Daily Prayer: October 2024

Pray the words of the Psalms - they point to Jesus

The Psalms all point to Jesus. When you hear the words of Psalm 22, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” you might think about your own experience. Depression, for example, feels like being forsaken. But you also remember that these were Jesus’ words on the cross. They point to the fact that when you read these liturgical prayers, you are not alone. David composed many of them, the Israelites sang them, the church has recited them, and they all point to Jesus.

What these psalms do is straighten the trajectory of our lives. Using the words he gives us, God gently turns our hearts toward him. Instead of everything bending back into ourselves, we are able to look straight, outside of ourselves, and fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). Keep this pattern in mind. It is the path of hope. The fact that all your thoughts turn back on yourself is oppressive. The self cannot carry the load. The way we were intended to function was to be able to look outward, toward God and other people. As you say the Psalms and remember that Jesus said them first, you will gradually find your focus changing.

Edward T. Welch

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Prayers in times of change

God of Yesterday,

we knew you then: your promises; your words; your walking among us.

But yesterday is gone.

And so, today, we are in need of change.

Change

and change us.

Help us see life now

not through yesterday's stories but through today's.

Amen.

God of Endings,

What we thought would not end has ended.

And we find ourselves here wondering

where we are and how we got here

and where to go from here.

Be with us, here, at the end.

Help us place our feet on this ground,

help us lick our wounds,

help us look up and around.

Help us believe the story of today.

Because you know all

about the endings of today.

And you are not afraid.

Amen.

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a prayer for transformation

Dear Father,

Open my eyes to the ways that I need to change.

By the power of your Spirit, transform me.

Lead me on a path of discovery and challenge.

Give me the courage to make adjustments.

Fill me with love and compassion as I go.

Cause me to be a blessing to you and my friends.

I give you my heart afresh.

Help me to become more like you every day.

Amen.

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a prayer for restored faith

Dear God,

Life has been hard and I have lost my way.
It is hard to understand how these things have happened.

I have experienced such pain and heartache.
It seems that you are not there and not with me.

Help me to find my way back to you.
Open my heart and my eyes that I might sense your presence.

Bring hope into my heart and loving people to my side.
I am needy. I need you. Come into my life God.

Amen.

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We are on a journey but Christ is with us

In the Journey of Life

1 In the journey of life, with its struggle and strife,

And the perils that meet and o’ertake us,

We must trust and not fear, for the Saviour is near,

Who has pledg’d himself ne’er to forsake us.

Refrain:

Then despite ev’ry foe, let us cheerfully go,

Wherever our Saviour may need us;

He’ll protect us thro’ life, and when ended the strife,

To the mansions above he will lead us.

2 Tho’ the pathway be rough, and our strength not enough

For the journey that still lies before us,

We shall yet reach the end, for we’ve Christ for a Friend,

And a Father in heav’n to watch o’er us. [Refrain]

3 In the night, as the day, Christ our Guide knows the way,

By the hand he securely will hold us;

And when dangers affright, will defend with his might,

Or within his strong arms will enfold us. [Refrain]

4 When the journey is done, and the goal has been won,

And our Home has been reach’d to leave never;

Then with new pow’rs endued, and with old pow’rs renewed,

We will serve thee, blest Saviour, forever. [Refrain]

Public Domain

https://hymnary.org/text/in_the_journey_of_life_with_its

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Rejoice in HOPE

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a prayer of shelter and shadow

~ It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.

~ It is in the shadow of each other that the people live.

We know that sometimes we are alone, and sometimes we are in community.

Sometimes we are in shadow,

and sometimes we are surrounded by shelter.

Sometimes we feel like exiles -

in our land, in our languages and in our bodies.

And sometimes we feel surrounded by welcome.

As we seek to be human together, may we share the things that do not fade:

generosity, truth-telling, silence, respect and love.

And may the power we share be for the good of all.

We honor God, the source of this rich life.

And we honor each other, story-full and lovely.

Whether in our shadow or in our shelter, may we live well and fully with each other.

Amen.

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a prayer to grow spiritually

Lord,

I believe in you: increase my faith.
I trust in you: strengthen my trust.

I love you: let me love you more and more.
I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow.

I worship you as my first beginning,
I long for you as my last end.

Help me to conquer anger with gentleness and greed by generosity.
Help me to forget myself and reach out toward others.

Make me prudent in planning, courageous in taking risks.
Make me patient in suffering, unassuming in prosperity.

Keep me attentive at prayer, temperate in food and drink.
Help me to be diligent in my work, firm in my good intentions.

Let my conscience be clear, my conduct without fault.
Cause my speech to be blameless and my life well-ordered.

Put me on guard against my human weaknesses.
In your beautiful name I pray.

Amen

- excerpts from a prayer attributed to Pope Clement XI

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a prayer for guidance and light

I pray you'll be our eyes, and watch us where we go.

And help us to be wise, in times when we don't know.

I pray we'll find your light, and hold it in our hearts.

When stars go out each night, remind us where you are.

Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way.

Lead us to a place, guide us with your grace.

To a place where we'll be safe.

Amen.

- excerpted from The Prayer song

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Help me LORD as I cannot help myself

No one can heal my disease except He Who knows the depths of the heart.

How many times have I set boundaries for myself and built walls between myself and sin! But my thoughts transgressed the boundaries and my will tore down the walls, for the boundaries were not secured by fear of God, and the walls were not founded on sincere repentance.

And again I knock at the door, that it may open for me. I do not cease to ask that I may receive what I request; and I know no shame in seeking Thy mercy, O Lord.

O Lord, my Savior! Why hast Thou forsaken me? Have mercy on me, O only Lover of mankind. Save me, a sinner, Thou only Sinless One.

Wrench me from the mire of my iniquities, that I may not be forever sullied by them. Deliver me from the jaws of the enemy, who roars as a lion and desires to swallow me up.

Rouse Thy strength and come, that Thou mightest save me. Beam Thy lightning and disperse his power, that he may be struck with fear and flee from Thy face, for he has not the strength to stand before Thee and before the face of those who love Thee. As soon as he perceives a sign of Thy grace, he is taken with fear of Thee and withdraws from such with shame.

And now, O Master, save me, for I flee to Thee!

Ephrem the Syrian. 2004. A Spiritual Psalter or Reflections on God. Translated by Isaac E. Lambertsen and Antonina Janda. Liberty, TN: The St. John of Kronstadt Press.

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He is for us

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31)

We can always trust in the heart of our God. Cling tightly. And KNOW that He is always for us!

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how Jesus gave

As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it, for this is my body.” (Mark 14:22)

Sacrificial 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 our lives and confusions, our hollowness and our hearts - because when we give like this, we are like you.

After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. (John 13:12-15)

Uncovered Jesus,

You washed the feet of your friends with your hands.

We do not know what to do with this kind of love or this kind of power.

May we model it more often: every day, every hour, every encounter, because this is how you chose to show love and power to your friends.

Amen

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The 'I Don't Know' Prayer

Dear God,

I don’t know.

I don’t know where to go from here.

I don’t know what is happening.

I don’t know how to process this.

I don’t know what to do with these emotions.

I don’t know how to handle this situation.

But You know. And I trust you.

Amen.

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To Pray is to Live (open your hands to God)

To Pray is to Live

Maybe someone will say to you, “You have to forgive yourself.” But that isn’t possible. What is possible is to open your hands without fear, so that the One who loves you can blow your sins away. Then the coins you considered indispensable for your life prove to be little more than light dust that a soft breeze will whirl away, leaving only a grin or a chuckle behind. Then you feel a bit of new freedom and praying becomes a joy, a spontaneous reaction to the world and the people around you. Praying then becomes effortless, inspired, and lively, or peaceful and quiet. When you recognize the festive and the still moments as moments of prayer, then you gradually realize that to pray is to live.

Taken from "You are the Beloved"

by Henri J.M. Nouwen

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a prayer for wisdom and courage

Father of all wisdom,

Lead us. Not into temptation but in wise paths.

Protect us. Not from earthly things but things that hurt our souls.

Give us wisdom and courage to make decisions that honor you.

Keep us steadfast in ways of faith, love and goodness.

We commit our ways to you.

Amen.

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God is in the surprising

We break from the doings of our day

and make space to notice you.

You are always with us in surprising ways.

Jesus of the flesh, we meet you in the

worker and friend,

stranger and pilgrim,

the needy and the needed,

the questioner and questioned.

So when we meet you,

may we deepen trust,

deepen life, deepen justice

and deepen joy.

And when you meet us,

help us approach our activities

with presence and power,

with love and humility,

with courage and dignity.

Amen

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when life is hard

Dear Lord,

It is hard to see anything good coming from my life.
Help me to remember that you are always working in my life.

It is hard to see anything beautiful coming from my ashes.
Help me to release control and trust you anyway.

It is hard to believe that things will get better.
Help me to have a hope based in your love and goodness.

In all my ways, and in all my days, I commit my life to you.
Let your kingdom come and your will be done - in me!

Amen.

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teach us to listen

Teach us to Listen Lord.

Help us to be interested in what our friends are saying.

Bless us to be people who care about what people say.

In these times of hurriedness, manifest patience in us.

In this world of apathy and indifference, we commit to kindness.

Let love be our banner and our guiding principle.

To you we give all honor and praise.

Amen.

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A prayer of St. Anselm of Canterbury

O Lord our God, grant us grace to desire thee with our whole heart; so that desiring, we may seek, and seeking, find thee; and so finding thee, may love thee, and loving thee, may hate those sins from which thou hast redeemed us. Amen.

St Anselm of Canterbury

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