You Come Through

As you have done in the past,
you are doing now, Lord God:
you are coming through
and showing up for me.

Men have shown disrespect,
and tried to hurt me,
but you more than make up
for all their worst efforts.

You hear when I call to you.
You give me sweet rest in my heart
and restful sleep on my bed.

You have put gladness in my heart,
and gratitude in my soul.
I have no trouble sleeping,
and optimism for each new day,
for you and you alone keep me safe.
Amen.

(based on Psalm 4; the illustration can be purchased here)

A Prayer for Humility

O Father, give us the humility which
realizes its ignorance,
admits its mistakes,
recognizes its need,
welcomes advice,
accepts rebuke.
Help us always to praise rather than to criticize,
to sympathize rather than to discourage,
to build rather than to destroy,
and to think of people at their best rather than at their worst.
This we ask for thy name's sake. Amen

(a prayer of William Barclay, by way of the Daily Prayer blog)

Humble Plea

Jesus, hear my humble pleading:
My great needs are known to Thee.
Come, O come to me revealing
All Thy grace can do in me.
Amen.

I Repent

Josh Lee singing: I Repent by Derek Webb from New Hope on Vimeo.

(written by Derek Webb, sung by Josh Lee)

Garage Revival

Thank you, Lord,
for the garage revival
you gave me today.

Thank you for meeting me
in the homeliest of places
and blessing me
in the richest of ways,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Neighborhood Prayer

I pray to you, God, for the families of my neighborhood. Visit them. Throw their troubles out of them and bring hope. Make the daily cares that devour the heart disappear. Present solutions to life's problems. Settle the disturbed relationships among members of different families whom I know or don't know.

O Lord, remind the people of our area that you exist, that you are a strong and loving Protector. Keep away, Lord, anything that causes the disturbance of peace from souls, and the escape of sleep from our eyes. Stay a little while more tonight in our neighborhood. Spread peace along with the night. Let the harshness of the day and its struggles not spread over the night too, God.

(a prayer by Demetrios, Archbishop of America, Greek Orthodox)

Hurricane Irene

Father, the winds and waves obey your voice. Please speak peace to this storm and to all in its path. Amen.

(borrowed from my friend Cheryl Johnson's blog)

For Deliverance from Adversarial People

Thank you, Lord, for deliverance
from adversarial people!

Thank you for leading me into green pastures
and beside quiet streams,
Lord, my shield, my glory,
and the lifter of my head.

Thank you for freedom from sleepless nights
and stressful dreams.

Thank you for sustaining me,
providing for me
and defending me.

You are a saving God,
my Salvation.

(based on Psalm 3)

Hezekiah's Prayer, Revised

Sovereign Lord,
I thank you
for the troubles I have had in my soul,
for by them you continue to teach me humility.

You give life, Lord,
and you have given new life to my spirit.
All my suffering
has been for your purposes,
for good and not evil.
You have saved me from destruction,
and cast my sins behind you.
You have lifted me from the pit,
that I might praise you
with my words and with my life.

Well, then, I will praise you,
like a father telling his children
a thrilling bedtime story.

I will praise you
like a gifted Gospel singer
belting out "How Great Thou Art."

I will praise you
all the days of my life. Amen.

(based on Isaiah 38:15-20; the illustration above is by Stacy Lee, available for purchase here)

Multiples

Lord God, I don't deserve
this life you've given me,
much less the affluence
you allow me to enjoy.

I have multiples of things
many of your children
on this earth go without.

I have multiple children and grandchildren,
friends and loved ones.

I have multiple pairs of shoes.
Multiple shirts, pants,
and other clothes,
some of which I seldom wear;
multiple bank accounts,
multiple rooms in my home,
multiple cars,
computers,
Bibles,
books,
plates to eat from,
cups to drink from,
chairs to sit on,
televisions,
toothbrushes,
and inkpens.

I have multiple pleasures,
multiple luxuries,
multiple memories,
all, all, all from your hand,
for out of your store of infinite treasure,
you have given, and given, and given again.
Thank you, Lord,
my God and my King,
amen.

Must I Kill All My Little Darlings?

They are waiting for me, all my little darlings.
I have labored over them
as if in the pangs of childbirth.
I have nurtured them,
weighed and coddled them,
smiled at them and played with them.
They have grown and multiplied,
and though at times they are recalcitrant,
I have loved them.

How many must go?
Which ones are weak, superfluous, misplaced, unclear, redundant?

You know, Lord.
I approach them now as a gardener, not a butcher.
But it still hurts.
Give me clarity, give me fortitude.
Make me merciless, make me wise.
Supply boldness, supply discretion.
And in your kindness and creativity,
let every syllable that is trimmed, every phrase that is straightened,
be obedience to you,
a credit to me,
and a blessing to the reader,
in Jesus' name, amen.

A Fourth Century Prayer

Who then, my Lord, compares to you?
The Watcher slept, the Great was small,
the Pure baptized, the Life who died,
the King abased to honor all:
praised be your glory.

(a prayer of Ephrem of Edessa, translated by John Howard Rhys. It is the final verse of a hymn as it appears in the Episcopal Hymnal 1982)

Oil

Give me oil in my lamp,
I pray,
amen.

Whom Have I?

(words and music by Len Ballantine; based on Psalm 73:25)

Save Me From Success

Father, save me from success.
From wealth. Awards. Fame. Status.
Save me from a mindset that measures my worth by this world’s standards.
Save me from becoming enamored with my own words, ideas or ingenuity.
Save me from overreaching,
from outrunning your pace,
and your providential plans for me.
Save me from trusting in myself,
from becoming smug or self-satisfied,
from unhealthy expectations and harmful comforts.

Let nothing come too easily
or more quickly to me
than your wisdom dictates.

Save my writing from becoming pedestrian,
my habits from becoming staid,
my prayers from going stale,
and my life from being predictable.

As you have done so far
please do for the rest of my journey:
Let me work hard for every achievement
and acknowledge you in every blessing,
in Jesus' name, amen.

How the Nations Rage

Lord God Adonai,
how the nations rage
and politicians plot.

The news is all bad
and getting worse, it seems.

But you are still there
on your throne,
looking down from heaven, laughing.

I don't have to listen to their raging
or watch their finger-pointing.
I will simply focus on serving you,
day by day and moment by moment,
and rejoice in your sovereignty.

Blessed are all who take refuge in you.

(based on Psalm 2)

Deliver Us

Make Me That Man

Make me that man, Lord.
The one who doesn't think like the wicked
or flirt with temptation
or go along with the crowd.

Make me that man
who loves your Word
and dwells in your presence.

Make me that man who is like a tree,
planted by a flowing stream,
bearing fruit season after season.
Make me that man whose leaf never withers,
whose prosperity only grows,
in Jesus' name,
amen.

(based on Psalm 1:1-3)

A Hymn of Prayer Both New and Old

A hymn by William Featherston with a new verse (the last) by Bob Hostetler:

My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
For Thee all the pleasures of sin I resign.
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I love Thee because Thou has first loved me,
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree.
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I love with this heart you have purchased from sin,
I love with a mind you've renewed from within,
With whatever strength you may give from now on,
My Jesus, I'll love you, my strength and my song.

Recession Thanks

Lord God, thank you
for all the good things
you have given
that are recession-proof:
my salvation,
your unconditional love,
blue skies
and arresting cloud formations,
my marriage,
laughter,
naps,
a walk in the park,
holding hands,
squealing grandkids
and chirping crickets.
Amen.