For the Last Day of An Old Year

Good Lord,
it's the last day of 2015...

Only a few hours left in this old year
which seemed so new
oh, not-so-long ago...

Where has the old year gone, Lord?
And how did it go?

And how did I go with you,
make my way with you, Lord,
these past twelve months?

I remember the times
we walked and talked together,
side by side,
you and I...

And I remember the times
when I forgot, somehow,
that you were right there by my side,
and the times I tried to pretend
that you weren't there,
always within arm's reach...

I remember the times when you took delight
in my words and my work
and I remember the times I ignored and forgot you
- but still you loved me
and in your mercy, you forgave me...

Nothing I've done, Lord,
merits what you've given me:
all your love is grace,
an unearned gift
from your heart to mine...

In return I offer so little
and I have so little to offer...

But there comes now a new year, Lord,
and with it my prayer
to live a life more worthy
of all you so freely give me...

In this new year, Lord,
make strong my resolve to be faithful,
make deep my trust in your presence
and make sure my hope in your promise,
for without your help
I will fail...

Lord, you offer me only
what is true and pure,
good and just, strong and graced...

In this new year, help me recognize
what is false, cheap and sham...

Help me to settle for nothing less
than what comes from your heart and hand...

Nourish me, Lord:
give me a hunger for what is genuine,
a thirst for what is holy,
a wisdom for discerning your gifts...

It's the last day of the old year, Lord...

Shake from my heart what has no place there
and wake my heart
to the gift of your grace
and the dawn of a new beginning...

Amen.
(from my friend Austin Fleming's A Concord Pastor Comments blog)

Looking Back

Father, thank you for your blessings to us this past year. Thank you for the grace shown to us and for your faithfulness. Some of us have traveled a hard road this year. We thank you for the things we have learned. As we look back, show us how you were with us through the year. Amen.

(from the Daily Prayer blog)

My Soul's Horizons

O Lord, you are the God of the early mornings,
the God of the late nights,
the God of the mountain peaks,
and the God of the sea.
But, my God, my soul has horizons further away than those of early mornings,
deeper darkness than the nights of earth,
higher peaks than any mountain peaks,
greater depths than any sea in nature.
You who are the God of all these,
be my God.
I cannot reach to the heights or to the depths;
there are motives I cannot discover,
dreams I cannot realize.
My God, search me.

(a prayer of Oswald Chambers, from My Utmost for His Highest (updated edition), January 9 selection).

A Prayer on the Sunday After Christmas

Almighty God,
you have poured upon us
the new light
of your incarnate Word:
Grant that this light,
enkindled in our hearts,
may shine forth in our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God,
now and for ever.
Amen.

Filled With So Many Good Things

Lord, if we were to sum it all up, we are filled with so many good things but today it's enough to appreciate the gift of life itself! And the gift of a morning so clean and crisp and beautiful that we can see blue sky everywhere! We offer our worship, our gifts, ourselves. You alone are God, you alone are the Lord. You alone are holy.

Forgive us for the words spoken in anger, for our actions that have hurt or harmed another. And we pray for those who hurt us, in the name of the one who said from the cross, "Forgive them- they don't know what they're doing." Free us, we pray, to make it easier for others to believe in you because they have known us. Help us to lighten the load that others are carrying, to cut some slack for others, knowing how we appreciate it when someone is patient and understanding with us.

We praise and glory and delight in your loving presence. The glow of that Holy Night still lingers...the simplicity and surrender of people giving themselves to each other and ultimately to you... Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wise men, all making their unplanned journeys. So teach us to walk with you in the happenstance. That if you are anywhere, you are where we are afraid and uncertain. Teach us anew that courage is not the absence of fear, but the presence of love- your love and grace. Teach us what it means to be loved unconditionally, and to trust in you even though we don't know what tomorrow will bring.

Help us to hear in Jesus our invitation to live and to be fully alive! That surrendering to you is an invitation to know joy and peace and gentleness deep within and where we live. It's our gain and we're so grateful. Renew and restrain us and our world in your love. Renew our hope and adventure and willingness to risk and serve. Deliver those who are in pain or who suffer from the violence of others. Heal us and hold us all, Lord. And equip us not only to know what our ministry is, but to do it! In the name of the One who saves us and loves, Jesus. Amen.

(a prayer by Scott Endress at clergyspirit.org)

Cradle Song

Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child,
Make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled
Within my heart, that it may be
A quiet chamber kept for Thee.

My heart for very joy doth leap,
My lips no more can silence keep;
I, too, must sing with joyful tongue
That sweetest ancient cradle song.

Glory to God in highest Heaven,
Who unto man His Son hath given;
While angels sing with tender mirth,
A glad new year to all the earth.

(a prayer of Martin Luther, from the new book We Hear the Angels, by JoAnn Streeter Shade)

I Await You

Night has fallen; the clear, bright stars are sparkling in the cold air; noisy, strident voices rise to my ear from the city, voices of the revelers of this world who celebrate with merrymaking the poverty of their Saviour. Around me in their rooms my companions are asleep, and I am still wakeful, thinking of the mystery of Bethlehem.

Come, come, Jesus, I await you. . . .

I am a poor shepherd; I have only a wretched stable, a small manger, some wisps of straw. I offer all these to you, be pleased to come into my poor hovel. I offer you my heart; my soul is poor and bare of virtues, the straws of so many imperfections will prick you and make you weep--but oh, my Lord, what can you expect? This little is all I have. . . . I have nothing better to offer you, Jesus, honour my soul with your presence, adorn it with your graces. Burn this straw and change it into a soft couch for your most holy body.

Jesus, I am here waiting for your coming. Wicked men have driven you out, and the wind is like ice. I am a poor man, but I will warm you as well as I can. At least be pleased that I wish to welcome you warmly, to love you and sacrifice myself for you.

Amen.

(This prayer, written by a young Italian seminarian named Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli in 1902 who would later become Pope John XXIII, has become a Christmas Eve tradition for me, and for this blog).

Hidden In the Stable

We welcome you, small child of Bethlehem, whose coming we await with quiet attention. Shield us from the shouts, the screams, the empty promises of the season, and encourage us to turn our hope to your coming. We know that the promise is hidden in the stable in Bethlehem and rooted in the offspring of Jesse; let us look for our salvation there. Amen.

(from Advent and Christmas Wisdom from Henri J.M. Nouwen: Daily Scripture and Prayers together with Nouwen's Own Words)

O Emmanuel



O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver,
the hope of the nations and their Savior:
Come and save us, O Lord our God.
Amen.

O King of the Gentiles



O King of the Gentiles and their desired One,
the cornerstone that makes both one:
Come, and deliver man,
whom you formed out of the dust of the earth.

O Rising Sun



O Rising Sun,
splendor of light eternal and sun of righteousness:
Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness
and the shadow of death.
Amen.

O Key of David



O Key of David,
O royal power of Israel,
controlling at your will the gate of heaven:
come, break down the prison walls of death
for those who dwell in darkness
and the shadow of death;
and lead your captive people into freedom.
Amen.

O Root of Jesse



O Flower of Jesse’s stem,
you have been raised up
as a sign for all peoples;
kings stand silent in your presence;
the nations bow down in worship before you.
Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.
Amen.

O Adonai


O sacred Lord of ancient Israel,
who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush,
who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain:
come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free. Amen.

O Wisdom



O Wisdom,
coming forth from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from one end to the other mightily,
and sweetly ordering all things:
Come and teach us the way of prudence.
Amen.

How


Lord, how am I supposed to do this?
How live so far away?
How see them so seldom?
How hold them so fleetingly?
How?

Generosity

My prayer today (a great prayer for Advent) for my kids and my grandkids, from the "31 Ways to Pray for Your Kids" app for iPhone and iPad:


Come

Come, Father,
come to me, a poor sinner.

Come, Lord Jesus,
come anew to my heart.

Come, Holy Spirit,
fall afresh on me.
Amen.

Can I?

Can I have the things I pray for?
God, you know best;
You are wiser than your children,
Therefore, I can rest.

O Come



(from the annual Christmas extravaganza, Awaited, created and hosted by Crossroads Community Church)

For a Godly Self-Esteem

My prayer today for my kids and my grandkids, from the "31 Ways to Pray for Your Kids" app for iPhone and iPad:

Tiptoe

Lord Jesus,
the day of your nativity approaches,
the day on which we commemorate
your birth,
your condescension,
your humble incarnation.

Please help me and mine
to approach that day on tiptoe,
with reverence and awe,
mindful of your holiness and beauty,
and grateful for the privilege
of finding
and approaching
and kneeling at
your manger, amen.

O Come

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.

O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Ese Oluwa



Eshe Oluwa, Eshe Baba o (We thank you Lord, we thank you Father)
Eshe Oluwa, Awadupe baba (We thank you Lord, we are thankful Father)

You gave me shelter when I have no other
You made a way when there’as no way
You turn my darkness into light
Awadupe Baba (We are thankful Father)

You put food on my table Daddy
You comfort me when I was lost
Who can be compared unto you
Awadupe Baba (We are thankful Father)

Awadupe baba o, Awadupe baba  (We are thankful Father)
Awadupe eledumare, Awadupe baba (We are thankful Father)
Eshe Oluwa, Eshe Baba o (We thank you Lord, we thank you Father)
Eshe Oluwa, Awadupe baba (We thank you Lord, we are thankful Father)

(In Pidgin)
Baba way, Baba way dey for heaven now oh (Father, you are the Heavenly Father)
We go praise you now Eee (We will praise you)
We go praise you papa ( We will praise you Father)

Nativity Prayer

The feast day of your birth resembles You, Lord
Because it brings joy to all humanity.
Old people and infants alike enjoy Your day.
Your day is celebrated from generation to generation.
Kings and emperors may pass away,
And the festivals to commemorate them soon lapse.
But Your festival will be remembered until the end of time.
Your day is a means and a pledge of peace.
At Your birth heaven and earth were reconciled,
Since You came from heaven to earth on that day
You forgave our sins and wiped away our guilt.
You gave us so many gifts on the day of your birth:
A treasure chest of spiritual medicines for the sick;
Spiritual light for the blind;
The cup of salvation for the thirsty;
The bread of life for the hungry.
In the winter when trees are bare,
You give us the most succulent spiritual fruit.
In the frost when the earth is barren,
You bring new hope to our souls.
In December when seeds are hidden in the soil,
The staff of life springs forth from the virgin womb.

(a prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, from the new book We Hear the Angels, by JoAnn Streeter Shade; illustration is from the facing page in the book)

The Refreshment of Prayer

Lord, what a change within us one short hour
Spent in Thy presence will prevail to make;
What heavy burdens from our bosoms take,
What parched fields refresh as with a shower.

We kneel, and all around us seems to lower;
We rise, and all, the distant and the near,
Stands forth in sunny outline, brave and clear;
We kneel how weak; we rise how full of power!

Why should we ever weak or heartless be,
Why are we ever overborne with care,
Anxious or troubled, when with us is prayer,
And joy, and strength, and courage are with Thee?

(a prayer of Richard Trent, by way of Leonard Sweet's Facebook page; image via everystockphoto.com)

On the Journey of the Cross

O Lord Jesus . . . I have received the cross from your hands,
I have carried it, even as you have laid it upon me,
and I will continue to carry it until I die.
Truly the life of a devoted servant is the cross, but it leads to paradise.
I have begun the journey of the cross.
May I not turn back nor leave it.

(a prayer from The Imitation of Christ: Classic Devotions in Today's Language by Thomas à Kempis, compiled and edited by James N. Watkins)

On Thanksgiving

Our Father in Heaven,

If ever we had a cause to offer unto Thee our fervent thanks, surely it is now, on the Eve of our Thanksgiving Day, when we, the people of this Nation, are comfortable, well fed, well clad, and blessed with good things beyond our deserving. May gratitude, the rarest of all virtues, be the spirit of our observance.

Let not feasting, football, and festivity end in forgetfulness of God. May the desperate need of the rest of the world, and our own glorious heritage, remind us of the God who led our Fathers every step of the way by which they advanced to the character of an independent nation.

May the faith and conviction of George Washington be renewed in us as we remember his words:
...there is no truth more thoroughly established than that there exits in the economy and course of nature an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness; between duty and advantage; between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity; since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained...
For if we do not have the grace to thank Thee for all that we have and enjoy, how can we have the effrontery to seek Thy further blessings? God, give us grateful hearts.

For Jesus' sake.

Amen.

(a prayer from the Senate of the United States, November 26, 1947, by Rev. Dr. Peter Marshall, Chaplain)

A Pre-Thanksgiving Day Prayer

For you, who fed the hungry,
May we so break our bread
In constant, costly giving
That others may be fed. Amen.

(by Lillian Cox)

I Bless Your Gracious Hand

Lord of my life, whose tender care
Has led me on till now,
Here lowly at the hour of prayer
Before your throne I bow;
I bless your gracious hand, and pray
Forgiveness for another day.

Oh, may I daily, hourly, strive
In heavenly grace to grow;
To you and to your glory live,
Dead to all else below;
Tread in the path my Savior trod,
Though thorny, yet the path to God.

With prayer my humble praise I bring
For mercies day by day;
Lord! teach my heart your love to sing,
Lord! teach me how to pray;
And all I am, and all I own,
Entrust to you alone.

(a prayer by an anonymous hymnwriter, slightly updated and revised; photo via freeimages.com)

Broken Bread

Make my life Your broken bread,
My love your outpoured wine,
A cup o'erfilled, a table spread
Beneath Your name and sign,
That other souls, refreshed and fed,
May share Your life through mine.

(a prayer of General Albert Orsborn, slightly revised; image via freeimages.com)

Disgusted Prayer

Father, I don't know if you are as disgusted as I am by the pontificating and arguing that is happening in the wake of recent terrorist attacks. I suspect you have a much calmer, wiser view of it all. Please share it with me...and with those around me.

Please help us all to be ruled by facts rather than fear or sentimentalism.
Grant us both wisdom and mercy.
Save us from simplistic answers to complex problems; make us wise enough and patient enough not to reach for the viscerally satisfying "position" but to actually seek and find and work for solutions.
Deliver us from presumption and presuppositions,
from seeing things only from our default political positions,
from the stupidity of parroting what we read and hear online and on TV.
Help us to fight terrorism by refusing to be terrified
and to counter violence by respecting and reasoning with each other
rather than spouting slogans and dismissing or vilifying those with different perspectives.
Teach us to think things through.
Show us a better way.
Help us to put our trust in you and act accordingly.
Make us wise as serpents, harmless as doves.
Grant that this world's leaders may find ways to unite us and lead us,
but when they do not, inspire and energize us to do it anyway,
in Jesus' name, amen.

(image via everystockphoto.com)

Blessing in a Time of Violence

Which is to say
this blessing
is always.

Which is to say
there is no place
this blessing
does not long
to cry out
in lament,
to weep its words
in sorrow,
to scream its lines
in sacred rage.

Which is to say
there is no day
this blessing ceases
to whisper
into the ear
of the dying,
the despairing,
the terrified.

Which is to say
there is no moment
this blessing refuses
to sing itself
into the heart
of the hated
and the hateful,
the victim
and the victimizer,
with every last
ounce of hope
it has.

Which is to say
there is none
that can stop it,
none that can
halt its course,
none that will
still its cadence,
none that will
delay its rising,
none that can keep it
from springing forth
from the mouths of us
who hope,
from the hands of us
who act,
from the hearts of us
who love,
from the feet of us
who will not cease
our stubborn, aching
marching, marching

until this blessing
has spoken
its final word,
until this blessing
has breathed
its benediction
in every place,
in every tongue:

Peace.
Peace.
Peace.
(prayer © Jan Richardson via janrichardson.com; image, "Holy Even in Pain,” is available as an art print at janrichardsonimages.com. After clicking over to the image’s page on the Jan Richardson Images site, just scroll down to the “Purchase as an Art Print” section).

Yours


(from the New Living Translation, via @youversion)

Kindness

My prayer today for my kids and my grandkids, from the "31 Ways to Pray for Your Kids" app for iPhone and iPad:

Another Psalm 20

You answer me when I am in distress;
Your name, God of Jacob, is my protection.
You send me help from your throne room
and support from your holy mountain.
You remember all my prayers
and accept even my faultiest worship.
You give me the desires of my heart
and grant me so much more success than I deserve.
I rejoice loudly when you triumph
and lift up my hands in your name.
Please keep it up, Lord;
grant my requests.

I know:
You give victory.
You send answers.
You grant strength.

I confess my tendency to trust in other things,
but in my best moments I know better;
I trust in the name of the Lord my God.
Only in your strength can I stand up and stand firm.

Please grant victory.
Please answer my prayers.
Please give me strength.

My Magnificat

My Father in heaven,
My soul glorifies you,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
my Father in heaven,
for you see me in my humble state,
you are attentive to me right where I am.
You are able to bless me abundantly,
so that in all things at all times,
having all that I need, I will abound in every good work.
You are the Mighty One
who has already done great things for me—
the Holy One, whose mercy extends to all who fear you,
from generation to generation.
You have performed mighty deeds with your arm;
you have scattered the proud
and deposed rulers from their thrones
but you have lifted up the humble.
You have filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.
You have helped me,
always present, always close, all-powerful, and all-willing.
Father in heaven, increase my faith,
and embolden my prayers,
in Jesus’ name, amen.

(a prayer from The Red Letter Prayer Life)

Keeping Faith

Help us,
O Keeper of the Faith,
to keep the faith entrusted to us,
faith in a world worth saving,
faith in a dream worth sharing,
faith in a heritage worth keeping
even as we invigorate it
to have meaning for us now.
Help us keep faith in you,
and help us not lose faith in ourselves,
for faith is the substance of our hope,
and hope, the assurance of love.
Praise to you, O Faithful One,
now and forever.

(a prayer of Miriam Therese Winter, from The Complete Book of Christian Prayer; photo via everystockphoto.com)

Stay With Me

God, stay with me; let no word cross my lips that is not your word, no thoughts enter my mind that are not your thoughts, no deed ever be done or entertained by me that is not your deed.

(a prayer by Malcolm Muggeridge)

Mistakes

Merciful God,
How amazing that you can redeem my mistakes. I never want to take that for granted or use it as an excuse to sin. Still, the wonder of grace is that you can use my worst failures to strengthen my faith and enable me to better comfort and help others. Thank you, Lord.

(an excerpt from the book, 365 Pocket Prayers, by Ron Beers)

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Im Hashem Lo Yivneh Bayis



Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the guards stand watch in vain (Psalm 127:1).

שִׁ֥יר הַֽמַּֽעֲל֗וֹת לִשְׁלֹ֫מֹ֥ה אִם־יְהוָ֤ה׀ לֹא־יִבְנֶ֬ה בַ֗יִת שָׁ֤וְא׀ עָמְל֣וּ בוֹנָ֣יו בּ֑וֹ אִם־יְהוָ֥ה לֹֽא־יִשְׁמָר־עִ֝֗יר שָׁ֤וְא׀ שָׁק שׁוֹמֵֽר׃

Songs of Joy

Refuge

Blessèd Lord, in you is refuge, 
Safety for my trembling soul; 
Pow’r to lift my head when drooping 
’Midst the angry billows’ roll. 
I will trust you; 
All my life you shall control. 

In the past too unbelieving
’Midst the tempest I have been,
And my heart has slowly trusted
What my eyes have never seen.
Blessèd Jesus,
Teach me on your arm to lean.

Give me trust that brings the triumph
When defeat seems strangely near;
Grant me faith that changes fighting
Into vict’ry’s ringing cheer!
Faith triumphant,
Knowing not defeat nor fear,
amen.

(a prayer of Herbert Booth, slightly revised, photo via everystockphoto.com)

I Come

Just as I am, without one plea
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidd'st me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come.
I come.

Sparrow

Abba, you are watchful and mindful when a sparrow falls;
catch and cushion your children...
let your everlasting arms shield
and strengthen
and support us all,
in Jesus' name, amen.

(photo via everystockphoto.com)

Shepherd of the Stars

You are mind-boggling, God.
You are Shepherd of the Stars.
Whole galaxies form your royal train.
The countless host of heaven,
blazing suns,
mighty planets,
dappled moons,
comets, asteroids, vapors, black holes,
all follow after you like so many ducks behind their mother.
And yet, Lord,
you condescend to me,
to sit with me,
whisper to me,
commune with me.
Such thoughts are too marvelous for me,
I cannot attain unto them!
But I praise you and thank you,
in Jesus' name, amen.

(photo via everystockphoto.com)

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)

Another Psalm 19

The heavens show just how great you are, God;
horizon to horizon,
one day after another,
night after night.
They speak in a celestial tongue
that transcends language!
Their proclamation extends from pole to pole,
from east to west,
from the moment the sun leaps out of bed
until it kisses the moon goodnight.

As you speak in Creation,
you speak in the perfection of your Word,
which refreshes the soul as a mountain stream slakes a hiker's thirst.
Your utterances bring clarity,
like first light drawing shapes out of shadows.
Your precepts are as welcome
as raindrops on drooping leaves.
Your commands make perfect sense,
as rising temperatures chase the fog.
Your whispers refresh the soul
like an afternoon breeze in summer.
Every sentence and syllable you speak
is sure and sweet,
more pleasing than an autumn day
or flowers in spring,
and sweeter than the juiciest watermelon,
fresh from the vine.
Your words teach and guide,
and help and bless.

You even speak in the human heart,
to cajole and convict,
to cleanse and recreate.
Speak to me in my innermost parts,
and root out the worst parts of me.
Let my voice sound like yours,
let my life speak of you,
my Lord, my rock, and my redeemer.

The Word I Need

O Holy One,
I hear and say so many words,
yet yours is the word I need.

Speak now,
and help me listen;
and, if what I hear is silence,
let it quiet me,
let it disturb me,
let it touch my need,
let it break my pride,
let it shrink my certainties,
let it enlarge my wonder.

(a prayer from Ted Loder's Guerrillas of Grace; photo via everystockphoto.com)

A Chaos of Uncalculating Love

It was your custom,
to go to the temple,
to the noisome temple
sometime to the scandalised temple
listening to the mumbo jumbo,
but it was your custom to go.
...
Give us grace in our changing day
to stand by the temple that is the present church,
the noisome temple
the sometime scandalised temple that is the present church,
listening sometime to what again seems mumbo jumbo.
Make it our custom to go
till the new outline of your Body for our day
becomes visible in our midst.

(from George MacLeod, The Whole Earth Shall Cry Glory, p. 39)

For Prevenient Grace

Thank you, Lord, for your prevenient grace.
You are always previous, always before, always ahead.
"Christ is risen, and he has gone before" me.
Thank you for drawing me, not once, but ever.
Thank you for suffering me again to come to you.
Thank you for the grace to thank you,
in Jesus' name, amen.

A Writer's Evening Prayer

If I have failed to heed your voice today,
If I have driven any of your thoughts away,
If I have written my own willful way:
Dear Lord, forgive!

If I have written idle words or vain,
If I have worked for earthly gain,
If my words should bring one soul pain,
Dear Lord, forgive!

If I appropriated words not mine,
If I failed to give a credit line,
If I've cast my pearls before swine,
Dear Lord, forgive!

If I've failed in substance or in style,
If in anything I've stooped to guile,
If I've failed at all to win your smile,
Dear Lord, forgive!

Forgive the sins I have confessed to you,
Forgive the sins I don't know I do,
And make my writing both good and true;
All else forgive.

Amen.

(based on “An Evening Prayer,” by C. Maud Battersby)

Sail

Lord God Adonai,
teach me please not to be blown around
on the waves of circumstances,
but to sail solely
by the wind
of your Spirit,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Like a Tree

Lord, make me like a tree
planted by streams of living water.

Let my roots go down deep into you,
your love and kindness.

Let me grow stronger and taller
and give shade to many,
in Jesus' name, amen.

(based on Psalm 1:1-3 and Jeremiah 17:8)