Pastoral Prayer of Martin Luther King, Jr

O God, our heavenly Father,

  we thank thee for this golden privilege to worship thee,

  the only God of the universe.

We come to thee today, grateful that thou hast kept us

  through the long night of the past and ushered us

  into the challenge of the present and the bright hope of the future.

We are mindful, O God, that man cannot save himself,

  for man is not the measure of things and humanity is not God.

Bound by our chains of  sin and finiteness, we know we need a Savior.

We thank thee, O God, for the spiritual nature of man.

We are in nature but we live above nature.

Help us never to let anyone or any condition

  pull us so low as to cause us to hate.

Give us the strength to love our enemies

  and to do good to those who despitefully use us and persecute us.

We thank thee for thy Church, founded upon thy Word,

  that challenges us to do more than sing and pray,

  but to go out and work as though the very answer to our prayers

  depend on us and not upon thee.

Then, finally, help us to realize that man was created to shine like the stars

  and live on through all eternity.

Keep us, we pray, in perfect peace,

  help us to walk together, pray together, sing together, and live together

  until that day when all God’s children, Black, White, Red, and Yellow

  will rejoice in one common band of humanity

  in the kingdom of our Lord and of our God, we pray. Amen.

Martin Luther King, Jr., 1929 -1968, American pastor and civil rights activist

The Prayer Tradition of Black People, 1956

 

Martin Luther King, Jr

January 16,

https://prayerandverse.com/2017/01/16/pastoral-prayer-of-martin-luther-king-jr/

 

 

Covenant Prayer-John Wesly

Covenant Prayer

 I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen. 

 

John Wesley 

Sarum Primer

 
Sarum Primer

God be in my head,

And in my understanding;

God be in my eyes

And in my looking;

God be in my mouth

And in my speaking;

God be in my heart

And in my thinking;

God be at my end,

And at my departing. 

 

Sarum Primer is a collection of prayers and worship resources developed in Salisbury, England, during the 13th century. “Sarum” is the abbreviation for the Latin word for Salisbury. The collection was used throughout Britain, as well as parts of continental Europe, until the Reformation 

Lord, afford a spring to me

 Lord, afford a spring to me

 

1 Lord, afford a spring to me;
Let me feel like what I see;
Ah! my winter has been long!
Chilled my hopes and stopped my song.
Winter threatens to destroy
Faith, and love, and every joy;
If thy life was in the root,
Still I could not yield thee fruit.

2 Speak, and by thy gracious voice
Make my drooping soul rejoice;
O, beloved Saviour, haste,
Tell me all the storms are past!
On thy garden deign to smile;
Raise the plants, enrich the soil;
Soon thy presence will restore
Life to what seemed dead before.

John Newton 

 

Psalm 139

 Psalm 139:1-12

 O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
² You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from far away.
³ You search out my path and my lying down,
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴ Even before a word is on my tongue,
    O Lord, you know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is so high that I cannot attain it.

⁷ Where can I go from your spirit?
    Or where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
    if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
⁹ If I take the wings of the morning
    and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light around me become night’,
¹² even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is as bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

Praying

 Praying

It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.

 Mary Oliver

 

The Candlemas Procession

 The Candlemas Procession

Lumen
Ad revelationem gentium.

Look kindly, Jesus, where we come,
New Simeons, to kindle,
Each at Your infant sacrifice his own life’s candle.

And when Your flame turns into many tongues,
See how the One is multiplied, among us, hundreds!
And goes among the humble, and consoles our sinful kindred.

It is for this we come,
And, kneeling, each receive one flame:
Ad revelationem gentium.

Our lives, like candles, spell this simple symbol:
Weep like our bodily life, sweet work of bees,
Sweeten the world, with your slow sacrifice.
And this shall be our praise:
That by our glad expense, our Father’s will
Burned and consumed us for a parable.

Nor burn we now with brown and smoky flames, but bright
Until our sacrifice is done,
(By which not we, but You are known)
And then, returning to our Father, one by one,
Give back our lives like wise and waxen lights.

 Thomas Merton

 

 

 

The Call

The Call

 Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life;
Such a Way as gives us breath,
Such a Truth as ends all strife,
Such a Life as killeth death.

Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength;
Such a Light as shows a Feast,
Such a Feast as mends in length,
Such a Strength as makes his guest.

Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart;
Such a Joy as none can move,
Such a Love as none can part,
Such a Heart as joys in love.

 

George Herbert

Psalms (SAID)

 Psalms

lord

pray

pray loudly against the noise of the human hand

which seeks to drown you out

and appear on quiet soles

so that we might understand your footsteps

exert yourself

in order to recognize our prayers

even when they appear in a different garment

because no prayer ever looses itself from the source of the one praying

                                                     •

lord

take up the speech

by which i pray to you

grant me the gestures

which have grown within me in your absence

so that i might remain true to my uneducable nature

and take your weakness upon me

                                                        •

lord

you should always wander and never let yourself

settle down

because there are no longer any dwelling places

only footsteps

be loud and penetrating

sympathize with me and my stirrings

lead me

all the way to your bread

so that my word might wake

                                                       •

lord

stay by me

even if i nourish myself from ashes and salt

be still and listen to that name

which i lend to you

because i want to distinguish you from the idols

grant me patience to endure those who are vain

with their empty words

and the converts

who are zealous to confirm their opposite

and grant

that my waiting be full of revolt

                                                       •

lord

when you arrive

we will be light

bread and water

the table is set and the door opened

come and take your place among us

free me of the belief

that you are only faithful from a distance

and speak with me

in the unharried language of animals

who from far off lie in wait for us

with their unadulterated hunger

SAID
Translated by Mark S. Burrows 

 

Holy Sonnets XIV: Batter my heart, three-person'd God

 Holy Sonnets XIV: Batter my heart, three-person'd God 

Batter my heart, three-person'd God, for you

As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;

That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend

Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.

I, like an usurp'd town to another due,

Labor to admit you, but oh, to no end;

Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,

But is captiv'd, and proves weak or untrue.

Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov'd fain,

But am betroth'd unto your enemy;

Divorce me, untie or break that knot again,

Take me to you, imprison me, for I,

Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,

Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

 John Donne

A Hymn to God the Father

Wilt thou forgive that sin where I begun,

         Which was my sin, though it were done before?

Wilt thou forgive that sin, through which I run,

         And do run still, though still I do deplore?

                When thou hast done, thou hast not done,

                        For I have more.

Wilt thou forgive that sin which I have won

         Others to sin, and made my sin their door?

Wilt thou forgive that sin which I did shun

         A year or two, but wallow'd in, a score?

                When thou hast done, thou hast not done,

                        For I have more.

I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun

         My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;

But swear by thyself, that at my death thy Son

         Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore;

                And, having done that, thou hast done;

                        I fear no more. 

By John Donne

Thou art indeed just, Lord, if I contend

 Thou art indeed just, Lord, if I contend

Justus quidem tu es, Domine, si disputem tecum; verumtamen
justa loquar ad te: Quare via impiorum prosperatur? &c.

Thou art indeed just, Lord, if I contend

With thee; but, sir, so what I plead is just.

Why do sinners’ ways prosper? and why must

Disappointment all I endeavour end?

    Wert thou my enemy, O thou my friend,

How wouldst thou worse, I wonder, than thou dost

Defeat, thwart me? Oh, the sots and thralls of lust

Do in spare hours more thrive than I that spend,

Sir, life upon thy cause. See, banks and brakes

Now, leavèd how thick! lacèd they are again

With fretty chervil, look, and fresh wind shakes

Them; birds build – but not I build; no, but strain,

Time’s eunuch, and not breed one work that wakes.

Mine, O thou lord of life, send my roots rain.

Gerard Manley Hopkins

 

Prayer After Eating

 Prayer After Eating

 I have taken in the light
that quickened eye and leaf.
May my brain be bright with praise
of what I eat, in the brief blaze
of motion and of thought.
May I be worthy of my meat.

Wendell Barry

A Prayer in Spring

 A Prayer in Spring

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfil.

 Robert Forst

Prayer: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise

Hymns: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise

 

1 Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.

2 Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;
thy justice like mountains high soaring above
thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

3 To all life thou givest, to both great and small;
in all life thou livest, the true life of all;
we blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
and wither and perish but naught changeth thee.

4 Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
all praise we would render, O help us to see
'tis only the splendor of light hideth thee.

 

By Walter Chalmers Smith

 

A Universal Prayer for Peace

 

A Universal Prayer for Peace

Iona Community

Lead us from death to life, from falsehood to truth.
Lead us from despair to hope, from fear to trust.
Lead us from hate to love, from war to peace.
Let peace fill our lives, our world, our universe.
Peace, peace, peace.
Amen

 

The Great Litany

Anglican

To be said or sung, kneeling, standing, or in procession; before the
Eucharist or after the Collects of Morning or Evening Prayer; or
separately; especially in Lent and on Rogation days.

O God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth,
Have mercy upon us.

O God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy upon us.

O God the Holy Ghost, Sanctifier of the faithful,
Have mercy upon us.

O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, one God,
Have mercy upon us.

Remember not, Lord Christ, our offenses, nor the offenses
of our forefathers; neither reward us according to our sins.
Spare us, good Lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast
redeemed with thy most precious blood, and by thy mercy
preserve us, for ever.
Spare us, good Lord.

From all evil and wickedness; from sin; from the crafts
and assaults of the devil; and from everlasting damnation,
Good Lord, deliver us.

From all blindness of heart; from pride, vainglory,
and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice; and from all want
of charity,
Good Lord, deliver us.

From all inordinate and sinful affections; and from all the
deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil,
Good Lord, deliver us.

From all false doctrine, heresy, and schism; from hardness
of heart, and contempt of thy Word and commandment,
Good Lord, deliver us.

From lightning and tempest; from earthquake, fire, and
flood; from plague, pestilence, and famine,
Good Lord, deliver us.

From all oppression, conspiracy, and rebellion; from
violence, battle, and murder; and from dying suddenly and
unprepared,
Good Lord, deliver us.

By the mystery of thy holy Incarnation; by thy holy Nativity
and submission to the Law; by thy Baptism, Fasting, and
Temptation,
Good Lord, deliver us.

By thine Agony and Bloody Sweat; by thy Cross and Passion;
by thy precious Death and Burial; by thy glorious Resurrection
and Ascension; and by the Coming of the Holy Ghost,
Good Lord, deliver us.

In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our prosperity; in
the hour of death, and in the day of judgment,
Good Lord, deliver us.

We sinners do beseech thee to hear us, O Lord God; and that
it may please thee to rule and govern thy holy Church
Universal in the right way,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to illumine all bishops, priests, and
deacons, with true knowledge and understanding of thy
Word; and that both by their preaching and living, they may
set it forth, and show it accordingly,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to bless and keep all thy people,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to send forth laborers into thy
harvest, and to draw all mankind into thy kingdom,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to give to all people increase of grace
to hear and receive thy Word, and to bring forth the fruits of
the Spirit,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to bring into the way of truth all such
as have erred, and are deceived,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to give us a heart to love and fear
thee, and diligently to live after thy commandments,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee so to rule the hearts of thy servants,
the President of the United States (or of this nation), and all
others in authority, that they may do justice, and love mercy,
and walk in the ways of truth,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to make wars to cease in all the world;
to give to all nations unity, peace, and concord; and to
bestow freedom upon all peoples,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to show thy pity upon all prisoners
and captives, the homeless and the hungry, and all who are
desolate and oppressed,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to give and preserve to our use the
bountiful fruits of the earth, so that in due time all may enjoy
them,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to inspire us, in our several callings,
to do the work which thou givest us to do with singleness of
heart as thy servants, and for the common good,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to preserve all who are in danger by
reason of their labor or their travel,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to preserve, and provide for, all
women in childbirth, young children and orphans, the
widowed, and all whose homes are broken or torn by strife,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to visit the lonely; to strengthen all
who suffer in mind, body, and spirit; and to comfort with thy
presence those who are failing and infirm,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to support, help, and comfort all who
are in danger, necessity, and tribulation,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to have mercy upon all mankind,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to give us true repentance; to forgive
us all our sins, negligences, and ignorances; and to endue
us with the grace of thy Holy Spirit to amend our lives
according to thy holy Word,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to forgive our enemies, persecutors,
and slanderers, and to turn their hearts,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to strengthen such as do stand; to
comfort and help the weak-hearted; to raise up those who
fall; and finally to beat down Satan under our feet,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to grant to all the faithful departed
eternal life and peace,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to grant that, in the fellowship of
[__________ and] all the saints, we may attain to thy
heavenly kingdom,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

Son of God, we beseech thee to hear us.
Son of God, we beseech thee to hear us.

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy upon us.

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy upon us.

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
Grant us thy peace.

O Christ, hear us.
O Christ, hear us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.		Kyrie eleison.
Christ, have mercy upon us.	or	Christe eleison.
Lord, have mercy upon us.		Kyrie eleison.

When the Litany is sung or said immediately before the Eucharist, the
Litany concludes here, and the Eucharist begins with the Salutation and
the Collect of the Day.

On all other occasions, the Officiant and People say together

Our Father, who art in heaven,
    hallowed be thy Name,
    thy kingdom come,
    thy will be done,
        on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
    as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil. Amen.

V.	O Lord, let thy mercy be showed upon us;
R.	As we do put our trust in thee.

The Officiant concludes with the following or some other Collect

Let us pray.

Almighty God, who hast promised to hear the petitions of
those who ask in thy Son's Name: We beseech thee mercifully
to incline thine ear to us who have now made our prayers
and supplications unto thee; and grant that those things
which we have asked faithfully according to thy will, may be
obtained effectually, to the relief of our necessity, and to the
setting forth of thy glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

The Officiant may add other Prayers, and end the Litany, saying

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore.
Amen.

The Supplication

For use in the Litany in place of the Versicle and Collect which follows
the Lord's Prayer; or at the end or Morning or Evening Prayer; or as a
separate devotion; especially in times of war, or of national anxiety, or of
disaster.

O Lord, arise, help us;
And deliver us for thy Name's sake.

O God, we have heard with our ears, and our fathers have
declared unto us, the noble works that thou didst in their
days, and in the old time before them.

O Lord, arise, help us;
and deliver us for thy Name's sake.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

O Lord, arise, help us;
and deliver us for thy Name's sake.

V.	From our enemies defend us, O Christ;
R.	Graciously behold our afflictions.
V.	With pity behold the sorrows of our hearts;
R.	Mercifully forgive the sins of thy people.

V.	Favorably with mercy hear our prayers;
R.	O Son of David, have mercy upon us.
V.	Both now and ever vouchsafe to hear us, O Christ;
R.	Graciously hear us, O Christ; graciously hear us, O Lord Christ.

The Officiant concludes

Let us pray.

We humbly beseech thee, O Father, mercifully to look upon
our infirmities; and, for the glory of thy Name, turn from us
all those evils that we most justly have deserved; and grant
that in all our troubles we may put our whole trust and
confidence in thy mercy, and evermore serve thee in holiness
and pureness of living, to thy honor and glory; through our
only Mediator and Advocate, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

A Puritan Prayer of Thanks

 

A Puritan Prayer of Thanks

Puritan

O My God,

Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects, my heart admires, adores, loves thee, for my little vessel is as full as it can be, and I would pour out all that fullness before thee in ceaseless flow.

When I think upon and converse with thee, ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up, ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed, ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart, crowding into every moment of happiness.

I bless thee for:

the soul thou hast created, for adorning it, sanctifying it, though it is fixed in barren soil;

for the body thou hast given me, for preserving its strength and vigour, for providing senses to enjoy delights, for the ease and freedom of my limbs, for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding;

for thy royal bounty providing my daily support,

for a full table and overflowing cup,

for appetite, taste, sweetness,

for social joys of relatives and friends,

for ability to serve others,

for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,

for a mind to care for my fellow-men,

for opportunities of spreading happiness around,

for loved ones in the joys of heaven,

for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.

I love thee above the powers of language to express, for what thou art to thy creatures.

Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.

From: Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, ed. Arthur Bennett (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 2002), 26-27.

A prayer for our enemies-Thomas More

 Thomas More's   A prayer for our enemies

Almighty God, have mercy on N. and N., and on all that bear me evil will, and would me harm. Their faults and mine together, by such easy, tender, merciful means as thine infinite wisdom best can devise, vouchsafe to amend and redress; and make us saved souls in Heaven together, where we may ever live and love together with thee and thy blessed saints, O glorious Trinity, for the bitter passion of our sweet Saviour Christ. Amen.

  Lord, give me patience in tribulation and grace in everything, to conform my will to thine, that I may truly say: “Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo et in terra”. (May your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.)

  The things, good Lord, that I pray for, give me thy grace to labour for. Amen.

St Thomas More, 1535

 

Prayer-Chastity and Purity

 

Dear Jesus, I know that every perfect gift and especially that of chastity depends on the power of your Providence. Without you, a mere creature can do nothing. Therefore, I beg you to defend by your grace the chastity and purity of my body and soul. And if I have ever imagined or felt anything that can stain my chastity and purity, blot it out, Supreme Lord of my powers, that I may advance with a pure heart in your love and service, offering myself on the most pure altar of your divinity all the days of my life.  

 

From Reinholf Hutter's article on Pornography and Acedia

 

Prayer: All praise to thee, my God, this night

Hymn: All praise to thee, my God, this night

 Author: Thomas Ken (1709)

1 All praise to You, my God, this night,
For all the blessings of the light.
Keep me, O keep me, King of kings,
Beneath the shelter of Your wings.

2 Forgive me, Lord, for this I pray,
The wrong that I have done this day.
May peace with God and neighbor be,
Before I sleep restored to me.

3 Lord, may I be at rest in You
And sweetly sleep the whole night thro'.
Refresh my strength, for Your own sake,
So I may serve You when I wake.

4 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

A modern ‘Lord’s Prayer’

 

A modern ‘Lord’s Prayer’ – Jim Cotter, UK

Eternal Spirit,

Earth-maker, Pain Bearer, Life-Giver,

Source of all that is and that shall be.

Father and Mother of us all,

Loving God, in whom is heaven:

The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!

The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!

Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!

Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.

With the bread we need for today, feed us.

In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.

In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.

From trials too great to endure, spare us.

From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For your reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever. Amen.

 

Prayer of Thomas aKempis Concerning Being Strengthened

 Prayer of Thomas aKempis Concerning Being Strengthened

But because I am still weak in love and imperfect in virtue,

  I need to be strengthened and comforted by Thee;

  therefore visit Thou me often

       and instruct me with Thy holy ways of discipline. 

Deliver me from evil passions,

       and cleanse my heart from all inordinate affections, that,

   being healed and altogether cleansed within,

       I may be made ready to love, strong to suffer, steadfast to endure.

    Thomas aKempis, The Imitaion of Christ, Chp iii.5.2

Prayer-Breastplate of Saint Patrick

 Breastplate of Saint Patrick

I arise today 
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In the predictions of prophets,
In the preaching of apostles,
In the faith of confessors,
In the innocence of holy virgins,
In the deeds of righteous men.

I arise today, through
The strength of heaven,
The light of the sun,
The radiance of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of the earth,
The firmness of rock.

I arise today, through
God's strength to pilot me,
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.

I summon today
All these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel and merciless power
that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul;
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me an abundance of reward.

 

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.

 Think of Ephesians 6:11

Be the Gardener of My Soul

 Be the Gardener of My Soul

Spirit of the Living God, be the Gardener of my soul. For so long I have been waiting silent and still-experiencing a winter of the soul. But now, in the strong name of Jesus Christ, I dare to ask:

Clear away the dead growth of the past,

Break up the hard clods of custom and routines

Stir in the rich compost of vision and challenge,

Bury deep in my soul the implanted Word,

Cultivate and water and tend my heart,

Until new life buds and opens and flowers.

Richard Foster, Prayers From the Heart

Prayer of Sir Francis Drake

 Prayer of Sir Francis Drake

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim. 

 
Disturb us, Lord,
to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

AMEN

 

Groeschel Morning Prayer

 Groeschel Morning Prayer

 Taken from his book, Dangerous Prayers.He says he prayers a form of this every day.

Heavenly Father, because you gave Jesus for me, I give my whole day to you today. Every part of me is yours. Take each part of the body you created and consecrate it for your purposes today.    

God, I give you my mind. Please guard my thoughts. Help me take captive any thought that is not from you to make it obedient to Christ and all your truth. Renew my mind. May all my thoughts be pleasing to you. Help me to think on things that are pure, excellent, and worthy of praise. Help me to think your thoughts. Direct my mind toward your perfect will today

Lord, I give you my eyes. Help me to look on things that are pure and honoring to you. Protect my eyes from lusting after the temporary pleasures of this world. Give me eyes to see what you see. Since my eyes are the lamp of my body, help me see things that let your light shine through my life today.

God, guard my ears. Protect me from listening to any lies from the evil one. May I only hear your voice, your Spirit, your truth guiding me. Lord, help me turn from any voice that distracts me from your plan for my life today. May I be sensitive to everything you say to me. Interrupt my plans. Redirect me toward your agenda. Give me ears to hear your voice so I may follow where you lead.

 God, set a guard over my mouth. May every word that I speak be pleasing to you, O God. Give me words to say to lift and encourage others, pointing them to you. I know my words have the power to give life and to take life. Empower me to speak life to everyone that I see. 

 Lord, help me guard my heart, as I know it can easily deceive me. Purify my motives in all that I do. May my only goal be to serve and please you. God, help my heart be moved by what moves your heart, be broken by what breaks yours, and rejoice in the things that bring you joy. Create in me a clean heart, God. Help me to love and serve you today with my whole heart.

God, may my hands be your hands in the world today. I devote the work of my hands to you. Empower me to be productive today, honoring you in all the work that I do. Help me, God, to do everything for your glory.     

Lord, direct the steps of my feet. May your Word be a lamp directing all my steps. Guide me to the right places and right people so I can serve you best today. Keep me from the wrong places that might tempt me to sin against you. Guide my feet, Lord, into your perfect will.     

God, my whole body is yours. I know that before I was even created, you had good works, prepared in advance, for me to do today. Use me, God, to do them all. You have given me everything I need to do everything you have called me to do. Help me to see needs and meet them. Show me those who are hurting that I could encourage them. Direct me to those without you so I could help them know your goodness and grace.     

God, I devote every part of me to you and to your will today.   

Here I am, Lord. Send me.

From Dangerous Prayers: Because Following Jesus Was Never Meant to Be Safe, By Craig Groeschel, Chapter 3.7: Your Will Be Done
 

St. Francis of Assisi-Most high, glorious God, enlighten the darkness

 Most high, glorious God, enlighten the darkness

 St. Francis of Assisi

 Most high, glorious God,  

     enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me, Lord, 

              a correct faith, 

              a certain hope, 

              a perfect charity, 

              sense and knowledge, 

so that I may carry out your holy and true command.

St Francis Prayer of Peace

 St Francis Prayer of Peace

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.

The Merton Prayer

 The Merton Prayer
by Thomas Merton

My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road,

though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always though
I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Prayer for Good Humor

Prayer for Good Humor
by St. Thomas More

Grant me, O Lord, good digestion,
      and also something to digest.
Grant me a healthy body,
      and the necessary good humor to maintain it.
Grant me a simple soul that knows to treasure all that is good
       and that doesn’t frighten easily at the sight of evil,
       but rather finds the means to put things back in their place.
Give me a soul that knows not boredom, grumblings, sighs and laments,
       nor excess of stress, because of that obstructing thing called “I.”
Grant me, O Lord, a sense of good humor.

Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke to discover in life a bit of joy,
      and to be able to share it with others.