Daily Prayer: 2023

we press on

When the valley is deep
When the mountain is steep

When the body is weary
When we stumble and fall

When the choices are hard
When we're battered and scarred

When we've spent our resources
When we've given our all

In Jesus' name, we press on

Dear Lord, with the prize clear before our eyes

We find the strength to press on

In Jesus' name, we press on

Amen

-lyrics from a song by Selah

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a prayer for transformation

Dear Father,

We are thankful that you have mercy on everyone.

Empower us each to be transformed into the image of your Son.

Kindle in us the fire and love of your Holy Spirit.

Cause our hearts to be tender and compassionate.

Lead us and bless us as we follow you.

Amen.

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Rememering back to childhood school days when a new year would begin, and we were each given a brand new yellow pencil with a pink eraser on top. A brand new notebook with all clean pages. It was a Fresh Start.

A new year is upon us and many are looking for a Fresh Start. I think the best way to get that start is making a decision to do a Daily Bible Reading through the Bible. I've done the One Year Bible (New Living Translation) for five years, I plan on making it six in 2024.

Dear Heavenly Father, give us a fresh start as we begin a new year. The Bible tells us You are the owner of everything, this world and all that is in it! I pray that 2024 will be a year that I remember this truth, and start every day fresh, in Your WORD, and living it out in my life. May this be the prayer of all of us. In the precious Name of Jesus. Amen

Remembering the love of Jesus

We remember your love, O Jesus, as it was manifested to us in your holy life, from the manger of Bethlehem to the garden of Gethsemane!

We track you from the cradle to the grave, for every word and every deed of yours was love.

Especially, O Jesus, we remember your love to us upon the cross!

We gaze upon you with your hands and your feet nailed to the accursed tree.

We remember your love that you manifested through your poor, bleeding hands, and feet, and side.

We remember this love of yours until it invigorates and cheers us:

the love that you have exercised since your death,

the love of your resurrection,

the love that prompts you continually to intercede before your Father’s throne,

that burning lamp of love that will never let you hold your peace until your chosen ones are all safely housed, and Zion is glorified, and the spiritual Jerusalem is settled on her everlasting foundations.

CHARLES SPURGEON (1834–1892)

John 3:16–17 (ESV)

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

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a holiday blessing

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A Christmas Prayer

The day of joy returns, Father in Heaven, and crowns another year with peace and good will.

Help us rightly to remember power and meaning of the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wise men.

Close the doors of hate and open the doors of love all over the world?

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

Let Your goodness Lord appear to us, that we made in your image, conform ourselves to it. In our own strength we cannot imitate Your majesty, power, and wonder nor is it fitting for us to try. But Your mercy reaches from the heavens through the clouds to the earth below.

You have come to us as a small child, but you have brought us the greatest of all gifts, the gift of eternal love.

Amen

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as we celebrate your coming to us

Dear Lord,

We celebrate the coming of Light into darkness.

We proclaim your coming to our fallen world.

We declare that the babe in manager is our savior.

With the heavenly host, we sing praises to you.

Glory to you in heaven. And peace on to us on earth.

Bless us that we might be bearers of your gospel.

Help us to be people who manifest the love of Jesus.

Amen.

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in our longest night

A few days ago we experienced 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 as we await Jesus' return

O Lord Jesus Christ, who by your holy angels promised that you would come again in like manner as you were taken from us,

even so come, we ask you, and fulfill the desire of your Church.

Lord, we wait for you day by day.

Give us the graces of your Holy Spirit, that we will not be unready when you appear;

watchfulness, that our loins may be girded and our lights burning;

zeal, that we will not be slothful, but followers of those who inherit your promises;

singleness of heart, that we will not be unfaithful stewards of your manifold gifts.

And thus, O Lord, may we wait for you,

not unwise, but understanding what is your will,

walking circumspectly, because the days are evil.

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

- HENRY ALFORD (1810–1871)

Acts 1:10–11 (ESV)

10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

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a prayer for the holidays

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A Prayer to Find Joy

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the joy that entered the world when Jesus was born.

Thank you for becoming God with us.

Lord, sometimes it’s difficult to live joyfully, especially in difficult or busy seasons. Please purify our hearts this day and remind us that You’re in control. Help us to consider it joy when we experience trials of any kind because we know You’re creating something beautiful and eternal.

Fill our souls with renewed strength, hope, and joy. May our circumstances not become the focus of our hearts, but instead, may we fix our eyes on You so that we may find true joy.

Amen

God with Us

We thank you Lord,

For being with us in good times and in bad times.

For coming to us in the baby Jesus.

For showing yourself to us through simple acts of kindness.

For loving us through our family and our friends.

For living your life in us and through us.

Amen.

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in this holy season

Lord,

In this holy season of prayer and song and laughter,

We praise you for the great wonders you have sent us.

We praise you for shining star and angel's song, for infant's cry in lowly manger.

We praise you for the Word made flesh in a little Child.

We behold his glory, and are bathed in its radiance.

Be with us as we sing the ironies of Christmas, the incomprehensible comprehended, the poetry made hard fact, the helpless Babe who cracks the world asunder.

We kneel with the shepherds, innkeepers, wise men.

Help us to rise bigger than we are.

Amen.

- Author Unknown

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THE STAR

"They went their way; and the STAR, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the STAR, thy greatly rejoiced exceedingly with great joy." Matthew 2:9-10

"Because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, TO SHINE ON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, to guide our feet into the way of peace." Luke 1:78-79

JESUS is the STAR of Jacob, ever near and coming soon!

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A prayer for grace to cast away the works of darkness

Almighty God,

give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light,

now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility,

that in the last day, when He shall come again in His glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal,

through Him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER 1892

Romans 13:12 (ESV)

12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

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a prayer to know him

Dear Father,

Give me a deeper understanding of your character and your ways.

Help me to know you, both as a friend and as a heavenly parent.

Give me perseverance and patience to increase my understanding of you.

Work in me, and make me like you, that I might know you better.

Teach me to love the way that you love.

In all things, and in all ways, cause me to be a blessing.

Amen.

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Advent Prayer

Lord Jesus,

Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.

We who have so much to do and seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day,

We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.

We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.

We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.

We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.

To you we say, "Come Lord Jesus!'

Amen.

Advent Prayer, Henri Nouwen

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a prayer to walk in love

God of Love,

Your son, Jesus, is your greatest gift to us.

He is a sign, and embodiment, of your love.

He showed us who you are and what you are like.

Help us to walk in your love during the weeks of Advent.

And as we walk in your love, cause us to be a blessing to others.

Let your spirit work in us and through us.

We pray believing in the name of Jesus.

Amen

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when we are weary

Dear Jesus,

In this holiday season, I find myself weary and tired from all that I am doing.

Help me to know that you are with me in all that I do.

There seems to be so much joy and excitement in the holidays but I am numb.

Please bring new life to me and energize me with your spirit.

I come to you, for the rest you promise to all who are weary and burdened.

Teach me your ways and let me find rest for my soul.

I confess that your yoke is easy and your burden is light.

I commit myself to you, trusting that in you I will find joy.

Amen.

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When this great army of angels had returned again to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Come on! Let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about"!

They ran to the village and found their way to Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby lying in the manger.

Luke 2:15-16 (NLB)

Heavenly Father, Creator of the Universe wrapped in strips of cloth and laying in a manger. And that you would allow the lowest of the low class, dirty, smelly shepherds to be the first to hear the announcement and then the invitation to be the first visitor.

Oh Father, how you love the low and humble. Help us to have "shepherd hearts" this Christmas Season!

Thank You for coming as a babe, and living a sinless life, and giving your life away so we can spend eternity with You!

Amen

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An advent prayer

Lord Jesus,

I thank you for the season of Advent, a time of preparing our hearts to remember the blessing of your coming to earth as an infant.

Help me in the midst of all the festivities and presents, to remember to prepare my heart to remember afresh what it meant for you to come to earth in the form of a baby.

Help me to better understand and experience what it means to have You, Lord Jesus, in my heart as Lord and Saviour.

Help me to allow You the freedom to transform my heart and life, so that I may be more like You.

And in doing so, by Your power and grace, I may become a catalyst and help prepare the way for those around me to discover the true meaning of Christmas - the love of God made known in Your birth, life, death, and resurrection.

In Your precious Name, I pray

Amen

____

It is a custom with many Christians to anticipate the arrival of Christmas a considerable time beforehand by fitting up in their homes a crib to represent the birth of Jesus Christ. But there are few who think of preparing their hearts in order that the infant Jesus may be born in them, and there find His repose. - ALPHONSUS LIGUORI (1696–1787)

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Luke 3:4–6 (ESV)

4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”

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a prayer for calmness

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as advent begins

Lord Jesus,

Send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.

We who have so much to do and seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day,

We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.

We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.

We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.

We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.

To you we say, "Come Lord Jesus!'

Amen.

- adapted from a prayer by Henri J.M. Nouwen

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a blessing for peace

May today there be peace within.

May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received.

May you pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be confident knowing you are a child of God.

Let this presence settle into your bones.

And allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.

It is there for each and every one of us.

Amen

- adapted from a blessing by St. Therèse of Lisieux and St. Theresa of Avila

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THE BABE OF CHRISTMAS

Glorious God and Heavenly Father, we begin a new month. The month of Your birth. How our hearts ring with joy at the salvation you brought when you gave your life on the cross. But, Lord this month we focus on the babe in the manger. How can we comprehend that it was God in flesh, nestled against Mary's breast. Thank you for humbling Yourself, laying aside your glory to live like us, and die for us. May this be our praise and worship this Christmas Season. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

A prayer for children and young people

Lord Jesus, we remember how you welcomed children into your presence. You told us we were to become as humble as children to receive your kingdom.

Thank you for the children and young people you give us. We pray for their safety, Lord, in this world. There are so many dangers, some hidden, some open. Please keep them secure in the love of their families, friends, church, and in the wider communities. Please stop the forces of evil from harming these little ones.

We pray for their salvation, Lord, that they would come to know Jesus Christ as their own personal Savior at an early age. We pray that trust in Christ will mature as they grow up and they will know he is Lord of every aspect of their lives. We pray for those who teach children and young people that you will keep them from misusing their positions of trust and that they will not only teach wisely but also be good examples of character and integrity to those they are responsible for.

Lord, give our children and young people good health, good friends, and good desires. Give them the strength to overcome difficulties and to learn from them. May they quickly learn to have positive confidence in themselves, developing the personality and character you have given them.

May they learn to take responsibility at an early age. Give them times of fun and play. May they develop a sense of humor and keep a sense of adventure throughout their whole lives.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.

Amen.

Source: Martin Manser, 2018. A Book of Prayers. First edition.

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God is Near

Alone with none but thee, my God, I journey on my way.

What need I fear, when thou art near, O king of night and day?

More safe am I within thy hand than if a host did round me stand.

Amen

- Columba, a 6th century Irish abbot and missionary

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Living By Prayer

Father,

Teach me to live by prayer. As my heart beats, as I draw each breath, show me what it means to breathe a prayer so I can connect with you.

Make my heart shape to Your will. Help me see the sin in all that I do and call me back to You. With each step, each breath, guide me to the place that honors You.

Most of all, Lord, may this connection in prayer forge a deep and passionate love for You, my Savior and God.

With every step, with every moment I move, may I live my life in prayer, by prayer, in prayer.

Amen.

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a prayer of submission

Lord,

I long to be more like Jesus in all my actions and attitudes.

I submit to your leadership and your lordship.

Help me to live a life of love and service.

Amen.

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Now that Thanksgiving is over, we need to continue to give thanks and praise to our most gracious and generous Heavenly Father. Yes, Father, may our hearts be always rejoicing! Amen

The source of the power of prayer

Dear God

Help me to realize that though I may at times stumble in trying to find the right words in my prayers, you not only hear my prayers, you understand my prayers.

Help me to realize that though I may at times lack faith when I pray, the power of prayer is not so much in my faith but in your grace and power.

Help me in my weakness to still pray, knowing that you love to listen and answer my prayers because You love me!

In Jesus' Name

Amen.

Romans 8:26–28 (ESV)

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

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a thanksgiving prayer

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confessions and prayers

Dear Lord,

My belief is in you.
Increase my faith in you.

My trust is in you.
Strengthen me to rely on you (in me) more.

My hope is in you.
Teach me to be patient as I wait.

I love you with all of my heart.
Help me to manifest your love to others.

Amen.

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with a grateful heart

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give Thanks because He has given
Jesus Christ His son

And now let the weak say I am strong
Let the poor say I am rich
Because of what the Lord
Has done for us.

Give thanks
We give thanks to you Lord
Give thanks
We give thanks
Give thanks, give thanks
We give thanks to you Lord.

Amen

- from a song by Don Moen & Paul Baloche

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THE GREAT DISCOVERY

Glorious God,

I bless thee that I kow thee.

I once lived in the world, but was ignorant of it's Creator,

was partaker of they providences, but knew not the Provider,

was blind while enjoying the sunlight, was deaf to all things spiritual,

with voices all around me.

Understood many things, but had no knowledge of thy ways,

saw the world, but did not see Jesus ony,

Oh happy day, when in thy love's sovereignty thou didst look on me,

and call me by grace.

Then did the dead heart begin to beat,

the darkened eye glimmer with light,

the dull ear catch thy echo, and returned to thee and found thee,

a God ready to hear, willing to save.!

Taken from The Valley of Vision, Puritan Prayers

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A prayer (hymn) when you awake

AWAKE MY SOUL ...

1 AWAKE, my soul, and with the sun

Thy daily stage of duty run;

Shake off dull sloth—and joyful rise

To pay thy morning sacrifice.

2 Glory to thee, who safe hast kept,

And hast refreshed me while I slept:

Grant, Lord, when I from death shall wake,

I may of endless life partake.

3 Direct, control, suggest, this day,

All I design, or do, or say;

That all my powers, with all their might,

In thy sole glory may unite.

Source: Albert Barnes, Albert. 1833. Prayers for the Use of Families (1833)

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This prayer is set as a hymn using the Long Meter (L.M.) poetic meter. It has 8 syllabi for each line. Some of the popular hymns that use this meter are:
1. Jesus shall reign where'er the Sun

2. Just as I AM, without one plea

3. When I survey the wondrous cross

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deliver us from the fruit of our egos

Dear Lord,

Make your face to shine upon us.

Give us your peace for our collective good.

Shelter us by your mighty hand and help us in suffering.

And deliver us from pride and envy - the fruit of our egos.

Bless us that we might embrace humility and meekness.

Give peace to us and to all who dwell on the earth.

Help us to know that you are always with us.

Manifest your humble goodness in us and through us.

Amen.

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Christ as a light

This is a Celtic prayer, often used in Celtic Christian liturgy.

Slowly and with intention, read this prayer being open to being surprised and comforted by the reality of God's divine presence. Nothing to hype up or conjure. It is more like waking up, to realize what has been true all along.

Christ, as a light
illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield
overshadow me.
Christ under me;
Christ over me;
Christ beside me
on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me,
lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak;
in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me,
lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light;
Christ as a shield;
Christ beside me
on my left and my right.

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prayer for a humble heart

You who are over us,
You who are one of us,
You who are also within us,
May all see you-in me also.

May I prepare the way for you,
May I thank you for all
that shall fall to my lot,
May I also not forget the needs of others.

Give me a pure heart-that I may see you.
A humble heart-that I may hear you,
A heart of love-that I may serve you,
A heart of faith-that I may abide in you. Amen.

- Dag Hammarskjøld

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prayer for veterans' needs

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PRAYER FOR PEACE

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A prayer of thanksgiving

Heavenly Father, I want to express my thankfulness to you for life, for breath, for good friends, for my family, job and home.

I acknowledge that all these are gifts from your hand. Forgive me that I take them for granted so much. You are so good!

I thank you most of all for Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord. I thank you for his closeness, for his love, for his standing by me through the good times, the bad times, and just the ordinary times … and even when I fail.

I thank you that you don’t give up on me.

I thank you that Christ died on the cross for me, to take away my sin, to bring me back home to yourself, to put me in a right relationship with you so that I could come to know you as one of your children.

I thank you for the Bible, your written word, that it points so clearly to Christ.

I thank you for the deep sense of assurance you give me that I know Jesus Christ personally.

Lord, I do appreciate all that you are and have done.

I pray that my whole life will be an expression of gratitude to you, through Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

Source: Martin Manser, A Book of Prayers.

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More Than Able

Heavenly Father,

Remembering. I'm so bad at it.

And when I read those lists of names in the Bible, it's exhausting. But then I remember: You did that so the people would remember who they are. Remember all that You did for their ancestors. Remember all the goodness and faithfulness of Yours that is part of their heritage.

Help me remember.

You are a powerful, strong, and faithful God that comes through and keeps Hie promises and yet I am so quick to forget just how able you are, just how faithful You have been, and just how incredible Your works are.

Teach me to remember who You are so I can rest in spite of all that is in front of me.

Amen.

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we will rejoice

O Lord,

Let our prayers be counted as incense before you.
And the lifting up of our hands as an offering and a sacrifice.

We raise our hearts to you in joy and gladness as we trust in your name.
You have seen us through so much - we rejoice in that.

We are happy for your love and your leading in our lives.
You help us to find you in the darkness and teach us the way.

We will rejoice in you and be glad that you are with us.
In this new day, cause us to be in you as you are in us.

Amen. And amen.

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we pray as we hope

Dear God,

I am full of wishes, full of desires, full of expectations.

Some of them may be realized, many may not, but in the midst of all my satisfactions and disappointments, I hope in you.

I know that you will never leave me alone and will fulfill your divine promises.

Even when it seems that things are not going my way, I know that they are going your way and that, in the end, your way is the best way for me.

O Lord, strengthen my hope, especially when my many wishes are not fulfilled.

Let me never forget that your name is Love.

Amen

-Henri Nouwen

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Prayers affirming salvation

Feed my mind and heart, O Lord, as I affirm these truths from Your word concerning salvation:

You are the resurrection and the life. He who believes in You will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in You will never die. (John 11:25–26)

I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus my Lord. (Romans 8:38–39)

By grace I have been saved through faith, and this not of myself; it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one can boast. For I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand for me to do. (Ephesians 2:8–10)

Your sheep hear Your voice, and You know them, and they follow You. You give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of Your hand. The Father, who has given them to You, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of the Father’s hand. You and the Father are one. (John 10:27–30)

The Father has qualified me to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. For He has rescued me from the dominion of darkness and brought me into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom I have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:12–14)

Source acknowledgment of the verses: Kenneth Boa, Handbook to Prayer: Praying Scripture back to God.

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Heavenly Father,

Thank you that through Christ's sacrifice of love and my trusting in Him, though I will die someday, I will live forever with You. The powers of darkness have no hold on my life because You have rescued me. Nothing can ever separate me from your love.

It is by your grace and word that I know that my sins have been forgiven, and my experiences of your love confirm this as I listen to your voice in my prayers

Thank you! Help me to remember and cling on to these truths.

In Jesus' Name I pray

Amen

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Luther's Prayer

Behold, Lord,

An empty vessel that needs to be filled.
My Lord, fill it.

I am weak in faith;
Strengthen thou me.

I am cold in love;
Warm me and make me fervent
That my love may go out to my neighbour.

I do not have a strong and firm faith;
At times I doubt and am unable to trust thee altogether.

O Lord, help me.
Strengthen my faith and trust in thee.

In thee I have sealed the treasures of all I have.

I am poor;
Thou art rich and didst come to be merciful to the poor.

I am a sinner;
Thou art upright.

With me there is an abundance of sin;
In thee is the fullness of righteousness.

Therefore, I will remain with thee of who I can receive
But to whom I may not give.

Amen.

... a prayer by Martin Luther on Reformation Day

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