Why a site about prayer?

The purpose of this site is to encourage us to each go deeper in our prayer life. One way that we do that is by praying together. Another way we do that is by praying individually yet collectively on the same prayer themes. Our hope is that as we share prayers and reflect on them and pray over them at the same time in our individual lives, the Holy Spirit will speak to each of us and allow us to encourage and edify one another in prayer.

Saturday, December 31, 2016

New Year's Eve Prayer

At the beginning of this new year,
we implore God's blessing upon our work
and pray for the needs of this new year of grace.
Throughout all time you have blessed your people, O God,
and dwelt among them.
On the eve of this new year,
inspire and guide us,
that all we do may find in you its beginning and fulfillment. Amen.

from Revised Common Lectionary prayers, Year A, New Year's Day

Friday, December 30, 2016

Christ Prayer

Christ for sickness, Christ for health,
Christ for poverty, Christ for wealth,
Christ for joy, Christ for sorrow,
Christ today, and Christ tomorrow;
Christ my life, and Christ my light,
Christ for morning, noon, and night;
Christ when all around gives way,
Christ my everlasting stay;
Christ my rest, Christ my food,
Christ above my highest good;
Christ my well beloved, my Friend,
Christ my pleasure without end;
Christ my Savior, Christ my Lord,
Christ my Portion, Christ my God,
Christ my Shepherd, I His sheep,
Christ Himself my soul does keep.
Christ my Leader, Christ my Peace,
Christ has brought my soul's release;
Christ my Righteousness divine,
Christ for me, for He is mine;
Christ my Wisdom, Christ my meat,
Christ restores my wandering feet,
Christ my Advocate and my Priest,
Christ who never forgets the least;
Christ my Teacher, Christ my Guide,
Christ my Rock, in Christ I hide;
Christ the everlasting Bread,
Christ His precious blood has shed;
Christ has brought us near to God,
Christ the everlasting Word,|
Christ my Master, Christ my Head,
Christ who for my sins has bled;
Christ my Glory, Christ my Crown,
Christ the Plant of great Renown,
Christ my Comforter on high,
Christ my Hope draws ever nigh.


Prayer attributed to St. Patrick

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Prayer to Our Nurturing God

Nurturing God,
remembering the exile of the holy family
and Herod's slaughter of the children,
we remember all who need our sustaining love.
Hear our prayers for the church and the community in the world.
Grant that all people may hear together the song of joy,
and find their homes in the garden of justice and hope,
that we may experience the fullness of life,
which is your will for all,
in the coming of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

From Revised Common Lectionary, Year A, First Sunday After Christmas

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

God of Hope


God of hope,
you call us home from the exile of selfish oppression
to the freedom of justice,
the balm of healing,
and the joy of sharing.
Make us strong to join you in your holy work,
as friends of strangers and victims,
companions of those whom others shun,
and as the happiness of those whose hearts are broken.
We make our prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

from Revised Common Lectionary prayers, Year A, Third Week of Advent


Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Prayer for Wakefulness

Christ, our God, 

whom humble shepherds worshiped at a manger, 

you are holy and most high, merciful and mighty. 

Startle us to wakefulness, 

that we may rejoice in your new and glorious dawn, 

and, in your holy name, 

act to mend this suffering world. Amen. 





From Revised Common Lectionary, Year A, Christmas

Monday, December 26, 2016

The Gift of Jesus Christ

God of promise,
you have given us a sign of your love
through the gift of Jesus Christ, our Savior,
who was promised from ages past.
We believe as Joseph did
the message of your presence
whispered by an angel,
and offer our prayers for your world,
confident of your care and mercy for all creation. Amen.

from Revised Common Lectionary prayers, Year A, Fourth Week of Advent



Sunday, December 25, 2016

A Prayer for Christmas Morning

The day of joy returns, Father in Heaven and crowns another year with peace and good will.
Help us rightly to remember 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 and 
Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing that Christ brings and teach us to be merry with clean hearts.
May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children
And the Christmas evening bring us to our bed with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake.
Amen


By Henry Van Dyke

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Child of Bethlehem

O Holy One,
heavenly angels spoke to earthly shepherds
and eternity entered time in the child of Bethlehem.
Through the telling of the Christmas story,
let our temporal lives be caught up in the eternal
in that same child,
that we might join shepherds and all the heavenly host
in praising the coming of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.


From Revised Common Lectionary, Year A, Christmas

Friday, December 23, 2016

God of Glory Shines

God of glory,
your splendor shines from a manger in Bethlehem,
where the Light of the world is humbly born
into the darkness of human night.
Open our eyes to Christ's presence in the shadows of our world,
so that we, like him, may become beacons of your justice,
and defenders of all for whom there is no room. Amen.

From Revised Common Lectionary, Year A, Christmas

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Abba, You Visited Your People

We bless you, Abba, Father,
for you have visited your people
in one like us in all things but sin,
and in human fragility you have revealed
the face of divinity.
Gather into your arms
all the peoples of the world,
so that in your embrace
we may find blessing, peace,
and the fullness of our inheritance
as your daughters and sons. Amen.


From Revised Common Lectionary, Year A, Christmas

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Light of Life

Light of life, you came in flesh,
born into human pain and joy,
and gave us power to be your children.
Grant us faith, O Christ, to see your presence among us,
so that all of creation may sing new songs of gladness
and walk in the way of peace. Amen.

From Revised Common Lectionary, Year A, Christmas


Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Welcoming Christ with Praise

O God of Elizabeth and Mary,
you visited your servants with news of the world's redemption
in the coming of the Savior.
Make our hearts leap with joy,
and fill our mouths with songs of praise,
that we may announce glad tidings of peace,
and welcome the Christ in our midst. Amen.

from Revised Common Lectionary prayers, Year A, Fourth Week of Advent




Monday, December 19, 2016

Shepherd of Israel

Shepherd of Israel,
may Jesus, Emmanuel and son of Mary,
be more than just a dream in our hearts.
With the apostles, prophets, and saints,
save us, restore us,
and lead us in the way of grace and peace,
that we may bear your promise into the world. Amen.

from Revised Common Lectionary prayers, Year A, Fourth Week of Advent





Sunday, December 18, 2016

Advent Prayer for Peace

Loving God,
You sent your Son Jesus to break down walls that divide and to reconcile all people to you:
Teach us to be peacemakers and stewards of the earth.
Give us courage to share what we have with glad hearts so that others may be sheltered, fed, and loved.
Help us to live each day filled with your grace and in harmony with one another.
In the name of the Prince of Peace. Amen






Sunday, December 11, 2016

Advent Prayer of Joy


God of joy and exultation, 
you strengthen what is weak; 
you enrich the poor 
and give hope to those who live in fear. 
Look upon our needs this day. 
Make us grateful for the good news of salvation 
and keep us faithful in your service 
until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
who lives for ever and ever. Amen.


from The Revised Common Lectionary suggested prayers for Week 3 of Advent, Year A

Sunday, December 4, 2016

Advent Prayer of Patience

Holy Patience,
that deep, calm resistance
against the riptide of the season's hurry,
while swell upon swell of Christmas
laps at every edge of our lives,
you call us to an Advent way of living;
deep calling to deep,
love bearing love,
Word becoming flesh.
Slow, labored, beloved Patience,
come, teach us to trust in Advent's buoyancy;
suspend us, outstretched, for the coming of Christ.
Amen.

excerpt from Simply Wait: Cultivating Stillness in the Season of Advent by Pamela C. Hawkins, pg. 65




Sunday, November 27, 2016

First Sunday of Advent

Almighty God, give us grace to 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 living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.


First Sunday of Advent prayer from the Book of Common Prayer


Sunday, November 20, 2016

FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH

by John Rutter

For the beauty of the earth; For the beauty of the skies, For the love which from our birth over and around us lies: Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

For the beauty of each hour of the day and of the night, Hill and vale and tree and flower, Sun and moon and stars of light: Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

For the joy of human love, Brother, sister, parent, child, friends of earth, and friends above, For all gentle thoughts and mild: Lord of all to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

For each perfect gift of thine to our race so freely given, Graces human and divine, Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n: Lord of all to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

Amen.

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Abide in his love

Lord, show us your love.  Help us know with all the saints the love that passes knowledge.  Lord, show us in your own blessed life what it is to abide in your love.  And the sight will so win us that it will be impossible for us to seek, even for one single hour, any other life than the life of abiding in your magnificent love.  
-Andrew Murray, Abide in Christ

Sunday, November 6, 2016

The Infinite and the Finite

THOU GREAT I AM,

Fill my mind with elevation and grandeur at
      the thought of a Being
  with whom one day is as a thousand years,
  and a thousand years as one day,
A mighty God, who, amidst the lapse of worlds,
  and the revolutions of empires,
  feels no variableness,
  but is glorious in immortality.
May I rejoice that, while men die, the Lord lives;
  that, while all creatures are broken reeds,
    empty cisterns,
    fading flowers,
    withering grass,
  he is the Rock of Ages, the Fountain
    of living waters.
Turn my heart from vanity,
  from dissatisfactions,
  from uncertainties of the present state,
  to an eternal interest in Christ.
Let me remember that life is short and
    unforeseen,
  and is only an opportunity for usefulness;
Give me a holy avarice to redeem the time,
  to awake at every call to charity and piety,
  so that I may feed the hungry,
    clothe the naked,
    instruct the ignorant,
    reclaim the vicious,
    forgive the offender,
    diffuse the gospel,
    show neighbourly love to all.
Let me live a life of self-distrust,
  dependence on thyself,
  mortification,
  crucifixion,
  prayer.


Pgs 190-191, from "The Valley of Vision", a collection of Puritan prayers and devotionals compiled and edited by Arthur Bennett

Monday, October 31, 2016

Litany of Humility

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus. (repeat after each line)

From the desire of being loved,
From the desire of being extolled,
From the desire of being honored,
From the desire of being praised,
From the desire of being preferred to others,
From the desire of being consulted,
From the desire of being approved,
From the fear of being humiliated,
From the fear of being despised,
From the fear of suffering rebukes,
From the fear of being calumniated,
From the fear of being forgotten,
From the fear of being ridiculed,
From the fear of being wronged,
From the fear of being suspected,

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. (repeat after each line)

That others may be esteemed more than I ,
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease,
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should


Litany of Humility was composed by Rafael Cardinal Merry de Val (1865-1930) and is published by the Catholic Church.

**When the litany of humility is prayed in a private setting by two or more people, the lines given in italics below are the responses to a leader.



Sunday, October 23, 2016

Bonhoeffer Morning Prayer



O God, early in the morning I cry to you.
Help me to pray
And to concentrate my thoughts on you:
I cannot do this alone.

In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;

I do not understand your ways,
But you know the way for me…
Restore me to liberty,
And enable me to live now
That I may answer before you and before me.

Lord, whatever this day may bring,
Your name be praised.


Written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer while incarcerated in a Nazi prison, uncertain of what his future would hold.





Sunday, October 16, 2016

Prayer for Rest

Lord, You are the giver of rest. Help me trust that You have everything under control, and that my job is not to juggle everything, but to hand all of my burdens over to You, the all-powerful, able, strong God.



* * *

Excerpted from God's Peace for When You Can't Sleep, copyright Thomas Nelson.



Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Weekly Collect Oct 2

Weekly Collect Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.




Sunday, September 25, 2016

Commissioning Prayer

Commissioning Prayer read by Beth Moore and recited by participants during "The Symphony," Living Proof Ministries' Simulcast event broadcast in September 2016.

I, (insert your name here) , am Your Servant. 
You have chosen me 
And You are still choosing me. 
You have equipped me 
And You are still equipping me. 
You have lifted me from the abyss 
And never let me down. 
Your grace has always been sufficient 
And through Your astonishing grace 
I will abound in every good work. 
You Word brought me to life 
And will keep me alive. 
You baptized me in Your Spirit 
And You continue to bathe me in Your outpouring. 
The anointing upon me is real 
And not counterfeit. 
Because You are all-powerful 
I am well able. 
Because of Your death 
I am fully alive. 
Because of Your Blood 
I am clean and pure. 
Because You are Creator 
I am creative. 
Because all treasures of wisdom and knowledge 
Are hidden in You, 
I am supernaturally wise and knowledgeable in You. 
I have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. 
Because of Your mercy, 
I’m enormously loved. 
I am called to this time. 
This generation. 
This unfolding. 
Because You are wholly reliable 
I can completely trust You. 
Because You are leading me to new places 
And calling me to new works 
I am capable of new things. 
Because You count faith as righteousness 
I declare before Heaven and earth 
Angels and demons 
I am Yours, Jesus Christ, protected and planned for and empowered. 
I can do all things through You 
Who divinely strengthens me. 
Get all the glory You desire through this instrument. 
In Your great symphony 
Amen. 

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Prayer of Belief


Daily entry for September 16 in "Praying God's Word Day by Day" by Beth Moore

Beth opens: BELIEVE HIM. BELIEVE HE CAN DO WHAT HE SAYS HE CAN DO. AND BELIEVE ALSO THAT YOU CAN DO WHAT HE SAYS YOU CAN DO.

Prayer:

Lord God, when I was dead in my sins and in the uncircumcision of my sinful nature, You made me alive with Christ. You forgave me all my sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against me and that stood opposed to me; You took it away, nailing it to Christ's cross.

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, You made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Col. 2: 13-15).

You, my God, made Your Son, Jesus Christ, who had no sin, to be sin for me, so that in Him I might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5: 21).



Sunday, September 18, 2016

Prayer for Victory over Darkness

Daily entry for September 15 in "Praying God's Word Day by Day" by Beth Moore

Beth opens: VICTORY ALWAYS BEGINS WITH A CRY FOR HELP. WHEN WE COME TO THE END OF OURSELVES AND CRY OUT FOR HELP, AMAZING THINGS HAPPEN.

Prayer:
Victorious Lord, I am not silenced by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face (Job 23: 17). I will cry out to You, Lord God, and I will rebuke the enemy that seeks to devour me.

Lord, when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness (Job 30: 26). Help me, Lord, for hope deferred has made my heart sick (Prov. 13: 12). Help me to put my hope in You.

Lord God, say to this captive, “Come out,” and to this child in darkness, “Be free!” Good Shepherd, cause me to find pasture even on every barren hill (Isa. 49: 9).

Monday, September 12, 2016

The Valley of Vision

Introductory prayer from "The Valley of Vision", a collection of Puritan prayers and devotionals compiled and edited by Arthur Bennett

LORD, HIGH AND HOLY, MEEK AND LOWLY,

Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,
where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox
   that the way down is the way up,
   that to be low is to be high,
   that the broken heart is the healed heart,
   that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
   that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
   that to have nothing is to possess all,
   that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
   that to give is to receive,
   that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,
and the deeper the wells the brighter thy stars shine;
Let me find thy light in my darkness,
                           thy life in my death,
                           thy joy in my sorrow,
                           thy grace in my sin,
                           thy riches in my poverty
                           thy glory in my valley.

Sunday, September 4, 2016

It's All About You Jesus

These words were originally penned as lyrics to a song, "Jesus, Lover of My Soul (It's All About You)" by Paul Oakley



It's all about You, Jesus
And all this is for You
For Your glory and your fame
It's not about me
As if You should do things my way
You alone are God
And I surrender to your ways


Sunday, August 28, 2016

Jude 9 Warfare Prayer

shared by Elizabeth Gunter

True Holy Creator God, in the name of the True Lord Jesus Christ, in accordance with Jude 9, to all cosmics of darkness I say "The Lord rebuke you." True Holy Creator God move back all cosmic beings under your jurisdiction and forbid them to harass or interfere with Your Kingdom business in our life and family.

Prevent any darkness, of whatever rank, from being allowed to send any level of spiritual evil against me (my spirit, soul, and body) or my family, labor and livelihood, ministry, or possessions, my life and future, or God-envisioned truth for me. I am trusting you, my Sovereign God and Supreme Judge, to make it safe for me and my family in the name of the True Lord Jesus Christ, my Savior.

To all forces of darkness I say again in accordance with Jude 9, "The Lord rebuke you." True Holy Creator God, True Lord Jesus, and True Holy Spirit, come and fill every place with the fullness of you. Amen.

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Morning Prayer

from several prayer books (many of them Anglican)

As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever. Amen.

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Dear Abba

by Brennan Manning, from "Dear Abba: Morning and Evening Prayer", pg. 83


Dear Abba,

Of all of the things I do today I want the one constant to be that I stay close to You and Your Word; not because I have to, but because I want to. Help me this day, Lord, to pray without ceasing. Not with head bowed and eyes closed, but with all my senses alert to Your abiding presence in which I live and move and have my being. I want to love You more, Jesus, because You first loved me.




Sunday, July 31, 2016

Confession of Sin Prayer

From the Book of Common Prayer, Holy Eucharist II

Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name.
Amen.


Sunday, July 24, 2016

A Disciple's Renewal

from "The Valley of Vision", a collection of Puritan Prayers compiled by Arthur Bennett

O MY SAVIOUR,
Help me.
    I am so slow to learn,
      so prone to forget,
      so weak to climb;
I am in the foothills when I should be
    on the heights;
I am pained by my graceless heart,
  my prayerless days,
  my poverty of love,
  my sloth in the heavenly race,
  my sullied conscience,
  my wasted hours,
  my unspent opportunities.
I am blind while light shines around me:
  take the scales from my eyes,
  grind to dust the evil heart of unbelief.
Make it my chiefest joy to study thee,
  meditate on thee,
  gaze on thee,
  sit like Mary at thy feet,
  lean like John on thy breast,
  appeal like Peter to thy love,
  count like Paul all things dung.
Give me increase and progress in grace
    so that there may be
  more decision in my character,
  more vigour in my purposes,
  more elevation in my life,
  more fervour in my devotion,
  more constancy in my zeal.
As I have a position in the world,
  keep me from making the world my position;
May I never seek in the creature
  what can be found only in the Creator;
Let not faith cease from seeking thee
until it vanishes into sight.
  Ride forth in me, thou King of kings
    and Lord of lords,
  that I may live victoriously,
    and in victory attain my end.

Sunday, July 17, 2016

Daily Prayer of Mother Teresa

DEAR JESUS, help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Thy spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Thine. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Thy presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus. Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be a light to others.



Sunday, July 10, 2016

Prayer for America

(adapted from Prayer to the Crucified Christ by Derek Vreeland )

Lord Jesus you stretched out your arms of love upon the hard wood of the cross that everyone in this country, and around the world, might come within the reach of your saving embrace.

You are the Savior of our friends and neighbors living here and throughout the United States. Remember the poor, the weak and vulnerable among us. We pray for civic leaders, teachers, first responders, and those carrying the wounds of war. Come and save them, heal them, and lead them by your Spirit.

And so clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you, the God and King of all nations, for the honor of your name. Amen.


Sunday, July 3, 2016

Weekly Collect Prayer

weekly collect from the Book of Common Prayer for July 3

O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Alignment of Spirit, Soul and Body

from Sylvia Gunter, Ruach Journey notebook

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, align my spirit, soul and body with you in three-fold alignment in all of my being. Align my left brain and my right brain into its maximum functioning as you designed it to be, so that I can have the mind of Christ.

I choose alignment of my spirit, soul and body with you -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thank you for aligning my spirit, soul and body with you -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit in three-fold agreement.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, please give me all that I need moment by moment to live in alignment with you in all that I am.

Monday, June 20, 2016

Prayer of St. Patrick

I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.
I bind to myself today
The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,
The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,
The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
The virtue of His coming on the Judgement Day.
I bind to myself today
The virtue of the love of seraphim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the hope of resurrection unto reward,
In prayers of Patriarchs,
In predictions of Prophets,
In preaching of Apostles,
In faith of Confessors,
In purity of holy Virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.
I bind to myself today
The power of Heaven,
The light of the sun,
The brightness of the moon,
The splendour of fire,
The flashing of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of sea,
The stability of earth,
The compactness of rocks.
I bind to myself today
God's Power to guide me,
God's Might to uphold me,
God's Wisdom to teach me,
God's Eye to watch over me,
God's Ear to hear me,
God's Word to give me speech,
God's Hand to guide me,
God's Way to lie before me,
God's Shield to shelter me,
God's Host to secure me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the seductions of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.
I invoke today all these virtues
Against every hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women, and smiths, and druids,
Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.
Christ, protect me today
Against every poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against death-wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left, Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit,
Christ where I arise,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Name of Jesus Prayer

by A.W. Tozer

Our Father in heaven, the name of Jesus resonates in my heart, and I never tire of whispering that name in the stillness of my worship and praise. May that wonderful name be the theme of my life. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Prayer for Pursuing God

from Charles Spurgeon in Spurgeon's Devotional Bible, 1982, April 16 - morning selection

"Thou hast made me, be pleased to new-make me. I am thy work, complete me; I am thy harp, tune me; I am thy child, teach me."

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Simple Prayer of Faith

From the chapter 11 of the book "Unstoppable" by Christine Caine

Lord, even if I cannot see you, I hope in you and trust you. 

Hebrews 6:19-20 says, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf."


Sunday, May 22, 2016

Trinity Sunday Prayer

from the Book of Common Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. 
Where there is hatred, let me sow love; 
where there is injury, pardon; 
where there is doubt, faith; 
where there is despair, hope; 
where there is darkness, light; 
where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much 
seek to be consoled as to console; 
to be understood as to understand; 
to be loved as to love; 
For it is in giving that we receive; 
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; 
it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

Saturday, April 30, 2016

The Lord's Prayer Expanded

from Water to Wine, Chapter 4, by Brian Zahnd

Our Father, Holy Father, Abba Father, in the heavens.
Hallowed, Holy, Sacred be Your name.
From the rising of the sun,
to the going down of the same,
the name of the LORD is to be praised.
Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD God of Hosts.
The whole earth is full of His glory.
Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD God Almighty,
Who was, and Is, and is to come.
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done.
On earth as it is in heaven.
Thy Government come, thy politics be done.
On earth as it is in heaven.
Thy Reign & Rule come, thy plans & purposes be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
May we be an anticipation of the age to come.
May we embody the reign of Christ here and now.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
Provide for the poor among us.
As we seek first your Kingdom and your justice,
May all we need be provided for us.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Transform us by the Holy Spirit into a forgiving community of forgiven sinners.
Lead us not into trouble, trial, tribulation, temptation,
Be mindful of our frame that we are but dust,
We can only take so much.
Lead us out of the wilderness and into the promised land that flows with milk and honey,
out of the badlands into resurrection country.
Deliver us from evil and the evil one.
Save us from satan, the accuser and adversary
So that no weapon formed against us can prosper.
So that every tongue that rises against us in judgement, you will condemn.
So every fiery dart of the wicked one is extinguished by the shield of faith.
So that as we submit to You and resist the devil, the devil flees.
So that as we draw near to Jesus Christ,
lifted up upon the cross,
His cross becomes for us the axis of love
expressed in forgiveness that refounds the world.
And the the devil who became the false ruler of the fallen world
is driven out from among us.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Potter's Wheel Prayer


This week's prayer for reflection comes from Pastor T.C. Moore of New City Church of Los Angeles:



And now,
May the God of Peace,
Who raised up the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead,
Through the everlasting covenant in his blood,
Make you complete in every good work to do his will.
Working in you what is pleasing in his sight, like a Potter molding clay.
So that we are being increasingly formed into the glorious image of Christ.
Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, now and forever,
Amen.