prayer for strength, wisdom and empathy

Oh, Great Spirit,

Whose voice I hear in the winds and whose breath gives life to all the world.

Hear me! I need your strength and wisdom.

Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever hold the red and purple sunset.

Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice.

Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people.

Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock.

Help me remain calm and strong in the face of all that comes towards me.

Help me find compassion without empathy overwhelming me.

I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy: myself.

Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes.

So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame.

Amen.

-Lakota Sioux Chief Yellow Lark      

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fill us with holy love

Look upon us, O Lord, 

Let all the darkness of our souls vanish before the beams of your brightness.

Fill us with holy love, and open to us the treasures of your wisdom.

All our desire is known unto you, therefore complete what you have begun.

Bless what your Spirit has awakened us to ask in prayer.

We seek your face, turn your face unto us and show us your glory.

Then shall our longing be satisfied, and our peace shall be perfect.

Amen.

-adapted from a prayer of Augustine      

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IN THE LORD ALONE

In the Lord, the Lord alone

Are righteousness and strength:

The height and breadth and length

O love is found in Him.

In the Lord, the Lord alone

Are life and health and peace:

His mercies and His loving kindness

Never cease.

In the Lord, the Lord alone

Are life and health and peace

In the Lord, the Lord alone!

Walter Harris 1989 c

Heavenly Father, how easy is it for us to add to YOU!  All we need is The Lord Alone.  Help us to see that You are our everything.  In YOU we move and live and have our being.  In YOU alone we have life and health and peace.  And if we are limited in our life and health and peace, YOU are still all we need.  The Lord Alone.  Amen

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A prayer for enthusiam in place of apathy

Our Heavenly Father, we pray you to forgive our lack of enthusiasm. We pray you to forgive us for our coldness. We pray you to forgive us for loving you so little and serving you so poorly. O God, help us to reconsecrate ourselves to you and your service. May the Spirit that came upon Gideon and Joshua and Elijah, and that came on the day of Pentecost, come upon us here. O Spirit of the living God, fall upon us here, and may our hearts be all on fire for the Son of God. And may we be willing to lay aside our dignity and position and standing, and go forth into the vineyard and work for you.

O Spirit of God, come upon us and give us power to work for Christ; power to preach the Gospel, power to tell the story of the Cross. We ask it all in the name of your beloved Son. Amen.

Dwight L. Moody

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help us to be kind

Dear Lord,

Help us to demonstrate kindness everywhere I go.

Remind us to share smiles, share friendship, and spread kindness today and always.

In all things, and in all ways, teach us to reflect your character.

Amen

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a prayer of surrender

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a prayer for those who lead

Grant unto all Kings and Rulers, O Lord, health, peace, concord, and stability, that they may administer the government which You have given them.

For You, O heavenly Master, King of the Ages, gives to the children of men glory and honor, and power over all things that are upon the earth.

Do, Lord, direct their counsel according to that which is good and well pleasing in Your sight, that administering in peace and gentleness, with godliness, the power which You have given them, they may obtain Your favor.

O You Who alone are able to do these things, and things far more exceeding good than these, for us, we praise You, through the High Priest and Guardian of our souls, Jesus Christ; through Whom be the glory and the majesty, unto You, both now and for all generations, and forever and ever. Amen.

-Clement of Rome    

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a contentment confession

I am content, O Father, to leave my life in Thy hands,

believing that the very hairs upon my head are numbered by Thee.

I am content to give over my will to Thy control,

believing that I can find in Thee a righteousness that

I could never have won for myself.

I am content to leave all my dear ones to Thy care,

believing that Thy love for them is greater than my own.

I am content to leave in Thy hands the causes of truth and justice,

and the coming of Thy Kingdom in the hearts of men,

believing that my ardour for them is but a feeble shadow of Thy purpose.

To Thee, O God, be glory forever, Amen.

-John Baillie, Scottish theologian      

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I STEADIER STEP ~~

Psalm 119:165,167,168  "Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.  I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly, I obey your precepts and your statues for all my ways are known to you."

  “It fortifies my soul to know That, though I perish, Truth is so: That, howsoe’er I stray and range, Whate’er I do, Thou dost not change. I steadier step when I recall That, if I slip Thou dost not fall.”
Arthur Hugh Clough

Heavenly Father, how wonderful to know that though I often slip and stumble, You cannot fall.  You have me in your loving grip and you know when I'm prone to stumble and slip before I do.  Thank you for always holding me with your strong right arm!  Thank you for the peace we have when we love and study your Word.  We pray this in your Holy and Majestic Name, Jesus Christ.  Amen

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A prayer for your new home

A new home … how exciting, Lord!

New adventures, new experiences … rooms to decorate, a space to call my own to get things just as I want them, a garden to tend, somewhere I can create my own identity.

Thank you for all the possibilities, Lord. I pray for happy times here, with family and friends.

And, Lord, please help me get rid of some of the junk I’ve accumulated over the years. Make my life simpler!

At this time of moving, may I also have a “spring-clean” of my own life to draw closer to you. May I get rid of some of the clutter that slows down my spiritual life.

Lord Jesus, I give you this new home. Come into it with your Spirit. May he fill every room. And I come to you with my life, too, Lord. I give my life again to you. Come and fill me afresh with your living Spirit in every area of my life.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

From Martin Manser: A Book of Prayers. 

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for the influence of heaven

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prayer for a heavenly perspective

I pray that our hearts will be flooded with light so that we can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

I also pray that we will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe. The same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

-adapted from Ephesians 1:18-20      

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prayer to let go of anger

... quote by Henri Nouwen          

God, hear me and answer me.

You know I am troubled by thoughts and feelings of anger, resentment and bitterness.

You also know why.

And You know how deep the hurt goes and how long I have lived with it.

But I don’t want to live with it any longer.

I don’t want to be an angry, resentful and bitter person.

With Your help, I release my anger into Your hands.

I surrender my resentment.

I let go of my bitterness.

Help me to keep letting go and release these toxic emotions as often as they try to return.

Amen

-Bob Hostetler  

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PRAYING FOR SPIRITUAL WISDOM

Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom

Ephesians 1:15-21

"Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers;  that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come."

Amen and Amen!