Christ Our Lord,
You suffered and were tempted.
You are powerful to come to the aid
of those who are assailed by the devil,
for you are the support of Christian people.
O Lord, protect with Your Right Hand
those who trust in Your Name.
Deliver them from the Evil One,
and grant them everlasting joy. Amen.
(St. Gregory of Khandzta, 759-861)
Disproportionate Prayer
God, let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am. Amen.
(A prayer attributed to David Brainerd, discovered on Pete Wilson's blog)
(A prayer attributed to David Brainerd, discovered on Pete Wilson's blog)
My Psalm 148
I praise you, LORD.
I praise you under the night sky,
I praise you while driving into the sun.
I praise you for the faculty to praise you.
I praise you that my brain works,
that my tongue moves,
that my heart resounds with your praise.
I praise you for the sun you created,
and for the moon and stars you hung in place.
I praise you for the unfathomable expanse of the universe,
and for the mysteries of deep space.
I praise you for signing your work,
and making it reasonable for men to praise it.
I praise you for this clockwork solar system
and the ancient and future splendor of the skies.
I praise you for this earth,
its resiliency,
beauty,
majesty,
mystery,
efficiency,
and energy.
I praise you for the sheer numbers in your Creation:
20,000 species of fish,
6,000 species of reptiles,
9,000 birds,
1,000 amphibians,
15,000 species of mammals
and over a million insect species...that we know of!
I praise you for lightning and hail,
snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do your bidding,
for Kilimanjaro and the Piedmont,
for almond trees and pomegranate,
for wild horses and curious marmots,
tiny hummingbirds and great egrets,
for fall plumage and winter blankets,
for the strength of young men,
the beauty of young maids,
the wisdom of the old
and the patience of the aged.
I praise you, LORD,
for the joy of praising your name,
for the grace of beholding your splendor
in earth and sky.
I praise you, Champion of your people,
the praise of all your saints,
the joy of people close to your heart.
I praise you.
Psalm 148 by Sons of Korah
Another Biblical psalm by Sons of Korah, who will be giving a free concert at The Loft on Saturday, Nov. 6, at 7 pm:
Traveling Prayer
I know, O God, that wherever I travel,
you will be with me,
and with my lovely bride,
who travels with me.
There is nowhere we can go,
no situation we can face,
which is outside your love and strength;
and so I commit us both
into your care and keeping on this journey,
knowing that at all times we are safe in your hands.
Amen.
My Psalm 147
I praise you, Lord!
How I love to sing praises to you, my God,
how pleasant and fitting it is to praise you!
Build up Jerusalem, Lord;
gather the exiles of Israel.
Heal the brokenhearted
and bind up their wounds.
You know the number of the stars,
you call each one by name.
You are so great, Lord, and mighty in power;
your understanding is infinite.
You sustain the humble,
but cast the wicked to the ground.
I sing to you, LORD, with thanksgiving;
I love to worship you in song,
especially among your gathered saints!
You cover the sky with clouds;
supply the earth with rain
and make grass grow on the hills.
You provide food for cattle
and for the young ravens when they call.
Your greatest pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor in any man's ingenuity...
you delight in those who fear you,
who put their hope in your unfailing love.
Extol the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion,
lift him up, Oxford,
make his name glorious, Cobblestone,
for he strengthens the bars of your gates
and blesses your heart.
He gives peace
and nourishment.
He sends his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
He spreads the snow like cake icing
and scatters the frost like glitter.
He hurls down his hail like pebbles.
Who can withstand his icy blast?
But then He sends his word and melts them all;
he stirs up his breezes, and the spring waters flow.
When he can do all that,
do you doubt that he can speak his word to your heart?
Can you seriously worry
that he will not be faithful to you--
you whom he has chosen,
you whom he has favored?
Praise the LORD.
How I love to sing praises to you, my God,
how pleasant and fitting it is to praise you!
Build up Jerusalem, Lord;
gather the exiles of Israel.
Heal the brokenhearted
and bind up their wounds.
You know the number of the stars,
you call each one by name.
You are so great, Lord, and mighty in power;
your understanding is infinite.
You sustain the humble,
but cast the wicked to the ground.
I sing to you, LORD, with thanksgiving;
I love to worship you in song,
especially among your gathered saints!
You cover the sky with clouds;
supply the earth with rain
and make grass grow on the hills.
You provide food for cattle
and for the young ravens when they call.
Your greatest pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor in any man's ingenuity...
you delight in those who fear you,
who put their hope in your unfailing love.
Extol the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion,
lift him up, Oxford,
make his name glorious, Cobblestone,
for he strengthens the bars of your gates
and blesses your heart.
He gives peace
and nourishment.
He sends his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
He spreads the snow like cake icing
and scatters the frost like glitter.
He hurls down his hail like pebbles.
Who can withstand his icy blast?
But then He sends his word and melts them all;
he stirs up his breezes, and the spring waters flow.
When he can do all that,
do you doubt that he can speak his word to your heart?
Can you seriously worry
that he will not be faithful to you--
you whom he has chosen,
you whom he has favored?
Praise the LORD.
Immensity
Lord, your immensity
reminds me
that your resources
are not vast,
they are limitless,
because
you are limitless.
You may call
on any number--
an infinite number--
of resources
to accomplish your will,
because
you lack nothing,
and all you possess
you possess
in infinite number!
So,
are you telling me about something you want to accomplish in me?
Through me?
I know that nothing is too hard for you.
I open my heart and will....
pour into them whatever you choose, in Jesus' name, amen.
Kenyan Prayer
From the cowardice that dare not face new truth,
from the laziness that is contented with half truth,
from the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,
Good Lord, deliver us.
Amen.
(borrowed from the Daily Prayer blog)
from the laziness that is contented with half truth,
from the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,
Good Lord, deliver us.
Amen.
(borrowed from the Daily Prayer blog)
Psalm 117 by Sons of Korah
Beautiful setting of a Biblical psalm by Sons of Korah, who are coming to The Loft on November 6.
Thanks for Fall Days
Oh, Lord, thanks for the beauty
of Fall days,
crisp,
colorful,
cool,
lovely.
Amen.
Though I Slip, Thou Dost Not Fall
Give me, O God, this daya strong and vivid sense
that Thou art by my side.
In multitude and solitude,
in business and leisure,
in my downsitting and my uprising,
may I ever be aware
of Thine accompanying presence.
By Thy grace, O God,
I will go nowhere this day
where Thou canst not come,
nor court any companionship
that would rob me of Thine.
By Thy grace
I will let no thought enter my heart
that might hinder my communion with Thee,
nor let any word come from my mouth
that is not meant for Thine ear.
So shall my courage be firm
and my heart be at peace.
I steadier step
When I recall
That though I slip
Thou dost not fall.
(a prayer of John Baillie in A Diary of Private Prayer, Day Sixteen, Morning)
A Prayer of John Milton
Holy Spirit of God, who prefers before all temples
the upright heart and pure,
instruct us in all truth;
what is dark, illumine;
what is low, raise and support;
what is shallow, deepen;
that every chapter in our lives
may witness to your power
and justify the ways of God to men.
In the name of Jesus, giver of all grace. Amen.
A Prayer of Claude de la Colombière
In you, O loving God, have I hoped: let me never be confounded.
I know too well
that I am weak and changeable.
I know the power of temptation
against the strongest virtue.
I have seen stars fall
and foundations of my world crack;
these things do not alarm me.
While I hope in you,
I am sheltered from all misfortune,
and I am sure
that my trust shall endure,
for I rely upon you
to sustain this unfailing hope.
Finally, I know that my confidence cannot exceed your generosity,
and that I shall never receive less than I have hoped for from you.
Therefore I hope that you will sustain me against my evil inclinations,
that you will protect me against the deceitful attacks of the evil one,
and that you will cause my weakness to triumph over every hostile force.
I hope that you will never cease to love me and that I shall love you unceasingly. Amen.
My Psalm 146
Oh, how I praise you, LORD.
I praise you with my whole heart!
I praise you with my life;
your praise will live in me as long as life lives in me!
I have learned the folly of putting my trust in people,
of expecting constancy and faithfulness from mortal men.
We are all so faithless and so fleeting,
and even the best among us fall so far short.
That's why it makes sense ONLY to look to you for help, God of Jacob.
That's why my hope is in you alone,
maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
Yahweh, Adonai, El Shaddai, the Faithful One forever.
You uphold the cause of the oppressed
and defend the defenseless.
You give food to the hungry
and set prisoners free.
You give sight to the blind,
lift up those who are bowed down.
You give yourself to those who give themselves to you,
you watch over the alien
and sustain the fatherless and the widow,
while frustrating the ways of the wicked.
Why do I forget all this, Lord?
Why do I so easily forget your faithfulness?
Why do I stress,
get worked up,
as if you weren't on the job?
Yet I have seen you--I see NOW--
vindicate the righteous
and humble the proud.
I have seen you
prove yourself faithful to those whose hope is in you.
I have seen little, vindictive, unforgiving people
wither and waste
like untended vines.
You reign forever,
God of Zion,
God of me,
for all generations.
Oh, how I praise you!
Prayer for My Daughter on Her Birthday
To borrow a phrase from Yeats, Lord, you have made her a flourishing hidden tree ,
and granted her beauty and courtesy,
and kindness and charm and wisdom.
I give you praise and thanks
for my only daughter,
my firstborn, my Blossom;
for the child you gave me,
for the woman she grew into,
for the love we share,
for the pride and joy I feel in her,
for the blessings you've given her,
and the blessings you've given me
through her.
Please bless her today
and in the days to come, Lord.
Keep her safe and well.
Keep her marriage strong and beautiful.
Prosper her and her husband,
answer their prayers,
supply their needs.
Let their daughter's healing appear,
and reward their love and faithfulness
with beauty and grace,
prosperity and plenty.
Show her every kindness,
grant her your favor,
in Jesus' name, amen.
I Am Only Asking What You Delight to Give
Come, O Lord my God; my soul invites thee earnestly,
and waits for thee eagerly.
Come to me, O Jesus, my well beloved,
and plant fresh flowers in my garden,
such as I see blooming
in such perfection
in thy matchless character!
Come, O my Father,
who art the Husbandman,
and deal with me in thy tenderness and prudence!
Come, O Holy Spirit,
and bedew my whole nature,
as the herbs are now moistened with the evening dews.
Oh, that you would speak to me!
Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.
Oh, that you would walk with me;
I am ready to give up my whole heart and mind to you.
I am only asking what you delight to give.
(a prayer of Charles H. Spurgeon, slightly revised)
Psalm 80 Prayer
Restore us, O LORD God Almighty; make your face shine upon us,
like that fruitful vine
you brought out of Egypt,
so bring us out
and plant us deep and strong,
that we may be saved.
Amen.
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