Daily Prayer: HOPE

Showing posts with label HOPE. Show all posts

a prayer as we age

Gracious and Loving God,

You are the author of all my days.

Present with me from my very beginning.

Faithful through every season of my life.

I praise you holy God.

My years are passing and my body and mind are changing.

Thank you for the gift of this life and the wisdom that comes with it.

Thank you for your steadfast presence in the good times and the bad.

Grant me the grace to accept the changes in my life.

Help me to face the challenges as I lean into your grace.

Help me to let go of yesterday's anxieties and tomorrow's uncertainties.

Bless me that I might fully live in the present day.

Fill my heart with a quiet peace and a deepening love for those around me.

Let my life continue to bear fruit, regardless of the years.

As my world may grow a little quieter, may my inner self expand in gratitude.

Keep me tethered to your love, confident that you will never leave me.

And remind me that my worth is timeless in your sight.

In your holy and comforting name, I pray.

Amen.

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a prayer for being overwhelmed by chaos

O Father who ordered all creation,

O Christ through whom all things were formed from nothing,

You know me:

my love of sequence and order,

of places for things and things in their place.

And you also know, O Holy God, that this whole world has tended toward decay, decomposition, withering and moldering.

All is turned and upturned, untidied, a mess of human making, a consequence of an old curse, a wearing out, a winding down, a slow slide toward entropy and gravity, a ruin and wreckage ever accumulating— beyond our power to put right again.

And I see it in the hard realities of this world today—

in territories with by political and ethnic conflicts,

in violent incursions disrupting some hard-won peace,

in the stubborn refusal of prejudice to be purged from our public spaces,
in the hope-shattering inescapability of disease and loss and grief.

In the midst of this chaos, and all chaos,

let me learn to call upon and lean upon your name,

O God—for you are the One who ordered all things in the beginning.

You are the One who is making all things new.

You are the only One who can sustain me in my struggle with all that is not yet put right.

You are God Our Peace who alone can speak a deep and lasting calm to the chaos of this world,

and to the chaos in my own heart and mind.

Grant me peace amidst this world's relentless disorder, O Christ.

Still my mind and strengthen my hands.

Keep despair far from the door. Be my present help when I sigh at the sight of constant disarray of this world.

Give me peace of mind and heart to release long-held breath and gritted teeth,

and in your mercy grant me ordered spaces where I can be at ease.

Send me to spaces like a corner that is not in need of neatening work. Help me lean into the relationships that nourish more than drain, and remind me of the grace of unexpected beauty that sustains my wearied soul.

Refresh my faith. Refresh my hope.

Amen.

(Adapted from Every Moment Holy, Book III)

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A prayer for the weary:

Lord, the last few years have been filled with sickness, death, job loss, isolation, anxiety, fear, and division. We are weary. In our weariness, we confess our cynicism and our skepticism and we ask for your renewal. Give us eyes to see the kingdom life Christ has promised—and fill us with a hope that allows us to live each day with soberness, generosity, and joy.

Source: Ten Prayers for the New Year (Dennae Pierre) - Christianity Today

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a prayer when our heart is broken

Lord God,

My heart is broken, my spirit is crushed and I hurt so bad.

Please fill me with the knowledge that you are here.

Give me a peace that goes beyond my understanding.

Fill me with a joy that only can come from you.

Walk closely with me as I continue to heal.

Help me to trust and have hope again.

I believe that you love me and care about me.

I cry out to you for help.

In your name I pray.

Amen.

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a prayer to feel alive in the new year

Lord of all Hope and Mercy,

I am weary and worn down. Depressed. Lethargic. And searching.

I feel that I know you. I believe that you are good and loving.

Please renew my spirit, transform me and help me to feel alive.

Lead me in ways that awaken my faith and cause me to feel alive.

Help me to know that I can make a difference in the world this new year.

Inspire me to take on each new day with hope and optimism.

Fill me with Your life, that I may have joy in my life and relationships.

Amen.

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a prayer in dark times

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 hope

Father,

Hope.

It's the first word we often ponder during the Advent season and yet this year it feels strange to even think about hope with so much despair and conflict all around us.

So we lament. We cry out to You.

But in this, there is hope.

Because we wouldn't cry out to You if we didn't hope You would hear us. If we didn't hope You would fix what was broken and right what was wrong.

Lord help us see hope in a new way this Advent and Christmas season. Remind us to find hope in what You have done and what You are doing, and to find hope in the promises You have made for our future. Remind us that we are secure in our place as Your children and that our union with You is at Your gracious and loving hand.

Remind us that our hope is not in the things of this world, but in the person of Jesus Christ who will come again. For this, we wait and hope.

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a prayer of hope and praise

O Lord,

For a long time you have been my hope and my trust.

Upon you my heart has leaned for many many years.

You have watched over me from childhood.

Help me to be a reflection of your grace and mercy.

I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.

My mouth will tell of your righteousness and testify to your love.

I praise you with my whole being and I will hope in your name.

Amen.

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A prayer to be courageous in our different callings

We are counted your people.

We are grateful to be called by you, and

glad for our special way of faith in the world.

You have marked us and named us and signed us,

and we are different,

different memories,

different hopes,

different fears,

different commands,

different ways of being.

That difference we find glorious, but at times a burden too severe.

We yearn to be like the others,

like the others in power,

in money,

in freedom,

in certitude,

in security,

like the others,

uncalled, unburdened, unembarrassed.

We come to you in that deep trial of difference and likeness.

Engage us in our difference,

Give us courage for our different vocations,

and energy for our different hope.

In the name of your crucified, Easter One, so unlike all the others.

Amen.

Source: Brueggemann, Walter. 2003. Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: Prayers of Walter Brueggemann. E

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1 Corinthians 1:26–29 (ESV)

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

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when our prayers are unanswered

As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O Lord.

My soul thirsts for you, the living God.

Come in power Almighty God!

My tears seem to be my food day and night.

My tears seem to speak to me and say, “Where is your God?”

Answer my tears O compassionate Father!

Yet these things I remember as I pour out my soul -

How sweet your presence is and how exhilarating it is to worship you.

I rejoice in you O joy giving Lord!

Yet I wonder why my soul is sad and in turmoil within me?

I want to hope in you God. I want to experience your power.

O come sweet Holy Spirit!

Yet even now, when my soul is cast down within me,

I remember you in this land of trials and testing.

I trust in you Jesus!

I want to hear your voice like the sounds of great waterfalls.

I long to hear you speak with power and having powerful affects.

Come O Holy Shepherd!

You are my rock, the One in whom I have trusted.

Come O God of deliverance!

My soul will not be cast down forever - the turmoil will end.

My hope is in you Lord. I shall praise you afresh.

Jesus is my salvation and my Lord!

Amen

... adapted from Psalm 42

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a prayer for a change in perspective

Lord,

I come with a heavy heart and tearful eyes.

I am so often stuck in what I see and how I feel.

Please change my perspective.

Help me see beyond my frustrations, my disappointments, and my fears.

Open my eyes to see you at work, even in places that feel broken.

Give me the patience to wait on you and the faith to trust in your goodness.

Teach me to see my life, my struggles, and my blessings the way you see them.

I praise you and thank you for being in my life.

Amen.

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a prayer for when we need joy

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for the gift of Your presence - where there is fullness of joy.

I ask for comfort in my pain and in my sadness.

Help me to see the good in my life and in the world.

Guide my heart to remember your love and mercy in these times.

You are the source of all my joy and in you I know peace.

Help me not to be weighed down by the cares and worries of life.

Bless me to trust in your provision and to give my cares to you.

Pour out an overflowing joy on me that transcends my circumstances.

Manifest your Spirit in me that I might reflect your presence to all.

In Your Name, Amen.

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a prayer to trust his promises

Loving Father,

Thank you for your promise to walk with me and never abandon me.

Frankly, your plans for me, and my life, are different from mine.

Teach me to see your plans as a promise of a new and beautiful life.

Flood my soul with your peace and joy as I patiently wait.

Give me the grace to hold onto the truth of your unfailing love, and mercy.

When fear arises, help me to run to you and find refuge in your goodness.

May I stand on your promises and believe that your plans for me are good.

To you belongs all honor and praise.

Amen.

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a confession for when we are afraid

Dear Lord,

My help comes from you, the creator of all things.

You watch over me and are ever by my side.

The sun will not harm me by day, nor the moon by night.

You will keep me from harm and will watch over my life.

You keep watch over my coming and going, both now and forever.

All praise and honor be to your name.

Amen.

... adapted from Psalm 121

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a prayer for hope

Gracious God of all hope,

We come to you admitting that our minds are full of hopeless thoughts.

We get so discouraged that we lose sight of all we have to be grateful for.

Even so, we call out to you, in thankfulness and praise.

Jesus, you are the source of our inner strength.

We give you all the weariness, the burdens, the weight, and exhaustion.

We ask for a deep sense of renewed strength and hope.

In our weakness, your power is made perfect in our lives.

Teach us to have hope and abide in your encouragement.

When darkness covers our lives, teach us to light a spiritual candle.

Show us how to have, and live in, hope in these hopeless times.

Bless us that we might rest and trust in your name.

To you belongs all honor and praise, now and forever more.

Amen.

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a prayer for stretcher bearers

Dear Father,

Thank you for those who have been stretcher bearers in our lives.

These have been instruments of your compassion and care to us.

We are grateful for their presence in our midst.

Grant them the strength and stamina needed to minister your mercy.

Help them to carry the medical, emotional and physical burdens of others.

Fill us each with empathy and understanding.

That we may see and help with the needs of those around us.

Bless us all to be servants and provide care to those who need us.

Help us to all work together as a team, helping each other to help others.

May our actions reflect your love and may we be a source of comfort and hope.

In your name, we pray.

Amen.

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a prayer when hope seems lost

Dear God

I come before you today, seeking hope in the midst of my circumstances.

I look to you for help even as hope fades and my life grows hard.

Replace my distress with peace, and strengthen me in my weakness.

Today I place my trust in you, your grace and your mercy.

Bless me with the confidence that comes from knowing you.

Help me to know your better and to understand your ways more.

In you I will hope. In you I will rejoice. It is you I love.

I commit myself, and my ways, to you afresh.

Amen.

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a prayer to live free

Dear God,

You created each of us to be free.
Free from the shackles of discrimination, fear and repression.

Free from cages of persecution, bias and assumption.

Free to live our best and most loving lives in peace and in joy.
We pray for all humans to live in freedom.

That we might be free in spirit, in soul and in body.

Amen.

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prayer of the farm worker’s struggle

Dear God,

Show me the suffering of the most miserable;
So I will know my people’s plight.

Free me to pray for others;
For you are present in every person.

Help me take responsibility for my own life;
So that I can be free at last.

Grant me courage to serve others;
For in service there is true life.

Give me honesty and patience;
So that I can work with other workers.

Bring forth song and celebration;
So that the Spirit will be alive among us.

Let the Spirit flourish and grow;
So that we will never tire of the struggle.

Let us remember those who have died for justice;
For they have given us life.

Help us love even those who hate us;
So we can change the world.

Amen.

-César Chávez

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a prayer offered as we wait

Father of all patience and hope,

Quiet my heart, and still my soul, as I wait on you.

Help me to shut out the distractions in my mind.

Draw me nearer to you as I pray. And as I hope.

I release all of my cares and worries to you.

I confront the things that I fear in prayer.

I surrender them to you in faith.

Bring me through the darkness and despair.

I will trust in you as I release control to you.

You are great and greatly to be praised.

You are worthy of my devotion Father.

In your name I pray.

Amen.

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