice of your Son, that they may be sweet-smelling sacrifices to you, through the same, even Christ Jesus, who has so reconciled us to you as to obtain pardon even for our works. Amen.

(a prayer of John Calvin, in his Commentary on Hosea, translated into English in 1846 and updated by me into modern English)

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Veterans Day Prayer

G-d of compassion,
G-d of dignity and strength,
Watch over the veterans of the United States
In recognition of their loyal service to our nation.
Bless them with wholeness and love.
Shelter them.
Heal their wounds,
Comfort their hearts.
Grant them peace.

G-d of justice and truth,
Rock of our lives,
Bless our veterans,
These men and women of courage and valor,
With a deep and abiding understanding
Of our profound gratitude.
Protect them and their families from loneliness and want.
Grant them lives of joy and bounty.

May their dedication and honor
Be remembered as a blessing
From generation to generation.

Blessed are You,
Protector and Redeemer,
Our Shield and our Stronghold.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

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For a Writer's Commute

Thank you that my morning commute

is just two floors down.

Amen.

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What Joy

Another Psalm 9

I will say a wholehearted "thank you," Lord;
I will brag on you to all who will listen.
You give me joy;
You make me want to sing, O Most High.

Whatever enemies I have are nowhere to be found;
they must be hiding in a hole somewhere,
for you, my righteous king and gracious judge,
are my defender and upholder.

You rebuke those who need rebuke;
you destroy wickedness with your righteous hand.
You embarrass the haughty
and dismantle their schemes,
erasing even the memory of them.

You reign forever;
you rule from your eternal throne,
righteously
and generously.

You are my refuge in desperate times,
my safe house.
I know you, love you, and trust you.
I know you will not let me down.

I will sing to you.
I will make you known,
you who remember my name
and listen to my cries and outbursts.

Save me from self-pity.
Have mercy on me and keep me from ignoring my blessings
and falsely inflating my challenges.
Help me to praise you with my actions,
to rejoice in your deliverance.

Save me from my own stupidity
and teach me wisdom by the stupidity of others.
Make me alert to your wisdom and justice;
let me learn from others' mistakes.

Most of all, save me from my tendency to forget you,
who never forgets me,
who is my constant hope.

Arise, Lord. Assert yourself
over all human silliness and sin--
especially my own.

Remind me constantly of who I am
and whose I am.

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For a New Therapy

Lord God,
you created all that is,
and gave such creativity and intellect to humans;
thank you for all that goes into medical research
and the development of new treatments
for cystic fibrosis,
from which my precious grandchildren suffer.

You know that I have hounded you to cure them,
miraculously or providentially,
as you see fit.

So now I pray for this new development,
for Vertex Pharmaceuticals's application for FDA approval of the combination of ivacaftor (Kalydeco™) and lumacaftor.

Grant approval, Lord.
Even though it's currently only for ages twelve and older,
use this new therapy to give them relief and health,
even as you bless new and ongoing efforts
that will bless Calleigh and Ryder,
even as I pray for you to heal them miraculously,
sooner,
in Jesus' name, amen.

A Prayer of W. H. Auden

O Lord, my God,
Though I forsake Thee,
Forsake me not,
But guide me as I walk
Through the Valley of Mistrust,
And let the cry of my disbelieving absence
Come unto Thee,
Thou who declared unto Moses,
I SHALL BE THERE.

(the solo from W. H. Auden's "The Twelve: Anthem for the Feast of any Apostle")

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A Post-Election Day Prayer

God, thank you
for the right
and responsibility
to vote.
Thank you for volunteers
who man the polls.
Thank you for poll watchers
who try to keep the process honest.
Thank you for all who exercise,
and for all who worked
and fought
and died
to protect and preserve,
this freedom
for all.
Amen.

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New Psalm 81

I sing for joy to you, God my strength;
I shout my praise to you, O God of Jacob!
I will sing and dance and clap and bow
 to the music of drum and guitar and keyboard today!

Full Moon or New Moon,
  I will sing songs to you and lift you up.
I will give thanks to you in my native tongue
and with whatever language you care to supply.
For you have removed the burden from my shoulders;
  my hands are the hands of a free man.

I called, and you rescued me,
  you answered me in the storm,
  you refined me through the fire.

I once more cast down my idols,
I once more declare you to be my God, God alone in my eyes.
I cast down my idol of security,
my idol of popularity,
my idol of man’s approval,
my idols of comfort,
ease,
and peace.

You are the LORD my God,
  who brought me out of Egypt.
  I will open wide my mouth, for you to fill it.
I will listen to you;
  I will submit to you.

Mold my stubborn heart
and deliver me from my own devices.
I will follow your ways,
and watch for you to quickly subdue my enemies
  and turn your hand against my foes!
Let those who hate cringe before you,
  and let their punishment be a warning to all.
But let me and mine be fed with the finest of wheat,
  let me and mine be satisfied with honey from the rock.
Amen.

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A Prayer the Pastor Quoted

Lord, don't let me get into any situation I'm going to have to pray my way out of.
Amen.

As Another Week Begins

O Lord, our Heavenly Father, at the beginning of another week we come to you for help and light.

Grant that we make this a sacred day of rest to your service. May we consecrate this day to find all peace and strength in you. Make our hearts beat with devotion so that we may serve you in spirit and in truth. May we live this day laying a good foundation for our coming work.

Be with us in the worship services of your day so that your saints may join in heart and soul. Be with us so that we may receive the blessing promised to all who sincerely pray to you and faithfully hear your Word.

This we ask for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord, in whose name we pray, amen.

Like Saints of Old

God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, please give my children and grandchildren the kind of faith exhibited by men and women of God like Abel, who by faith offered an acceptable sacrifice and was commended as righteous.

Give them faith like that of Enoch, who walked with you and pleased you. Let them fully believe in you, and know you as a rewarder of them who diligently seek you.

Grant them faith like that of Noah, who obeyed your word and built the ark, even before there was any sign of rain in the sky.

Let them trust you like Abraham did, who obeyed you and stepped out in faith without even knowing where you were leading him; let them, like him, look for a city with firm foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Let them be as sold out to you as Abraham was when he offered up Isaac. Give them the ability to believe in your promises even—especially!—when it would take a miracle.

Give them the faith of Jacob, who blessed the sons of Joseph and worshipped you with his last ounce of strength, and of Joseph who believed you would deliver your people even when he knew his eyes would not see it.

Grant them Moses’ kind of faith, who chose suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the short-lived pleasures of sin; let my children esteem the reproach of Christ greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt.

Give my children and grandchildren the kind of faith that sent the walls of Jericho crashing down, that delivered Rahab from destruction, that empowered and sustained Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephtha, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, achieved righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched flames of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, in spite of fear were brave in battle, and though outnumbered put whole armies to flight.

Let faith in you make them like godly women who received their loved ones back from the dead. Make them like those who stood strong even when they were tortured, refusing release because they believed in resurrection to a better life. Make them like those who endured jeers and flogging, chains and imprisonment. Give them the unshakeable faith of those who were stoned, sawn in two, beheaded, exiled—who became destitute, afflicted, persecuted—of whom the world was not worthy. Give them a faith so strong that even though they may wander in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth, they will nonetheless believe your Word and persevere until the day when you make them perfect, together with all the saints and heroes of the faith, in Jesus’ name, amen.

(based on Hebrews 11:1-40; the art piece, "Moses and the Burning Bush," is one of eleven panels by sculptor Alice Proctor, on display at Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, GA)

From Ghoulies and Ghosties

From ghoulies and ghosties
And long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!

(Traditional Scottish prayer; the artwork pictured above can be ordered here)

A Prayer for This Morning

I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.

(the daily morning prayer of Martin Luther; thanks to Leonard Sweet for posting this on Facebook)

For Prayerfulness

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.

Resilience

Give me that resilience of spirit that bends, but is never broken.

For upon life's resistances, I will rise.

(a prayer of E. Stanley Jones)

From Stupid Things

From the stupid things I often do,
deliver me, O Lord...

From my lack of thought and care,
deliver me, O Lord...

From my rash and headstrong judgments,
deliver me, O Lord...

From my impetuous quick temper,
deliver me, O Lord...

From my selfishness and greed,
deliver me, O Lord...

From my ego and my pride,
deliver me, O Lord...

From my foolishness and folly,
deliver me, O Lord...

From my delusions and my fantasies,
deliver me, O Lord...

From my wasting time and effort,
deliver me, O Lord...

From my stewing in self-pity,
deliver me, O Lord...

From my indifference and my apathy,
deliver me, O Lord...

From my jealousy and envy,
deliver me, O Lord...

From my grudges and resentments,
deliver me, O Lord...

From all my faults deliver me
and so deliver those whose hearts and lives
are bruised and hurt by mine, Lord...

Deliver me from all my faults
and in their place give me the grace
to be prudent
caring
understanding
peaceable
generous
selfless
wise
truthful
earnest
grateful
compassionate
accepting
and forgiving...

Deliver me from all my faults
and in their place give me the grace
to be faithful, Lord,
to you and to your Word...

Amen.

(a prayer from A Concord Pastor Comments; photo via everystockphoto.com)

The Echo of Heaven's Praise

Father, we rejoice that you have given us Sunday,
the day when we remember that you created the world
and all that is within it,
the day when Jesus was raised from the dead
and death and hell laid waste,
the day in which all things were made and remade.

Father, may we approach Sunday
with longing and expectation;
as the hungry seek for bread,
so may we yearn for word and sacrament;
save our worship from all that is trivial;
rooted in the reality of the world in which we live,
may it yet glimpse the glory of your presence,
and stand in awe at the light of your holiness;
may we sense the presence of all who have gone before us,
hearing in our own songs the echo of unseen heaven's praise,
in Jesus' name, amen.

(From More Everyday Prayers)

A New Mizpah for Miles and Mia

Be near to them, Lord,
all the while I can't.
Hold them close.
Keep them safe.
Shield and shelter them.
Bless and buoy them.

Let them remember their Crappaw and Mimi,
and their Aunt Aubrey and Uncle Kevin,
and their cousins, Calleigh, Ryder, and Avery,
and miss us all,
but not with the terrible pangs of longing
with which we miss them.

Keep them busy and happy and fruitful and joyful
while we are absent one from the other,
in Jesus' name, amen.