One Prayer a Day

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)

Come and Dwell

Sovereign Lord, I come to you with my will, my affection, my very self, and ask you to cleanse me from every evil temper, from every selfish wish, from every secret doubt, and to come and dwell in my heart and keep me pure, and use me for your own glory, in Jesus' name, amen.

(suggested by lines from Helps to Holiness by Samuel Logan Brengle, chapter 19; now revised and updated for modern readers)

Like That One Tree

God, make me like a tree,
that one tree,
that changes early
and easily
and willingly
and beautifully
when the season of change
comes,
in Jesus' name, amen.

(photo via freefoto.com)

For a Long Day of Travel

Father God,

please grant me and the lovely Robin

safe and successful travel today.

Make smooth paths

(and flight schedules) for our feet.

Grant safe and timely travel to the airport.

Help us to make our flights

and safely reach our destination.

Protect us from coach cabin and airport terminal infections.

Guide our steps,

guard our thoughts,

and give us sweet communion with you and

pleasant interactions with others.

Make us alert to any opportunity to be the means of blessing

to our fellow travelers,

or those who serve them,

in Jesus' name, amen.

Hope and Cheer

Misplaced

The pride which leads me

to trust in myself

and not in you,

O Lord, forgive. Amen.

(based on a plaque in Coventry Cathedral; photo by @spiritvisionstudios via unsplash.com)

I Need You

Perfect Peace

On My Daughter's Birthday

It's my favorite daughter's birthday, Lord.

And still, after all this time (sorry, Aubrey),

I still can't fathom,

can't even process,

that she is all she is.

I'm still and always amazed

at how kindly, fully, and generously

you've answered my prayers

and her mother's prayers

for her.

You have made her faithful like Ruth and regal like Esther,

fierce like Deborah and brilliant like Abigail,

industrious like Lydia and a leader like Junia.

I give you so much praise and thanks

for my only daughter,

my firstborn, my Blossom;

for the child you gave me,

the woman she is,

the love we share,

the pride and joy I feel in her,

the blessings you've given her,

and the blessings you've given me through her.

Please bless her abundantly today

and in all the days to come.

Keep her safe and well.

Keep her marriage strong and beautiful.

Prosper her and her husband,

answer their prayers,

supply their needs,

fulfill their dreams.

Let her children continue to grow in happiness, health, and holiness.

Reward Aubrey's love and faithfulness and diligence as a mom

with beauty and grace,

charm and wisdom,

health and wholeness,

integrity and strength in each of her children

as you have done for me in mine.

Show her every kindness,

grant her your favor,

use her,

bless her,

hold her,

in Jesus' name, amen.

Fly to You

Jesus, lover of my soul,
I fly to you,
I lay my head on your chest,
my Friend,
my Brother,
my Lord and my God,
my Savior,
my Stronghold.
Amen.

(photo by Free-Photos via pixabay.com)

Reasonably Sweet

Lord, Thou knowest better than I myself
that I am growing older and will someday be old.
Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something
on every subject and on every occasion.

Release me from craving to straighten out everybody's affairs.
Make me thoughtful but not moody; helpful but not bossy.
With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all;
but Thou knowest, Lord, that I want a few friends at the end.
Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details;
give me wings to get to the point.
Seal my lips on my aches and pains;
they are increasing, and love of rehearsing them
is becoming sweeter as the years go by.

I dare not ask for improved memory,
but for a growing humility and a lessening cock-sureness
when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others.
Teach me the glorious lesson
that occasionally I may be mistaken.

Keep me reasonably sweet,
for a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil.
Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places
and talents in unexpected people;
and give, O Lord, the grace to tell them so.

Amen.

(author unknown; photo via pixabay.com)

Bright Flame

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)

In the Cleft

The Blessing

Bounty

Pierce Our Souls with Your Love

O God and Lord of the Powers,
and Maker of all creation,
Who, because of your clemency
and incomparable mercy,
sent your Only-Begotten Son
and our Lord Jesus Christ
for the salvation of mankind,
and with His venerable Cross
tore asunder the record of our sins,
and thereby conquered the rulers and powers of darkness;
receive from us sinful people, O merciful Master,
these prayers of gratitude and supplication,
and deliver us from every destructive and gloomy transgression,
and from all visible and invisible enemies who seek to injure us.
Nail down our flesh with fear of you,
and let not our hearts be inclined to words or thoughts of evil,
but pierce our souls with your love,
that ever contemplating you,
being enlightened by you,
and discerning you,
the unapproachable and everlasting Light,
we may unceasingly render confession and gratitude to you:
The eternal Father, with your Only-Begotten Son,
and with your All-Holy, Gracious,
and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

(a prayer of St. Basil; photo by Roman Kraft via unsplash.com)

To Find My Value

Please keep me from measuring myself by the wrong standards.

How I compare to others isn't important.
The only thing that matters--and the only way to avoid my insecurities--
is to find my value as a creation of almighty God.

When I reflect on how much you love me, I find the courage to be myself,
and I realize I might be more valuable than I give myself credit for.

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