I Claim an Entrance


O God, if still the holy place 
Is found of those in prayer, 
By all the promises of grace 
I claim an entrance there. 

Give me a self-denying soul, 
Enlarged and unconfined; 
Abide within me, and control 
The wanderings of the mind. 

Give me the strength of faith that dares 
To die to self each day, 
That bravely takes the cross, nor cares 
To find an easier way. 

Help me to make more sacrifice, 
To walk where Christ would lead, 
That in my life He may arise 
To hallow every deed. 

Amen.

(a prayer of General Albert Orsborn of The Salvation Army)

That Hoping in Thee We May Do Good


O Lord, in Whom is our hope, 
remove far from us, 
we pray Thee, 
empty hopes and presumptuous confidence. 

Make our hearts so right 
with Thy most holy and loving heart, 
that hoping in Thee we may do good; 
until that day 
when faith and hope shall be abolished 
by sight and possession, 
and love shall be all in all.

Amen.

(a prayer by Christina Rossetti; photo by Lars_Nissen via pixabay.com)

Desires


Lord, please grant me the desires 
of YOUR heart. 
Amen.

(photo via pixabay.com)

Flower and Sun


We are the flower, Thou the sun! 
Forgive us if, as days decline, 
We nearer steal to Thee....

(lines 7-9 of Emile Dickinson's "The Daisy Follows Soft the Sun"; 
photo illustration by Kathas_Fotos via pixabay.com)

On Veterans' Day

God of peace,
we pray for those
who have served our nation
and who laid down their lives
to protect and defend our freedom.

We pray for those who have fought, 
whose spirits and bodies 
are scarred by war, 
whose nights are haunted by memories  
too painful for the light of day. 

We pray for those who serve us now,
especially for those in harm's way:
shield them from danger
and bring them home.

Turn the hearts and minds
of our leaders and our enemies
to the work of justice and a harvest of peace.

Spare the poor, Lord, spare the poor!

May the peace you left us,
the peace you gave us,
be the peace that sustains,
the peace that saves us.

Christ Jesus, hear us!
Lord Jesus, hear our prayer!

Amen.

(from A Concord Pastor Comments blog; photo by KaraSuva via pixabay.com)

Pleasure


Quietness and Confidence

Lord God Adonai, 
you said,
"In quietness and confidence 
is your strength" 
(Isaiah 30:15, NLT).
Make it so in me.
Help me to prove it, here and now, 
in Jesus' name, amen.

Kyrie

Lord, King and Father unbegotten, True Essence of the Godhead, 
have mercy on me. 
Lord, Fount of light and Creator of all things, 
have mercy on me. 
Lord, Thou who hast signed me with the seal of Thine image, 
have mercy on me. 
Christ, True God and True Man, 
have mercy on me. 
Christ, Rising Sun, through whom are all things, 
have mercy on me. 
Christ, Perfection of Wisdom, 
have mercy on me. 
Lord, vivifying Spirit and power of life, 
have mercy on me. 
Lord, Breath of the Father and the Son, in Whom are all things, 
have mercy on me. 
Lord, Purger of sin and Almoner of grace, 
I beseech Thee abandon me not because of my sins, 
O Consoler of the sorrowing soul, 
have mercy on me.
Amen.

(photo by jplenio via pixabay.com)

Post-Election-Day Prayer

Praise be to your name, God, for ever and ever; 
    wisdom and power are yours. 
You change times and seasons; 
    you depose kings and raise up others.
You give wisdom to the wise 
    and knowledge to the discerning.
You reveal deep and hidden things;
    you know what lies in darkness,
    and light dwells with you. 
Praise be to your name, God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

(based on Daniel 2:20-22; photo via Pixabay.com)

Election Day Prayer

Sovereign and Most High God, your Word says that you control the course of world events; you remove and exalt rulers (Daniel 2:21). So I pray, exert your control over the events of this election; remove and install leaders according to your “good, perfect, and pleasing” plan (Romans 12:2, NIV).

I pray for every candidate for every office, and the people who love them: God, be merciful to them and bless them; look on them with kindness (Psalm 67:1), whether they win or lose, and accomplish what is best for them, their loved ones, and their constituents.

I pray Isaiah 11:2 for every voter: Holy Spirit, speak to every person who votes in this election. Send the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD on everyone who casts a ballot.

I pray for justice to roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream, through my neighborhood, city, state, and nation (Amos 5:24).

I pray for your people to participate in this election and respond to the results not in a spirit of fear and timidity, but in a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).

As Jesus prayed, I ask for your will rather than mine (Matthew 26:39). Dispel suspicion and hatred, heal divisions, repair the damage to and by your church, and restore the unity of our nation. 

And, finally, Father, I ask for the faith to see your hand in the results of this election, even as I remember those people around the world who have no voice and no vote. Let my reaction to this election reveal my faith in You and my awareness of my privilege and responsibility as a citizen, in Jesus’ name, amen.

On All Saints' Day

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)

On All Hallows' Eve


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

(Traditional Scottish prayer)

A Prayer of Columba of Iona

Be thou a bright flame before me, 
Be thou a guiding star above me, 
Be thou a smooth path below me, 
Be thou a kindly shepherd behind me, 
Today - tonight - and for ever.

(a prayer of Columba of Iona; 
illustration by Comfreak via pixabay.com)

Just Like Jeremiah


Lord God Adonai, by your great grace 
make me, like Jeremiah, 
"a fortified city, an iron pillar, bronze walls," 
in Jesus' name, amen.

(based on Jeremiah 1:18)

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. 

(a prayer of Charles Wesley)