One Prayer a Day: 2024

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 Come All Ye Faithful

Help Me Keep My Eyes on You

Dear Lord, help me keep my eyes on you.
You are the incarnation of Divine Love,
you are the expression of God's infinite compassion,
you are the visible manifestation of the Father's holiness.
You are beauty, goodness, gentless,
forgiveness, and mercy.
In you all can be found.
Outside of you nothing can be found.
Why should I look elsewhere or go elsewhere?
You have the words of eternal life,
you are food and drink,
you are the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
You are the light that shines in the darkness,
the lamp on the lamp stand,
the house on the hilltop.
You are the perfect Icon of God.
In and through you I can see the Heavenly Father,
and with you I can find my way to him.
O Holy One, Beautiful One, Glorious One,
be my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer, my Guide,
my Consoler, my Comforter, my Hope, my Joy, and my Peace.
To you I want to give all that I am.
Let me be generous, not stingy or hesitant.
Let me give you all--
all I have, think, do and feel.
It is yours, O Lord.
Please accept it and make it fully your own.
Amen.

(a prayer of Henri Nouwen, from A Cry for Mercy)

On 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.

Breath of Heaven

Breath of Heaven,
hold me together;
Be forever near me,
Breath of Heaven.

Breath of Heaven,
lighten my darkness;
Pour over me Your holiness,
for You are holy,
Breath of Heaven.

(excerpt from "Mary's Song," a prayer by Amy Grant and Chris Eaton)

Still in the Process of Your Coming

I’ve begun to understand something I have known for a long time: You are still in the process of your coming. Your appearance in the form of a slave was only the beginning of your coming, a beginning in which you chose to redeem men by embracing the very slavery from which you were freeing them. And you can really achieve your purpose in this paradoxical way, because the paths that you tread have a real ending, the narrow passes which you enter soon open out into broad liberty, the cross that you carry inevitably becomes a brilliant banner of triumph.

It is said that you will come again, and this is true. But the word again is misleading. It won’t really be “another” coming, because you have never really gone away. In the human existence that you made your own for all eternity, you have never left us.

But still you will come again, because the fact that you have already come must continue to be revealed ever more clearly. It will become progressively more manifest to the world that the heart of all things is already transformed, because you have taken them all to your heart.

Behold, you come. And your coming is neither past nor future, but the present, which has only to reach its fulfillment. Now it is still the one single hour of your Advent, at the end of which we too shall have found out that you have really come.

O God who is to come, grant me the grace to live now, in the hour of your Advent, in such a way that I may merit to live in you forever, in the blissful hour of your eternity.

(from Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas; photo by Free-Photos via pixabay.com)

You Are the Answer

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

For an Exact Faith

Give me grace, O Lord,

to be in all things strong, prudent and just

with a wise restraint at need.

Grant me an exact faith,

unshakeable trust in thee,

and perfect charity.

Fill me with the spirit of intelligence and wisdom.

Let me be always thoughtful for others and courageous,

with loyalty and reverence.

O Light, perfect and eternal, enlighten me.

(a prayer of Alcuin of York; photo by @jacksharp_photography via unsplash.com)

Bloom

Jesus, Jesus, lily of the valley,

Bloom in all thy beauty in the garden of my heart.

(from a hymn by Sidney Cox; photo by Erda Estremera via unsplash.com)

Let Me Walk with You

O Master, let me walk with you
in lowly paths of service true;
Tell me your secret; help me bear
the strain of toil, the fret of care,
in Jesus' name, amen.

(from a hymn by Washington Gladden, slightly revised)

Then I Will

Refuge and Shield

Help Me Keep My Eyes on You

Come Thou Long Awaited One

For the Beauty of Small, Homely Things

For the beauty of small, homely things:
Sunlight through a jar of beach-plum jelly...
A rainbow in soapsuds in dishwater...
An eggyolk in a blue bowl...
White ruffled curtains sifting moonlight...
The color of cranberry glass...
A little cottage with blue shutters...
Crimson roses in an old stone crock...
The smell of newly baked bread...
Candlelight on old brass...
The soft brown of a cocker spaniel's eyes...
Thank you, in Jesus' name, amen.

(based on lines from Peter Marshall; photo via pixabay.com)

And Ever Thanks

Every good gift comes from your hand, Lord!

Help me to count my blessings this day
and to be grateful to you from whom they flow...

I thank you for the blessing of family and friends,
those with me still and those gone home to you...

I thank you for my eyes and ears,
for finding the beauty of your presence all around me...

I thank you for nature's seasons and all I learn
in their coming and going, year in and year out...

I thank you for the blessing of a sunrise
and the blessing of the same sun's setting...

I thank you for the company of others
and good times shared with them...

I thank you for silence, for solitude
and for times of peace and quiet with you...

I thank you for your mercy and forgiveness,
for your pardon of my faults and sins...

I thank you for correction that helps me grow
and for reprimands that keep me honest...

I thank you for the healing grace of forgiving others
and of others forgiving me...

I thank you for anticipation's joy
and for disappointment's healing...

I thank you for a good night's sleep
and the blessing of sweet dreams...

I thank you for the gift of each new day,
one day at a time...

I thank you for steady work, for satisfying work,
for work that serves the needs of others...

I thank you for the gift of those who help me
and for the opportunity to be of help to others...

I thank you for the works of grace and faith
that shape us as your people...

I thank you for a child's birth,
the promise new life brings...

I thank you for the gift a peaceful death can be
for those who've lost a loved one...

I thank you for the life that's mine
and your promise of a life that never ends...

I thank you for the ordinary, the routine
the unexpected, the surprise...
I thank you for cleansing tears
and for healing laughter...

I thank you for my faith when I'm confused;
for the gift of hope when trust's in short supply;
for the blessing of your love when I'm alone...
In the quiet of my prayer, Lord,
help me count my blessings before I list my problems,
before I whine and whimper,
before I turn to pity for myself...

Every good gift comes from your hand, Lord,
and you're more generous than I'm sometimes willing to notice,
to see, to acknowledge, to remember
and to hold in my heart as gift and grace...

In the quiet of my prayer, Lord,
show me the peace, the grace, the healing
of your blessings in my life:
the ones I often miss, the ones that I've forgotten,
and the blessings will come my way today...

Amen.

(graphic and prayer from A Concord Pastor Comments)

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)

May We So Break Our Bread

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; photo via freeimages.com)

For a Grateful Heart

Thou that hast given so much to me,

Give one thing more, a grateful heart.

See how thy beggar works on thee

By art.

He makes thy gifts occasion more,

And says, If he in this be crossed,

All thou hast given him heretofore

Is lost.

But thou didst reckon, when at first

Thy word our hearts and hands did crave,

What it would come to at the worst

To save.

Perpetual knockings at thy door,

Tears sullying thy transparent rooms,

Gift upon gift, much would have more,

And comes.

This not withstanding, thou wenst on,

And didst allow us all our noise:

Nay thou hast made a sigh and groan

Thy joys.

Not that thou hast not still above

Much better tunes, than groans can make;

But that these country-airs thy love

Did take.

Wherefore I cry, and cry again;

And in no quiet canst thou be,

Till I a thankful heart obtain

Of thee:

Not thankful, when it pleaseth me;

As if thy blessings had spare days:

But such a heart, whose pulse may be

Thy praise.

(a prayer by George Herbert)

Calleigh

Good and gracious Lord,

I give thanks today for Calleigh on her fifteenth birthday.

Thank you for giving to our family

the gift of Calleigh,

this precious young woman,

this beautiful granddaughter,

this wonder, this joy.

Thank you for preserving her

through every trial and challenge.

Thank you for her health,

wholeness,

charm,

beauty,

innocence,

and intricacy.

Thank you for entrusting her to the care of such wonderful parents.

Now, gentle Shepherd, I pray,

continue as you've begun,

adding more health,

strength,

happiness,

brilliance,

love,

character,

and delight

to her life and to our lives through hers,

in Jesus' name, amen.

Bring Them Home

To Want to Be Holy

Lord, have mercy.
Guide me,
make me want again to be holy,
to be a man of God,
even though in desperateness and confusion.

I do not necessarily ask for clarity, a plain way,
but only to go according to your love,
to follow your mercy, to trust your mercy.

I want to seek nothing at all, if this is possible.
But only to be led without looking and without seeking.
For thus to seek is to find.

(a prayer of Thomas Merton, from his journals, August 2, 1960, IV.28)

If You Plan to Bless Me

Lord God Adonai,

if you plan to bless me--
and I know you do--
then no devil's strategy
and no man's scheme
can thwart you!

So bless me, Lord.
Bless me,
bless my wife,
bless my family,
bless my children,
my grandchildren,
my home,
my body,
my writing,
speaking,
earning,
spending,
sleeping,
eating,
thinking,
feeling,
dreaming,
praying,
worshiping,
serving,
and more,
in Jesus' name, amen.

(photo by Cantos via Unsplash.com)

I Step Out

O God the author of all good, I come to Thee for the grace another day will require for its duties and events. I step out into a wicked world; I carry about with me an evil heart. I know that without Thee I can do nothing, that everything with which I shall be concerned, however harmless in itself, may prove an occasion of sin or folly, unless I am kept by Thy power. Hold Thou me up and I shall be safe.

Preserve my understanding from subtilty of error, my affections from love of idols, my character from stain of vice, my profession from every form of evil. May I engage in nothing in which I cannot implore Thy blessing, and in which I cannot invite Thy inspection. Prosper me in all lawful undertakings, or prepare me for disappointments. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with food convenient for me, lest I be full and deny Thee and say, Who is the Lord? or be poor, and steal, and take Thy name in vain.

May every creature be made good to me by prayer and Thy will. Teach me how to use the world and not abuse it, to improve my talents, to redeem my time, to walk in wisdom toward those without, and in kindness to those within, to do good to all men, and especially to my fellow Christians. And to Thee be the glory.

Amen.

(from The Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers, edited by Arthur Bennett)

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)

One Single Day

Thank you, Lord,

for today, just one single day,

you have given me grace to pray,

coffee to drink,

food to eat,

clothes to wear.

You allowed me

to wake in my own bed,

in health,

and in (mostly) my right mind.

I have hope of meaningful work,

innumerable comforts,

and a happy conclusion to this day.

By your grace, I can see, hear, touch, taste, feel.

By your grace, I know love and companionship.

By your grace, I have the means to buy, and abundance to give.

By your grace, I am forgiven and forgiving.

For this and more,

just one day's worth,

I give you my most heartfelt thanks!

Amen.

(photo by RachelScottYoga via pixabay.com)

Perseverance

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

I Come to Thee with Quiet Mind

Murmuring "Thou"

He whom I bow to only knows to whom I bow
When I attempt the ineffable Name, murmuring Thou,

And dream of Pheidian fancies and embrace in heart
Symbols (I know) which cannot be the thing thou art.
Thus always, taken at their word, all prayers blaspheme
Worshiping with frail images a folk-lore dream,
And all men in their praying, self-deceived, address
The coinage of their own unquiet thoughts, unless
Thou in magnetic mercy to thyself divert
Our arrows aimed unskillfully, beyond desert;
And all men are idolaters, crying unheard
To a deaf idol, if thou take them at their word.

Take not, O Lord, our literal sense. Lord, in thy great,
Unbroken speech our limping metaphor translate.

(a prayer by C.S. Lewis; photo by zsbenko via everystockphoto.com)

The Joys of the Secret Place

Gracious, loving Father
who sees and hears in secret,
disclose to me the joys of the secret place.
Teach me to pray there,
and stay there,
and go again from there in confidence.
Grant me the rewards of the secret place,
first and foremost, the knowledge that I have been with you,
and you have met with me,
in Jesus’ name, amen.

(from The Red Letter Prayer Life, p. 32; photo by "tinyfroglet" via everystockphoto.com)

Forgive Us Our Debts

Forgive us our debts. Literally.
Forgive the things I've charged or financed
to assuage my desires
instead of waiting,
instead of saving,
instead of giving.
Forgive the money I've wasted
on impulse purchases,
interest payments,
and fees and penalties.
Forgive the consumer mentality
that makes me buy now,
pay later,
pay more in the long run.
Teach me to wait,
to save,
to resist temptation,
in Jesus' name, amen.

(photo by Chance Agrella via freerangestock.com)

Grit

God, make me a man with "grit" in me;
a man who,
when he knows a thing to be right,
will not turn away, or turn aside, or stop;
a man who will persevere all the more
because there are difficulties to meet
or foes to encounter;
who will stand all the more true to my Master
because I am opposed;
who, the more I am thrust into the fire,
the hotter I become;
who, just like the bow,
the further the string is drawn
the more powerfully it sends forth its arrows,
and so the more I am trodden upon,
the more mighty I will become
in the cause of truth against error,
in Jesus' name, amen.

(modeled on lines by Charles Spurgeon; photo by frozenchipmunk via everystockphoto.com)

I Will Give Thanks

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)

Lord of the Starfields

While It Lasts

Thank you, Lord,
that I can walk without pain,
see without impediment,
hear without assistance,
sleep without fear,
chew without discomfort,
swallow without effort,
work without end!

Amen.

Neither Untimely Nor Uncharitable

Abba, Father,
help me to do as your Word says,
and make no untimely
or uncharitable judgments about anyone
but to wait until the day of the Lord's return
when he will bring our darkest secrets to light,
reveal our private motives,
and give to each of us whatever is due,
in Jesus' name, amen.

(based on 1 Corinthians 4:4-5)

Work of Your Hand

Post-election 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.

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.

(last lines based on Daniel 2:20-22)

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On Election Day 2024

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 safe and secure elections. Let cheaters and abusers of the system be exposed and prosecuted. Bless poll workers and election officials with honor, stamina, focus, and integrity.

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, much less of anger and retribution, 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 unity and sanity to 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.

Cast

Lord, I cast all my cares upon you.
I lay all of my burdens down at your feet.
And even though I don't know what to do,
I just cast all my cares upon you.

Anoint

Lord God, what a marvel,
that I can proclaim your Word!
What an honor.
What a joy.

You dwell with the lowly
and visit those who tremble at Your Word.
Anoint me with lowliness.
Fill me with trembling.

Come upon me in spirit and truth.
Overshadow me with your Spirit.

All my springs are in you, Lord.
Flow from me
for the salvation of sinners
and for the blessing,
admonition,
and upbuilding of your church,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Thank God I Do

For the Heart of the Saints

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)

Deliver Us

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

(traditional Scottish prayer;
photo via publicdomainpictures.net)

Spring of All My Blessings

My Maker and my King,
To Thee my all I owe;
Thy constant goodness is the spring
Whence all my blessings flow.

The creature of Thy hand,
On Thee alone I live;
Thy countless benefits demand
More praise than I can give.

O let Thy grace inspire
My soul with strength divine!
Let all my powers to Thee aspire,
And all my days be Thine.

(a hymn by Anne Steele)

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)

As for Me

Oh How I Need You

Another Day

What? Another day
of life,
health,
thought,
work,
struggle,
uncertainty,
discovery,
pleasure,
pain,
purpose,
trial,
disappointment,
surprise,
blessing,
and trust?
Yes, please.

Senryu

Here I am alone

But not alone; you are here.

Speak in the silence.

For Things I Don't Possess

Thank you, good God,
for the things I don't possess:
fancy cars,
expensive clothes,
a boat,
a plane,
a jet ski,
a second mortgage,
a divorce settlement,
an alimony payment,
a bodyguard,
a fence around my property.

Thank you also, Lord,
for the things that don't possess ME:
drugs or alcohol,
guilt or shame,
a need to maintain a certain lifestyle
or a desire to keep up appearances.
Thank you that I am not afflicted
with wealth,
fame,
or beauty,
in Jesus' name, amen.

(photo by Jim Winstead via everystockphoto.com)