Daily Prayer

a prayer for sacrifce

Jesus,

When you had nothing else to give

you gave yourself.

And as your friends shared and ate,

they were confused and complicit,

just like all of us.

May we give sacrificially;

because when we give like this,

we are like you,

who became like us.

Amen.

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a prayer to have joy in troubling times

Dear Lord,

I sometimes allow things like bad weather to steal my joy.

Teach me to see with my heart and not my head.

I am prone to think negatively and imagine worst case scenarios.

Help me to discover other ways to think and process life's events.

I know that I sometimes need to be joyful even when I am not happy.

Remind me that joy comes as a product of following your Spirit.

To you I surrender my life. Please lead me in your ways.

Amen.

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If The Imitation of Christ has a rival in sales, it is The Pilgrim’s Progress, written by John Bunyan. On November 12, 1660 Bunyan left home to conduct a small worship service in a friend’s house. Earlier that year King Charles II of England, Bible clutched to breast, had returned from exile to restore the monarchy and to return the Church of England to its position of authority. All non-Anglican houses of worship were closed, making Bunyan’s preaching of the gospel now treasonous.

Arriving at the farmhouse, Bunyan learned that a warrant had been issued for his arrest. His friends urged flight. “No!” he replied. “I will not stir neither have the meeting dismissed. Let us not be daunted. To preach God’s Word is so good a work that we shall be well rewarded if we suffer for that.” The service was soon disrupted by the local constable, and Bunyan managed only a few parting words before being arrested. He spent the next 12 years imprisoned in Bedford, England, during which time his family suffered and his beloved blind daughter, Mary, passed away.

Bunyan supported his family by making laces in prison; but shortly he discovered a hidden gift—the ability to write. His fame as an imprisoned writer fueled sales of his books, and he eventually wrote 60 volumes, one for every year he lived. His most famous work, written during the final phase of incarceration, is Pilgrim’s Progress. It sold 100,000 copies during Bunyan’s lifetime and millions since. It joins The Imitation of Christ in being publishing history’s top bestseller, apart from Scripture.

Bunyan spent his final years in his little cottage in Bedford where visitors often found him studying, his library consisting only of a Bible and some of his own works. On his deathbed battling high fever, Bunyan rambled in tortured, fractured words; but even these were collected and published as Mr. Bunyan’s Dying Sayings. They include this one: The spirit of prayer is more precious than treasure of gold and silver. Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan.

When people talk this way, it is clear that they are looking for a place to call their own. If they had been talking about the land where they had once lived, they could have gone back at any time. But they were looking forward to a better home in heaven. Hebrews 11:14-16a

Morgan, Robert J. 1997. On This Day: 365 Amazing and Inspiring Stories about Saints, Martyrs & Heroes. Electronic ed. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

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May we start this year remembering that The spirit of prayer is more precious than treasure of gold and silver. Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan.

ReplyForward

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for grit in the new year

Dear God,

On this last day of 2024, I find myself in need of grit.

Help me to leave the past behind and press on into the new year.

Give me the courage I need to face new challenges.

Bless me with perseverance when times are hard.

Teach me the importance of living life one day at a time.

When I am afraid, help me to let go of control and trust.

Thank you for your presence in my life.

I praise you for my life and the hope you have given.

Amen.

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as we begin a new year

Dear God,

Looking towards 2025, I realize that I need your guidance and strength.

Help me to move forward with trust and love in my heart.

Grant me grace to let go of things past and embrace new ways.

Give me courage to step into the coming year knowing you are with me.

Fill me afresh each day with wisdom that I might make the good decisions.

Empower me with the discipline to overcome challenges.

Guide my steps and open new doors that I might serve you more.

I dedicate my life afresh to you.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

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A prayer for the renewal (the first Sunday after Christmas)

First Sunday after Christmas Day (Dec. 26–30)

Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Source: Webber, Robert. 1994. The Services of the Christian Year. Vol. 5. The Complete Library of Christian Worship.

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in anticipation of his coming

Loving Father,

Help us remember the birth of Jesus.

That we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate
and open the door of love all over the world.

Let kindness come with every gift
and good desires with every greeting.

Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings,
and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May Christmas morning
make us happy to be thy children.

And Christmas evening bring us to our beds
with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven.

For Jesus’ sake.

Amen.

... from the Hallow website

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a prayer to endure

Dear Father,

These seem to be days of struggle and uncertainty.

I come to you seeking your strength to press on in hardship.

The path seems too difficult and the burdens seem heavy.

Even so, I sense that you are with me in this journey of faith.

Remind me when I struggle, that you are directing my steps.

Grant me to have the courage to endure when I am faced with obstacles.

Help me to trust you, your love and your goodness when the path is dark.

I confess you as my Lord and as my friend.

In Jesus' name, Amen

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when life seems dark and hope is far away

Today is the Winter Solstice - the longest night of the year. I post this meditation (written in 2001 by Rev. Diane Hendricks) every year as a reminder that things are not always as they seem. Darkness eventually gives way to light and night transitions to morning. And we can have hope in the darkest of times.

Longest Night Meditation

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Only it's not.

Not for everyone.

Not when there is an empty chair at the table.
Not when your body is ravaged with illness.
Not when the depression is too much to bear.
Not without her voice joining yours on the Christmas carols.
Not when you feel all alone even in a crowd.
Not when you are not sure you can even afford the rent or mortgage,
let alone the presents.
Not when they are trying their best to get the best of you.
Not when another Christmas party means he will come home drunk again.

It's the most wonderful time of the year?

No, it's not.

And trying to smile and say Merry Christmas is more than difficult.

It's pretty near impossible.

C.S. Lewis once wrote:

"No one ever told me that grief felt so much like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning..."

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Only it's not.

Not after he has died.

Not after the doctor gave you the news.
Not after they told you they would be downsizing.
Not after... you fill in the blank.
Not after September 11.
Not when there is so much violence and destruction in the world.

In truth, it has never been the most wonderful time of the year. Certainly not in the days surrounding that first Christmas so long ago. The story of the birth of Jesus is not to be told with a jolly voice and a merry ho-ho-ho.
It is the story of a teenage girl, pregnant with a child that is not her husband's.

It is the story of a child born in a dirty animal stall.
It is the story of a family of refugees who had to flee their homeland so that their child would not be killed.
It is the story of one sent into the world in peace who was condemned to death.
It is the story of a light sent to shine in the darkness, which the world snuffed out.
It is the story of God's never-ending, self-giving mercy which was rejected and condemned.
In the great work the Messiah, Handel quotes the prophet Isaiah, proclaiming that Jesus was "despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." One great theologian reminds us that we cannot come to the manger without acknowledging that it lays in the shadow of the cross.

It is not the most wonderful time of the year.

Only it is! It is:
If we forget about the tinsel and the trees.
If we forget about the holly jolly tidings.
If we forget about the presents and the ornaments and the trappings.
And remember. Remember the story.
Mary was alone and afraid.
But God was with her and exalted her among women.
Joseph was disgraced.
But God revealed in Joseph's cause for disgrace God's plan to save the world.
The world was in darkness.
But God sent the light of life to shine.
The lowly were imprisoned.
But Jesus set them free.
The blind wandered aimlessly.
But Christ gave them eyes to see.
The lame were rejected.
But through the Holy One they were made to leap and dance.
The deaf were confined to the silence.
But the song of life unstopped their ears.
The sorrowful grieved.
But God wipes away our tears.
We were alone.
But in Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God is with us.
The people rejected God.
But God embraces us.
The world crucified Christ.
But God would not allow that to be the last word, and gave us the sure hope of the resurrection.
It is the most wonderful time of the year, not because you have to be cheery and happy and merry.

But because you don't.

You can have heavy spirits and shattered dreams. Broken hearts and deep wounds.

And still God comes to be with you.
To comfort you.
To redeem you.
To save you.
To restore you.
To empower you.
To strengthen you.
To grant you peace.
To be raised for you.
To hold you in the communion of saints with those whom you have loved and lost.
To store your tears in his bottle.
To offer you eternal life.
It is the most wonderful time of the year.
For Christ is born.
Love has come.
God is with us!
Thanks be to the Lord our God.

Amen

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A prayer of thanksgiving and commitment this Christmas

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a prayer to risk again

Dear Lord,

This morning I am hopeful but fearful.

Give me the courage to try again.

Help me to be patient as I take one step of faith today.

Bless me that I might not be controlled by past failures.

Help me to trust you and follow in your footsteps.

Guide me Holy Spirit as I seek to hear your still small voice.

I am your servant. Lead me in the way of love.

Amen.

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a prayer for sympathy and guidance

Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning.

Give attention to my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.

Thank you O Lord, for hearing me when I pray.

Thank you for being a pure Father, one with absolutely no evil.

Give me grace O Father to be humble, pure in heart and a truth teller.

Help me to be a forgiving person and one filled with honesty.

Praise be to Your name for Your steadfast love.

I worship You with much awe.

Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness; make your way straight before me.

Cause me to be one with truth in my mouth; and not flattery on my lips.

Give me wisdom to live in a sinful world and to shine before others.

Help me to bless those who do not know You and bless me to love them.

Let all who take refuge in you rejoice and let them ever sing for joy.

Spread Your loving protection over all.

Let who love Your name exult in you and praise your name.

For You bless those you love and cover them with favor as with a shield.

Amen

... a prayer based on Psalm 5

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A prayer for protection and direction

Lord, Be Thou within me, to strengthen me; Without me, to keep me; Above me, to protect me; Beneath me, to uphold me; Before me, to direct me; Behind me, to keep me from straying; Round about me, to defend me. Blessed be Thou, O Lord, our Father, for ever and ever.

-Lancelot Andrewes (1555–1626)

Note:
Lancelot Andrewes was an important clergyman in the Church of England. He was a theological statesman and court preacher. His goal was to cause people to think about scripture and reawaken them. Andrewes was one of the translators for the King James version of the Bible.

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Prayer has POWER

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