Category: prayer

We know … we know not …


 

Your works are wonderful;
I carry this knowledge deep within my soul.
Psalm 139:14, The Voice

 

Call to Worship

(based on Psalm 126)

Let us begin this day by rejoicing!
The Lord has done such wonderful things for us.
Let us be glad!
The day before us is uncertain.
We know not what we will encounter on our way.
Wherever we go, we go forth as people of the living God,
and we go forth to touch the lives of all with his healing touch.
Let us begin this day with rejoicing!
and return to our homes with gladness!

~ from re:worship
 

From the blog
Yield as sacrifice
Beyond
In the school of prayer with Ann Lewin
 

Desire and transformation


 
 
Jan Richardson writes,

Loving is always risky, because we cannot enter into it without being changed. Altered. Transformed. In the face of this, we might well ask, Do I really want this? Do we really desire to be so undone?
 
Loving is never just about opening our heart. It is about being willing to have our heart become larger as we make room for people and stories and experiences we never imagined holding. It is about being willing to have our heart become deeper as we move beyond the surface layers of our assumptions, prejudices, and habits in order to truly see and receive what—and who—is before us. It is about being willing to have our heart continually shattered and remade as we take in not only the brokenness of the world but also the beauty of it, the astounding wonder that will not allow us to remain the same.

 

~ from the paintedprayerbook.com archives
 

A prayer

O Lord, I do not know what to ask of you. You alone know what are my true needs. You love me more than I myself know how to love. Help me to see my real needs, which are concealed from me. I dare not ask for either a cross or a consolation; I can only wait on you. My heart is open to you. Come to me and help me, for your great mercy’s sake … I put all my trust in you. I have no other desire than to fulfil your will. Teach me how to prayer; pray yourself in me.

~ written by Metropolitan Theodore Philaret of Moscow (1553-1633)
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #80
 

The desire of the humble


 

Litany of Humility

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus … (Philippians 2:5)

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart,
Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved,
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being humiliated,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected,
Deliver me, Jesus.

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

 
written by Rafael Cardinal Memy de Val (1865-1930),
Secretary of State to Pope Pius X
posted on re:worship
 

From the blog
Walk the walk
Reminder: Love is …
The last may be first
 

Energy of desire


photo taken during Vincent Meets Rembrandt: The Untold Story in Amsterdam

 
Spirit of Christ, sanctify me.
Accept and transform
my small energy of desire,
that it may become
part of your great energy of desire
for the redemption of the world.
Your will be done!

 
written by Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941)
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #401
 

From the blog | More by Evelyn Underhill
Yield as sacrifice
 

Burning desire


 

A prayer with a candle

My Lord and my God –
thank you for drawing me to Yourself …
Keep the burning of my desire for you
as clear and steady as the flame of this candle
– a single, undivided focus of attention,
a steady offering of the will.
Let my whole being be filled with Your light
so that others may be drawn to You.
Let my whole being be cleansed by the flame of Your love
from all that is contrary to Your will for me …
– my Lord and my God.

 
~ by Margaret Dewey (abbreviated), from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #34
 

From the blog
All my longings
In the school of prayer with St Francis of Assisi
Theme: Sharing in Jesus’ ministry  [prayer sheet]
 

Come Spirit like fire

Come, Holy Spirit

Come Spirit like rain, refresh, renew, revitalise.
Come Spirit like fire, embolden, enlighten, enable.
Come Spirit like a mighty wind, move, challenge, enkindle.
Come Spirit like wave, move, tear down, lift up.
Come Spirit, come Breath, draw us close, make song, bring intimacy.
Come Spirit, come Love, make one, make justice, make peace.
Come Spirit, come Kingdom, come Love.

— written by Martin Brown, and posted on the CAFOD website.

For further study

Key symbols of the Holy Spirit

Fire: Matt 3:11, Acts 2:3-4
Oil: Ex 29:7. Lev 8, Ex 27:20, Mark 6:13; James 5:14
Wind: John 3:8, Acts 2:1-4
Water: John 7:37-39, Is 44:3, Joel 2:28-29
 

From the blog
Newness of life
3 Prayers for summer
Guest post #1 : Fire reflections
 

Fire not ashes


 

After the fire

God of Pentecosts,
we have received from you an inheritance of fire, not of ashes.
You have breathed your Spirit into us and we have been born anew.

And now our raised hands look for your purpose.
Our feet look for your path.
We look to spend our inheritance as fools for your grace,
As fools in your grace.
As fools by your grace.
Amen.

~ written by lutheranjulia, and posted on RevGalBlogPals
 

Baptism by fire


 

John the Baptist:
 
“I baptize you with water.
But one who is more powerful than I will come,
the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Luke 3:16 (NIV)

 

A prayer

God of grace and glory,
you call us with your voice of flame
to be your people, faithful and courageous.
As your beloved Son
embraced his mission in the waters of baptism,
inspire us with the fire of your Spirit
to join in his transforming work.
We ask this in the name of our Saviour Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.

~ from Revised Common Lectionary Prayers
 

From the blog

The Gift
a 12-part series of readings and prayer poems on the Holy Spirit originally published on the PRAYER MATTERS blog in the run-up to Pentecost in 2017
 

3 Prayers for a clean heart

 

Psalm 51 is a classic prayer of confession.

Here are 3 prayers inspired by Psalm 51:10: “create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me”. I’ve also included a link to Keith Green’s song, Create in me a clean heart, also a classic in my view.

#1

Merciful God,
have mercy on our souls,
according to your unwavering love;
according to your abundant mercy
wipe away our sins and the guilt we have carried for so long.

Instead write on our hearts your love,
your boundaries for our lives,
your salvation that sets us free from our sins
to live the abundant life you have for each of us.

Lord we would see Jesus;
we would love Jesus;
we would follow Jesus;
we would serve Jesus.

Lord,
create in us clean hearts;
renew your spirit within us.
Do not turn us away from your presence,
do not take your Holy Spirit from us.
Restore to us the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in us a willing spirit.
Write on our hearts, your love O God,
Amen.

~ written by Rev. Abi, posted on re:worship
 

#2

God of our Hearts,
not of our outer garments,
nor our church structures,
nor our programs and human plans,
you are the only one who can make us pure.
You are the only one who can wash us clean of all our sin and guilt.
You alone can save us from the terrible Day of the Lord.
You are the merciful and just God.
If we turn, we see you.
Help us to turn, O God of all hearts,
and find you here with us:
Emmanuel – the Christ-heart within us all.
We light our fires for you, to reflect your shining.

~ from Heart of the Matter: Service for Ash Wednesday, written by Rev. Marilyn K. Levine. Posted on the United Church of Christ website
 

#3 / a blessing

May God create in you a clean heart,
a transformed heart,
a heart that knows and seeks and loves
the justice and mercy of the Lord.
May you accept the gift of salvation –
not your personal possession to be coveted,
but His work, accomplished in the destruction of sin
on the cross of Jesus Christ.
And may you humble yourself before the Lord,
coming before Him with a broken spirit,
a contrite heart,
receiving from His hand
great compassion
and unfailing love.

~ posted on Jeff’s Blog
 

 

In the school of prayer with Terry Hinks

 

Here are some extracts on the topic of prayer by Terry Hinks from his introduction to Luke’s Gospel in God’s Embrace: Praying with Luke.

 
 
I’ve also included the prayer inspired by his reflections on the disciples’ request in Luke 11:1, ‘Lord, teach us to pray’.
 

I

Prayer as struggle – “It is likely that as we ‘progress in the spiritual life’, or rather think that we do, we again and again need to become beginners asking ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’ …  Again and again we will need to ask the Spirit to stir us from complacency (or despair) and to return us to that persistent determined prayer that Jesus describes in his parables (Luke 11:5-13, Luke 18:1-8), that alertness and strength required for the kingdom life (Luke 21:34-6).”   (p. 25)

II

Prayer as celebration – “Prayer will involve struggle, repentance and lament and will require courage, persistence and humility, but it cannot rest within this sphere alone. It must open out into joyful praise of the one who has done great things, is doing great things here and now and will do great things in the time to come.”   (p. 31)

III

God’s embrace – “We have been trained to analyse, organise, dissect, manipulate and control the reality that we see around us. Yet these tools that are so useful in many areas of life (from scientific research to cake baking) serve us poorly in our relationships with other people, let alone to the divine mystery that created us. Treating everything as an object degrades life. If prayer is the attempt to manipulate and control an object – getting God to do what we want – it will fail. If prayer is a relationship then all kinds of possibilities develop. The aim ceases to be getting God to do something for us; the aim becomes conversation and embrace.”   (p. 35)

IV

A pattern of prayer – “The constant pressure on us is to go for a quick fix in prayer and to fail to recognise the patience and persistence required to wait on God and to listen. Quietening our minds and stilling our bodies is an important part of preparing to pray – that going into your own room and shutting the door that Jesus describes in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:6). But prayer is never simply down to us. It is not some anxiety-ridden striving after the Invisible, but a conversation with One who knows our needs and our hearts …  Prayer is a meeting of human boldness – the persistence to continue to speak to God whatever we may feel – and God’s grace – the patient loving kindness of God for us all, come what may.”   (p. 38-9)

 

A prayer

(inspired by Luke 11:1-4)

Lord, teach us to pray
with the whole of our being,
      bodies stilled and centred,
      minds focused on your way,
      hearts warmed by your grace.

Lord, teach us to pray
with the whole of your people,
      connecting to your followers
            of every time and place,
      connecting to your Church in all its varied faces,
      connecting to the world with all its joy and agony.

Lord, teach us to pray
in the power of your Spirit,
      as children of one dear God,
      as brothers and sisters in Christ
      as sinners forgiven and forgiving.

Lord, teach us to pray
      to you,
      in you,
      this moment,
      this life,
      this eternity.

 
~ by Terry Hinks,
from God’s Embrace: Praying with Luke, p. 91
 

From the blog
In the school of prayer with Angela Ashwin
In the school of prayer with the Celtic Saints
In the school of prayer with Eddie Askew