Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

for guidance



Lord,

Grant that I may always allow myself to be guided by you, always follow your plans, and perfectly accomplish your holy will.

Grant that in all things, great and small, today and all the days of my life, I may do whatever you require of me.

Help me respond to the slightest prompting of your grace, so that I may be your trustworthy instrument for your honor.

May your will be done in time and in eternity by me, in me, and through me.

Amen.
... St. Teresa of Avila  


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as we follow our shepherd



Dear Lord,

We are thankful that you are our Shepherd.

That you provide, and prepare us, for what we need.

Not always what we want, but what we need.

Help us to know that you live in us.

Teach us to look to Christ, the Good Shepherd, in us.

Help us to live in the confidence that you are leading us.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen


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TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART




Trust in the Lord with all your heart
This is God's gracious command
In all your ways acknowledge Him
So shall you dwell in the land.

Trust in the Lord, O troubled soul
Rest in the arms of His care;
Whatever your lot, it mattereth not
For nothing can trouble you there.

Trust in the Lord, His eye will guide
All through your pathway ahead,
He hath redeemed and will keep,
Trust Him and be not afraid.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
~Thomas O. Chrisholm (1937-1965)



A prayer of confession





-----

David is constantly confessing sin in the Psalms. We know that he is not saying that one must be holy in order to pray; otherwise, no one would ever pray. In fact, being a sinner is one of the prerequisites for entrance into the kingdom of God. Jesus said that He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. Looking again to the Lord’s Prayer as a pattern, we note that confession is an integral part of prayer. Without the confession of sin, says 1 John 1:9, there is no forgiveness of sin.

My mentor, Dr. John Gerstner, told of an occasion at one of his meetings when a woman announced to him that she had not sinned for more than twenty years. Dr. Gerstner said that he felt sorry for her because that could only mean she had not prayed in more than twenty years, at least not in the way the Lord told us to pray.

I am not suggesting that the more we sin, the more qualified we are for prayer; that obviously would be a false conclusion. But confessing sin, asking for forgiveness of our “debts” or “trespasses,” is an integral part of the practice of prayer, as outlined by our Lord Himself. In fact, the more godly we are, the more devout we will strive to be and the more painfully aware of our sin we will be. It is much the same as walking toward a mountain. The closer we get to that mountain, the bigger it appears. 

R.C. Sproul

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Psalm 51:1–15 (ESV)

Have mercy on me, O God, 
    according to your steadfast love; 
        according to your abundant mercy 
            blot out my transgressions. 
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, 
    and cleanse me from my sin! 
For I know my transgressions, 
    and my sin is ever before me. 
Against you, you only, have I sinned 
    and done what is evil in your sight, 
        so that you may be justified in your words 
            and blameless in your judgment. 
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, 
    and in sin did my mother conceive me. 
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, 
    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 
Purge me with hyssop, 
    and I shall be clean; 
        wash me, 
            and I shall be whiter than snow. 
Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 
Hide your face from my sins, 
    and blot out all my iniquities. 
Create in me a clean heart, O God, 
    and renew a right spirit within me. 
Cast me not away from your presence, 
    and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, 
    and uphold me with a willing spirit. 
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, 
    and sinners will return to you. 
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, 
    O God of my salvation, 
        and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. 
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.







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help me grow in trust



Dear Lord,

Sometimes trusting you is hard.

I have a difficult time letting go of control.

I need help yielding my life and my future to you.

Help me to grow in my trust and belief in you.

Amen.


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a prayer to be transformed


Behold, Lord, an empty vessel that needs to be filled.

My Lord, fill it.

I am weak in the faith; strengthen me.

I am cold in love; warm me and make me fervent, that my love may go out to my neighbor.

I do not have a strong and firm faith; at times I doubt and am unable to trust you altogether. O Lord, help me. Strengthen my faith and trust in you.

In you I have sealed the treasure of all I have.

I am poor; you are rich and came to be merciful to the poor.

I am a sinner; you are upright.

With me, there is an abundance of sin; in you is the fullness of righteousness.

Therefore I will remain with you, of whom I can receive, but to whom I may not give.

Amen

-Martin Luther  


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a prayer to unplug



Dear God,

I have noticed that I am loaded down with cares and worries.

I think that something has to go but I do not know what to do.

Help me to discern how to let go of my cares and burdens.

Open my eyes to habits that are binding me up.

Enlighten my mind to new ways of living.

Lead me in ways that bring refreshing and joy.

I entrust you with my life, bring light in my darkness.

I confess you as my Lord, I commit my heart and life to you.

Amen.


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teach us to smile



Dear Lord,

Life can be hard and happiness so difficult to find.
Teach us to smile anyways.

Interactions with friends and family often discourage us.
Teach us to smile anyways.

Struggles with health and finances sometimes weigh us down.
Teach us to smile anyways.

In all things and at all times help us to rise above our troubles.
Teach us to smile anyways.

Bless us to focus on things that are eternal and
Teach us to smile anyways.

Amen.


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FULL OF GRACE



Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how to answer every one.  ~Colossians 4:6

O Lord, out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.  May my heart overflow with worship.  May my conversation be a feast of life.  May Christ be the bread and Your Spirit the wine.  May praise be the fruit and grace and salt.  May love be the table and wisdom the candle.  May I always be prepared to feed anyone who hungers for the hope that I have in Christ.  In Your precious Name I pray.  Amen.


A prayer when struggling spiritually





  Lord Jesus Christ,
  in the garden you struggled
  with accepting the sacrificial path.
  Sustain us in our struggles
  where the way is hard and beyond what we can bear.
  Send your Spirit
  to strengthen our resolve to do your will,
  to drink the cup that you drink
  and find in our cross the way of life and peace;
  to the glory of God the Father. Amen.


Taken from Ian Black, (2011). Prayers for All Occasions 

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in the comfort of divine love



Blessed Jesus,

In the comfort of your love,

    I lay before you the memories that haunt me,

    the anxieties that perplex me,

    the despair that frightens me,

    and my frustration at my inability to think clearly.

Help me to discover your forgiveness in my memories.

And know your peace in my distress.

Touch me, O Lord, and fill me with your light and your hope.

Amen.
— an Episcopal prayer  

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a prayer for self acceptance



Dear God,

I am not who I want to be.

I often sin, fall short and find myself frustrated.

My life seems to be one mistake followed by another.

My best efforts are not always enough and I feel like a failure.

I compare myself to others and I fall short.

I am not who I want to be.

Help me to have the courage to accept the way that I am wired.

Give me grace that I might not compare myself to others.

Keep me open to new ways of thinking about life and success.

Teach me to be humble and to accept myself just as I am.

Grant me wisdom that I might see 'me' as you see me.

In all things and in all ways help me to love myself as you love me.

Amen.


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a disciple's prayer



Most merciful God,

Order my day so that I may know what you want me to do, and then help me to do it.

Let me not be elated by success or depressed by failure.

I want only to take pleasure in what pleases you, and only to grieve at what displeases you.

For the sake of your love I would willingly forgo all temporal comforts.

May all the joys in which you have no part weary me.

May all the work which you do not prompt be tedious to me.

Let my thoughts frequently turn to you, that I may be

       ... obedient to you without complaint,
       ... patient without grumbling,
       ... cheerful without self-indulgence,
       ... contrite without dejections,
       ... and serious without solemnity.

Let me hold you in awe without feeling terrified of you, and let me be an example to others without any trace of pride."

Amen
- Thomas Aquinas  

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A prayer for renewal





Lord, renew me by Your Spirit as I offer these prayers to You:

By Your grace, I want to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” (Matthew 25:21)

  May I be careful to lead a blameless life.
  May I walk in the integrity of my heart in the midst of my house.
  May I set no wicked thing before my eyes.
  I hate the work of those who fall away;
  May it not cling to me. (Psalm 101:2–3)

With regard to my former way of life, may I put off my old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of my mind; and may I put on the new self, which was created according to God in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:22–24)

May I consecrate myself and be holy, because You are the Lord my God. May I keep Your statutes and practice them, for You are the Lord who sanctifies me. (Leviticus 20:7–8)


Taken from Kenneth Boa, (1993). Handbook to prayer: praying scripture back to God. 


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a prayer of renewal



Grant to us, O Lord, the royalty of inward happiness, and the serenity which comes from living close to thee.

Daily renew in us the sense of joy, and let the eternal spirit of the Father dwell in our souls and bodies, filling every corner of our hearts with light and grace. 
So that, bearing about with us the infection of good courage, we may be diffusers of life, and may meet all ills and cross accidents with gallant and high-hearted happiness, giving thee thanks always for all things.

Amen
– Robert Louis Stevenson  

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soften my heart



Dear God,

I am hurting and in pain - and I feel my heart becoming hard.

Help me Spirit to follow you that it might become soft again.

Keep me open to forgive and help me to bless those who have hurt me.

Cause me to see my life as you see it and help me to hope at all times.

Cleanse my heart Lord, and renew my spirit that I might love as you love.

Make me tenderhearted and unafraid to love again.

I commit myself afresh to you and your kingdom.

Amen.


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to be a giver of grace



Dear Heavenly Father,

We have been saved by grace to be followers who live by grace.
Help us to manifest your grace in every way.

You have told us that your grace is sufficient even when we are weak.
Bless us that we might experience that grace in painful times.

Your throne is described to us in scripture as one of grace.
Help us to remember that you want us to come boldly to you in prayer.

Grace comes to us when we humble ourselves before you.
Teach us to walk close to you that we might lead humble lives.

You, O Lord, are the giver of grace.
May we follow in your footsteps and find ways to give grace.

Amen.


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THE VALLEY OF VISION





Elector of Saints,
Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and callest to thyself.  With thee is mercy, redemption, assurance, forgiveness.  Thou hast lifted me, a prisoner, out of the pit of sin and pronounced my discharge, not only in the courts of heaven, but in the dock of conscience; hath justified me by faith, given me peace with three, made me to enjoy floriious liberty as thy child.  Save me from the false hope of the hypocrite;  May I never suppose I am in Christ unless I am a new creature, never think I am born of the Spirit unless I mind the things of the Spirit.  May I learn of holy art of abiding in thee.  Amen


Taken from The Valley of Vision,   Prayers of the Puritans

God Invites Us Into Unceasing Conversation






God Invites Us Into Unceasing Conversation
Prayer is not introspection. It is not a scrupulous, inward-looking analysis of our own thoughts and feelings but it is a careful attentiveness to the Presence of Love personified inviting us to an encounter. Prayer is the presentation of our thoughts— reflective thoughts, as well as daydreams, and night dreams—to the One who receives them, sees them in the light of unconditional love, and responds to them with divine compassion. This context of thinking in the Presence, of conversation and dialogue with Love, is the joyful affirmation of our gentle Companion on the journey with God who knows our minds and hearts, our goodness and our beauty, our darkness and our light. The Psalmist prays the prayer for us (Psalms 139:1–3; 23–24):

O Lord, you search me and you know me,
you know my resting and my rising,
you discern my purpose from afar.
You mark when I walk or lie down,
all my ways lie open to you. . . .
O search me, God, and know my heart.
O test me and know my thoughts.
See that I follow not the wrong path
and lead me in the path of life eternal.

Taken from :
"You are the Beloved"
by Henri J.M. Nouwen


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for understanding



Dear Lord,

We are quick to judge by outward appearances.
Give us eyes to see past superficial outward images.

We are often led astray by what we see with our eyes.
Help us to discern life with the inner vision.

We sometimes lead our lives by what we hear.
Bless us that we hear what you are saying.

Teach us to be kind and compassionate in all things.
Give us grace that we might be ambassadors of your kingdom.

Amen. 


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for spiritual growth



God,

You are more than we can ever comprehend.

Help us to seek you, and you alone.

Bless us to seek what you would do, and do that.

We repent of our need to be the best and the first.

Help us to surrender to what you can be in us.

Give us ways to make you the center of our lives. 
Bless us that we might grow in grace. 
Amen.


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having patience



Dear God,

Help us to remember that patience is a fruit of your Spirit.

Teach us how to flow in this fruit and find grace to thrive in it.

Remind us that patience is the cornerstone of wisdom and understanding.

Bless us Lord to resist our impulses and rather wait to act and react.

In all of our ways, show us how to exercise patience.

In your name we say amen.


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