Prayers

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Thank You for Strawberries

Heather Kopp

Thank You, God,
for giving us food of all kinds,
shapes, colors, aromas, textures, and flavors.
I praise You for strawberries!
And I delight in crisp yellow peppers and juicy oranges!
I praise You for giving us taste buds--
You didn't have to do that!
I praise You also for those edible pleasures
that I sometimes abuse.
Today I ask for the grace
to appreciate the daily sustenance You give me
and to appreciate it so much that I don't feel the need to be greedy.
Maker of everything delicious,
all day long I will notice Your genius and generosity,
and I will honor You with my appetites and my attitude. Amen.

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To Know God's Will

Jim & Kaye Johns

Father, I'm praying that (name one or more) and others in my circle of family and friends will know Your will...

Help them know Your will through the spiritual wisdom and understanding that comes from the Spirit so they may live lives worthy of You, pleasing You in every way. Help them to bear fruit, to influence others' lives in every good thing they do. May they constantly be growing in their understanding of who You are and in their awareness of how You work in the world. (Colossians 1:9, 1 John 2:28; Colossians 1:10)

Help them offer themselves as living sacrifices, desiring not to live like those who are giving in to the ways of the world but to be totally changed by the renewing of their minds. Then they will be able to know Your will—Your good, pleasing, and perfect will. (Romans 12:1–2)

May they yield their will to Yours and set their hearts on doing Your will. Help them set aside their own desires, seeking only Your will, standing firm and keeping on in Your strength. Help them be strong and not give up no matter what happens— filled with joy and thanksgiving. (Matthew 6:10; Ephesians 6:6; Colossians 4:12; Hebrews 10:36; Colossians 1:11–12a)

May they have no other desire than Yours. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Prayer for Life's Journey

Anonymous

O God, Who has commanded that no man should be idle, give us grace to employ all our talents and faculties in the service appointed to us; that, whatsoever our hand findeth to do, we may do it with our might. Cheerfully may we go on in the road which Thou hast marked out, not desiring too earnestly that it should be either more smooth or more wide; but daily seeking our way by Thy light, may we trust ourselves and the issue of our journey, to Thee the Fountain of Joy, and sing songs of praise as we go along. Then, O Lord, receive us at the gate of life, which Thou hast opened for us in Christ Jesus.

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Prayer for Marriage

Anonymous

Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life.

We thank you, also, for consecrating the union of man and woman in his Name.
By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance of your blessing upon this man and this woman.
Defend them from every enemy.
Lead them into all peace.
Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads.
Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death.
Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Prayer of Thanksgiving

Vienna Cobb Anderson

God of all blessings,
source of all life,
giver of all grace:

We thank you for the gift of life:
for the breath
that sustains life,
for the food of this earth
that nurtures life,
for the love of family and friends
without which there would be no life.

We thank you for the mystery of creation:
for the beauty
that the eye can see,
for the joy
that the ear may hear,
for the unknown
that we cannot behold filling the universe with wonder,
for the expanse of space
that draws us beyond the definitions of our selves.

We thank you for setting us in communities:
for families
who nurture our becoming,
for friends
who love us by choice,
for companions at work,
who share our burdens and daily tasks,
for strangers
who welcome us into their midst,
for people from other lands
who call us to grow in understanding,
for children
who lighten our moments with delight,
for the unborn,
who offer us hope for the future.

We thank you for this day:
for life
and one more day to love,
for opportunity
and one more day to work for justice and peace,
for neighbors
and one more person to love
and by whom be loved,
for your grace
and one more experience of your presence,
for your promise:
to be with us,
to be our God,
and to give salvation.

For these, and all blessings,
we give you thanks, eternal, loving God,
through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

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A Prayer for Our Family

Vienna Cobb Anderson

O Loving God,
bless our family with your love.
Guard us from all danger and harm;
deliver us from anger that leads to division;
empower us to forgive as we have been forgiven;
and send us into the world
to witness to your love and grace;
in the name of Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.

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Love Your Enemies

Matthew 5:9; Luke 6:27-31

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God…But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

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The Fruits of the Earth

Anonymous

For seasonable weather, and for an abundance of the fruits of the earth, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

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Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

St. Francis of Assisi

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,
not so much to be understood as to understand,
not so much 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 awake to eternal life.

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I Look to Thee in Every Need

Samuel Longfellow

I look to Thee in every need, and never look in vain;
I feel Thy strong and tender love, and all is well again.
The thought of Thee is mightier far than sin and pain and sorrow are.

Discouraged in the work of life, disheartened by its load,
Shamed by its failures or its fears, I sink beside the road.
But let me only think of Thee and then new heart springs up in me.

Thy calmness bends serene above, my restlessness to still;
Around me flows Thy quickening life, to nerve my faltering will.
Thy presence fills my solitude, Thy providence turns all to good.

Enfolded deep in Thy dear love, held in Thy law, I stand;
Thy hand in all things I behold, and all things in Thy hand.
Thou leadest me by unsought ways, and turn my mourning into praise.

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Prayer for Strength in Old Age

St. Augustine

O Lord our God, under the shadow of Thy wings let us hope. Thou wilt support us, both when little and even to gray hairs. When our strength is of Thee, it is strength; but, when our own, it is feebleness. We return unto Thee, O Lord, that from their weariness our soul may rise towards Thee, leaning on the thing which Thou has created, and passing on to Thyself, who hast wonderfully made them; for with Thee is refreshment and true strength. Amen.

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Prayer for Times of Fear

George Dawson

Almighty God, the Refuge of all that are distressed, grant unto us that, in all trouble of this our mortal life, we may flee to the knowledge of Thy lovingkindness and tender mercy; that so, sheltering ourselves therein, the storms of life may pass over us, and not shake the peace of God that is within us. Whatsoever this life may bring us, grant that it may never take from us the full faith that Thou art our Father. Grant us Thy light, that we may have life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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To Always Pray

Jim & Kaye Johns

Father, I'm praying for myself and others (name one or more) in my circle of family and friends to grow in our prayer lives...

May we be people of prayer, asking not only for our daily needs to be met but praying for others. May we ask, seek, and knock with right motives, living lives of obedience that are pleasing to You so we may receive whatever we ask. (Matthew 6:11; 1 Samuel 12:23; Matthew 7:7–8; James 4:2–3; 1 John 3:21–22)

May our prayers be set before You like incense as we pray without ceasing, praying always without giving up—boldly and with persistence. Help us come before Your throne of grace with confidence and be able to pray as Elijah prayed—fervently, effectively. May we be watchmen on the wall, standing our ground in prayer. (Psalm 141:2a; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Luke 18:1–5; 11:5–8; Hebrews 4:16; James 5:16b; Ezekiel 33:7; Ephesians 6:10–18)

Help us pray in faith, believing we have received what we've asked because we've prayed according to Your will. May our faith be so strong it amazes You! (Mark 11:22–24; 1 John 5:14–15; Matthew 8:5–13)

Help us to grow strong in prayer. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Luther's Evening Prayer

Martin Luther

My Heavenly Father, I thank You, through Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, that You have protected me, by Your grace. Forgive, I pray, all my sins and the evil I have done. Protect me, by Your grace, tonight. I put myself in your care, body and soul and all that I have. Let Your holy angels be with me, so that the evil enemy will not gain power over me. Amen.

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To Learn and Use God's Word

Jim & Kaye Johns

Father, I'm praying that (name one or more) and others in my circle of family and friends will desire to memorize Scripture...

Help them meditate on Your Word. Use it to transform and renew their minds, to show them the old they need to put off in their lives and the new truths and ways of life to put on. Help them to see and respect the Bible for the living and active Word i is, able to penetrate hearts and judge a person's thoughts and attitudes. (Psalm 119:78b; Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:22-24; Hebrews 4:12)

May they find the discipline to learn Your Word and live by it— and may it keep their lives pure. Help them to live according to Your principles, holding Your Word in their hearts so they won't give in to temptation and sin against You. May they remember and apply Scriptures to their lives, for Your Word will set them free to say no to every temptation. (Psalm 119:9, 11, 112; John 8:32)

Help them to know and learn to use the Scriptures as effectively as Jesus did—to defeat Satan by quoting Scripture when he tries to tempt them. Help them be ready, learning verses that will bring victory over the temptations they face and lifting them in prayer like a sword! (Job 22:22; Proverbs 3:1; Matthew 4:1–11; Psalm 119:16; Ephesians 6:17–18)

Teach them to depend on Your Word.

In Jesus' name, amen.

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Gratitude for Happy Hearts

Anonymous

We thank Thee Lord, for happy hearts,
For rain and sunny weather.
We thank Thee, Lord, for this our food,
And that we are together.

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Traditional Irish Prayer Against Evil

Anonymous

Three things are of the evil one:
An evil eye;
An evil tongue;
An evil mind.

Three things are of God, and these three are what Mary told her Son, for she heard them in heaven:
The merciful word,
The singing word,
And the good word.

May the power of these three holy things be on all men and women of Erin for evermore.

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Prayer for Rescue, Recovery, Rebuilding

Barbara Crafton, Episcopal priest

O gracious God, we will never understand the sorrows of the world, but by your grace we will not turn away from them. Renew and sustain in us the spirit of love that crosses miles. Cheer and encourage those who labor to help the injured, the homeless, the hungry and those in despair. Bless and soften the hearts of those who would take advantage of tragedy for their own profit, that they may come to know where true joy is to be found. Unite us in prayer with all those who look for help, and use us to come speedily to them with the things that they need. We ask these things in your own most holy Name. Amen.

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Guide Me Through These Dark Days

Maureen Pratt

O Lord, I am torn up with grief.
I know you are there, but I cannot see past
my sorrow and tears.
Be with me, Lord, and do not take
my unhappiness to heart.
Rather, work within me to guide me through
these dark days
and bring your light to my life,
so that I may see your goodness, even in my mourning.

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Give Me the Wings of Faith

Isaac Watts

Give me the wings of faith to rise within the veil, and see the saints above, how great their joys, how bright their glories be. Once they were mourning here below, their couch was wet with tears; they wrestled hard, as we do now, with sins and doubts and fears.

We ask them whence their victory came: they, with united breath, ascribe their conquest to the Lamb, their triumph to his death. They marked the footsteps that he trod, his zeal inspired their breast, and, following their incarnate God, possess the promised rest.

Our glorious Leader claims our praise for his own pattern given; while the long cloud of witnesses show the same path to heaven.

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Prayer for the Chronically Ill

Beliefnet member Laurel_crowned

O Lord, through the passion of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I beseech Thee to watch over and guide all those who suffer from chronic illness. Grant to us the courage to face our situations so that others may see Your perpetual light shining through us, as a beacon of strength that overcomes setbacks, and reaffirms Your Precious Love for ALL the sheep among Your flock. We are all Your children in spite of our physical situation, and Your Loving Son shepherds those of us who believe. Grant us the spiritual and mental strength to endure so that we may live in Your Divine Shadow. In the name of Jesus Christ, King of Kings, please hear and bless this prayer O Heavenly Father. Amen

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Salvation Prayer

Anonymous

God, I recognize that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been living for myself and that is wrong. I need You in my life; I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross at Calvary, and I long to receive the forgiveness you have made freely available to me through this sacrifice. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. From this day forward, I will no longer be controlled by sin, or the desire to please myself, but I will follow You all the days of my life. Those days are in Your hands. I ask this in Jesus' precious and holy name. Amen.

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Prayer to Overcome Depression

Beliefnet member newlifelooker

Dear Lord, I am suffering from depression and anxiety disorder. Thank you for giving me the medical attention that has helped place my soul back into my skin. Give all of us who suffer this stress the courage and strength to trust you and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. You love and through your love all things are possible. In Jesus' name we praise you. Amen

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Prayer for the Nation

Abraham Lincoln

With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds... to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

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Prayer for God's Guidance

Anonymous

God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in mine eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at mine end, and at my departing.