Category: prayer

Open gates

 
David Adam writes,
 
“Every now and again ‘our eyes are opened’ and we see beyond the narrowness of our day-to-day vision. This was expressed by Jacob when he awoke out of sleep, a sleep he felt he had been in all his life up to that point: ‘Jacob awoke out of sleep and said, “How aweful is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”‘ (Genesis 28:16-17). Jacob had not been looking for his experience, it had suddenly opened before him. I believe that such experiences are offered to all of us at one time or another in our lives. But we in our turn have to be open enough to receive them. … If we face the unfamiliar it may open all sorts of gates for us.”
 
from The Open Gate: Celtic Prayers for Growing Spiritually
by David Adam, p.2
 

Prayer

O Lord,
    Open our eyes to your Presence
    Open our minds to your grace
    Open our lips to your praises
    Open our hearts to your love
    Open our lives to your healing
    And be found among us.

 
by David Adam,
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #15
 

From the blog
Turn to the light
Holy moment beneath the stars
Slow learners and bright ideas
 

Open to wonder


View of the Depot from the Chabot Museum, Rotterdam

 

Open my eyes that I may see
  wonderful things in your law.

 

 

Prayer

Father, we praise you for the gift of words:
the words we hear and read,
the words we speak and write.
As we handle and use the Holy Scriptures,
make us more sensitive to what they say,
more appreciative of the life and truth in these pages,
and of the love and courage of those who wrote them;
and open our ears to your voice,
and our lives to yourself,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 
Source unknown,
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #170
 

From the blog
Word study: Shema
Treasure for our times
Circle me, Lord
 

Stand firm

 

A timely exhortation from James as we enter another Advent season.

 

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

 

A Psalm of Celebration

loosely inspired by Psalm 118

Though we have known hardship and pain,
though life has not always turned out as we had hoped,
we will stand here and say:
God’s steadfast love endures for ever!

Though life becomes more complex,
the deepest questions remain unanswered,
and the mystery of faith deepens, we will say:
God’s steadfast love endures for ever!

And though the pain of the world
often seems more than we can bear or address,
we will stand firm in our faith and say:
God’s steadfast love endures for ever!
 

~ written by Ann Siddall, posted on re:worship

This prayer also appears in an earlier blog post:
Theme: Rejoice in the Lord always  [prayer sheet]

From the blog
imagine … no war …
In the school of prayer with St Francis of Assisi
Mightier than the crashing waves
 

3 prayers for prisoners of conscience


 
 

Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are ill-treated as if you yourselves were suffering.

 

Here are 3 prayers for those who took a stand against injustice and pay the price.

 

#1

Lord, I pray for my brothers and sisters
who are in prison because of their stand against injustice,
and for all the other people who have ‘disappeared’.
I pray for those undergoing torture;
Lord, give them strength, and the sense that they are not alone.
In particular I hold before you
those who believe that the world has forgotten them.
May they know that there are people who care,
and who are praying for them.
Jesus, arrested and tortured yourself,
be with them now,
and hold them in your wounded hands.

 
~ written by Angela Ashwin,
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #457
 

#2

Uphold, O God, all who are
persecuted or imprisoned for their beliefs.
Be to them a light showing the way ahead;
a rock giving them strength to stand;
a song singing of all things overcome.

 
~ written by Richard Harries,
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #461
 

#3

We pray justice
for the falsely accused,
freedom for the wrongly imprisoned,
healing for the tortured or abused,
care for the orphan and widow,
concern for the refugee and dispossessed,
and above all forgiveness
for our emotional detachment.
May we weep as you weep,
love as you love,
and not be afraid to be angry
for the sake of your children,
wherever they might be.
In our helplessness we ask,
Lord, enfold them in your love.

 
~ written by John Birch,
posted on faithandworship.com
 

From the blog
Song in the night
People of the way
Theme: He heals the brokenhearted  [prayer sheet]
 

Unless the Lord stands watch


 
 

Unless the Lord builds the house,
      the builders labour in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
      the guards stand watch in vain.

The Mercy of Justice

Where are things heading, God of wisdom?
Unless you are a God of justice and judgement,
      the future of this arrogant world is dismal.
Unless you are a God of grace and mercy,
      our place in your future is hopeless.

With the anger of a temple cleansing,
      overthrow greed and scatter our indifference.
With the suffering of your crucified Son,
      forgive our sins and heal our diseases.
With the mercy of justice and the justice
      of your unique mercy, lead us on towards
      the consummation of your kingdom.

You alone are our help and hope.
You alone are our health and happiness.

Through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Amen!
 
~ written by Bruce Prewer, and posted on www.bruceprewer.com

From the blog
Yield as sacrifice
Prayer poem: Not unless
On Writing Prayer-Poems
 

The Lord is near

Rejoice in the Lord always.
I will say it again: rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all.
>>> The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything,
but in every situation,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.
And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus.

 

A prayer

Lord Jesus,
by the loneliness of your suffering on the cross,
be near to all who are desolate, and in pain and sorrow;
let your presence transform their sorrow into comfort,
and their loneliness into fellowship with you;
for the sake of your tender mercy.

 
by George Appleton
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #435

From the blog
Circle me, Lord
The Holy Other
The Spirit does wonders
 

Planted near you


Harold Porter National Botanical Gardens, Western Cape, South Africa

Prayer

(inspired by Psalm 1)

Holy God,
we come before your throne
and admit that most of the time
we are too busy singing and praying and
feeling good and feeling bad and feeling so-so
to stop and listen for your tiny, little whispers.
In your word you paint for us a picture of full and abundant life,
life that can only be had by drinking your living water,
knowing you not as a title, but intimately, a mystery …

We pray that our lives would be planted near you –
that we would send our roots deep into your word and your life,
that we would draw nourishment from you,
and that with the life you give we would in turn
provide shelter and comfort and blessing
to whoever comes under our branches.

We pray that we would not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stand in the way of sinners,
nor abide in the house of the scornful,
but that our delight would be in you,
in your truth, in your grace,
now and forevermore.

 
~ posted on Jeff’s Blog (adapted)
 

From the blog
3 Prayers for a clean heart (includes a blessing from Jeff’s Blog)
To keep our hearts in tune
Bend down low
 

Be near, be close

Prayer

God, we praise you,
Father, all powerful,
Christ, Lord and Saviour,
Spirit of Love,
drawing us to share in your life and your love.
One God, three Persons,
be near to the people formed in your image,
close to the world your love brings to life.
We ask you this,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
one God, true and living,
for ever and ever.

 
~ The Liturgy of the Hours
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #869

From the blog
3 Prayers to the Sacred Trinity
Too beautiful for war
Who do you work for?
 

Gathered from far

Call to Worship

inspired by Jeremiah 31:7-9

Sing aloud with gladness:
    God is gathering the people!
From the farthest parts of the earth we come:
    All who struggle; all who labor with new life!
Those who are weeping, God will console;
    Those who get lost find a clear path home.
Let us worship the God who gathers us!

Prayer of Invocation

Ever-calling God,
We give thanks that you have gathered us into your church
    and graced us with your faithful presence.
We ponder our history, ancient and still developing,
    and marvel at the many expressions of your church.
Grant us the vision to be a part of a new reformation for the Church
    that will bring ever more joy and justice to the world.
Continue to gather us, the diverse lot of us,
    into Jesus’ vision and dream
    that your faithful people may be one in you.
Amen

 
~ written by the Rev. Bonnie Tarwater, and posted on the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways website.

From the blog
Seed
Do this remembering
Baby steps
 

This far, no further

Praying for Wisdom

based on Job 38

Lord, you laid the earth’s foundations;
    you placed its cornerstone;
while the morning stars sang together
    and all the angels shouted for joy,
you set limits for the sea and said,
     “This far and no further!”

You gave orders to the morning
    and showed the dawn its place;
you moulded the earth until it took shape.

You alone know the springs of the sea;
    you alone comprehend the vastness of the universe;
    you alone know the laws of heaven:

Lord, give wisdom to our hearts
    and understanding to our minds.
Amen.

 
~ written by Michael Perry, and posted on re:worship

From the blog
Song in the night
In the school of prayer with Eddie Askew
Continually curious