Tag: 3 Prayers

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]
 

3 Prayers for Christian unity


IK IK (ME ME) Reflect

 

3 prayers on the theme of Christian unity to coincide with the 2023 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, an annual prayer initiative that usually takes place from 18 to 25 January.

Let us pray …

#1

Lord, we pray for the unity of your Church.
Help us to see ourselves as rays from the one sun,
branches of a single tree,
and streams flowing from one river.
May we remain united to you and to each other,
because you are our common source of life;
and may we send out your light
and pour forth your flowing streams over all the earth,
drawing our inspiration and joy from you.
 

~ after St Cyprian of Carthage (c.200-258),
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #527
 

#2

Lord Jesus Christ,
who prayed for your disciples that they might be one,
even as you are one with the Father;
draw us to yourself,
that in common love and obedience to you
we may be united to one another,
in the fellowship of the one Spirit,
that the world may believe that you are Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

 
~ written by William Temple (1881-1944), from re:worship
 

#3

You made us, God,
in Your own image,
and then became one of us,
proud of those you have made.

Make us proud of being part of that worldwide family,
and eager to discover and celebrate Your image
in every person, every culture, every nation,
that we are privileged to encounter.

 
~ from the booklet for the 2023 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
 

More
Racial justice at forefront of this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Church of Scotland website).
 

3 Prayers to our Father


Golden hour
 

Our Father … yours is the …. glory …
Yes. Yes. Yes.

 

This is Eugene Peterson’s version of the Lord’s Prayer, from The Message:

Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
      as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
      Yes. Yes. Yes.

 
 

Here are three more prayers to “Our Father”, directly inspired by the prayer Jesus taught his disciples.

 

#1

Father in heaven,
in your goodness
you pour out on your people all that they need,
and satisfy those who persist in prayer.
Make us bold in asking,
thankful in receiving,
tireless in seeking,
and joyful in finding,
that we may always proclaim your coming kingdom
and do your will on earth as in heaven.
Amen.

 
~ from Revised Common Lectionary Prayers
 

#2

Our father who dwells in the heavens and on the earth, you are holy.

May heaven be a greater present reality here on earth, and may we choose to join you in making that happen.

Provide us today with the things that you think we need, and may we not take for granted that which you have already provided.

Forgive us when we don’t live as you intend, and may we be ready to forgive others when they don’t live as we intend.

Guide us in your wisdom away from the things that would distort us, and restore the parts in us that are already distorted.

You are goodness, beauty and truth.
May your love always rule. 
Amen.

 
~ written by Rebekah Long, sourced from re:worship
 

#3

Abba, our God, whom the heavens disclose,
may your name be held holy,
your authority come.
May your longing be fulfilled as in heaven,
so on earth.
Give us today the bread of tomorrow,
and cancel our debts
as we have already forgiven our debtors.
Do not draw us in to sinful enticement,
but set us free from the grip of evil;
for authority and power and glory
are yours alone, forever.
Amen.

 
~ from the Alternative Service Book (1980), Church of England,
sourced from re:worship.

 

 
From the blog
Check the index for more prayers in the “3 Prayers” series, and much more besides.
 

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
 

 

3 More prayers for courage


 
 

Here are 3 brief prayers for courage to aid you in your prayers as you bring your hopes and fears before God.

Note: I’ve called this post 3 More prayers for courage as I already had a post entitled 3 Prayers for courage, posted in September 2020 when the theme of the month was “Threshold”.
 

#1

“Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’
After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.” (John 20:19-20)

Living God,
You appeared to your disciples in their hour of fear,
and offered them your peace to still their hearts.
May we open our arms
to be living hope in the world today,
bringing peace to those living in fear.
Give us courage to be bold in sharing what we believe;
may we hold firm to your promise of life and hope,
and strive for a new world,
free from poverty, injustice and conflict.

~ from the Monthly Prayers page of the Christian Aid website,
posted on re:worship
 

#2

Eternal God,
you call us to ventures
of which we cannot see the ending,
by paths as yet untrodden,
through perils unknown.
Give us faith
to go out with courage, not knowing
where we go but only that your hand
is leading us,
and your love supporting us.

~ written by Eric Milner White,
posted on Christine Jerrett’s blog
 

#3

(inspired by Luke 24:13-35)

O God, you come to us in unexpected places:
in isolation, behind closed doors;
on dusty roads, as we go from place to place;
in video chats with friends and telephone conversations with loved ones.
You come bringing us peace, where there is no peace.
You come bringing us hope when everything seems hopeless.
You come bringing us courage when we are afraid.
Come and be among us now, in every place where we are.
Open our eyes to see you, open our hearts to know you.
In the name of the Risen Christ we pray.
Amen

~ submitted by Ann Harbridge,
posted on re:worship
 

From the blog
Wilderness encouragement
3 Prayers for refugees
Theme: Still small voice  [prayer sheet]
 

3 prayers for the New Year


ending well …  (Artwork: Irene Bom)
 

Because prayer matters, from one year to the next …

 

#1

O Christ,
tirelessly you seek out those who are looking for you
and who think that you are far away;
teach us, at every moment,
to place our spirits in your hands.
While we are still looking for you,
already you have found us.
However poor our prayer,
you hear us far more than we can imagine or believe.

Brother Roger of Taizé
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #13
 

#2

God, bless our year
giving us
time for the task
peace for the pathway
wisdom for the work
friends for the fireside
love to the last.

The Mother’s Union Anthology of Public Prayers
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #752
 

#3

O Lord, as the years change, may we find rest in your eternal changelessness. Help us to meet this new year bravely, in the faith that, while life changes all around us, you are always the same, guiding us with your wisdom and protecting us with your love; through our Saviour Jesus Christ.

William Temple (1881-1944)
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #749
 

Credits

“If you want to start well, it is deeply connected to ending well.”
from Creative Pep Talk podcast (episode #345), hosted by Andy J. Miller (alias Andy J. Pizza).
 

3 Prayers for discernment


Rotterdam at dusk  (Photo: Irene Bom)

 
To quote Paul:

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.”

 

 

Here are 3 prayers for discernment – to better hear God’s gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12) and weigh up what is good and right and worthy of the gospel of Christ (Philippians 1:27).

 

#1

Teach me, dear Lord,
the value and importance of all things,
so that I may discern and follow Your will.
Protect me from those who would harm me
and give me wisdom in dealing with them.
Keep me steadfast in my desire to worship You
      and learn from You;
to the praise of Your name.
Amen.

 
from northumbriacommunity.org,
inspired by the life of Benedict of Nursia

 

#2

Loving God,
We pray for the wisdom to discern your call in our lives.
Hear our prayer, O God.

We pray for the wisdom to make healthy choices
in the face of endless and confusing options.
Hear our prayer, O God.

We pray for the grace to redefine our relationships
with our parents and our friends as our lives change.
Hear our prayer, O God.

We pray for the grace to form new relationships
with new friends as we move forward from this place.
Hear our prayer, O God.

We pray for the courage to swim against the current of society
as we seek to follow where you lead us.
Hear our prayer, O God.

We pray for the courage to take a stand with you
for justice and peace in this world in this time.
Hear our prayer, O God. Amen.

 
written by Katherine Hawker, posted on the Liturgy Outside website.

 

#3

O Creator past all telling,
you have so beautifully set out all parts of the universe;
you are the true fount of wisdom
and the noble origin of all things.
Be pleased to shed on the darkness of my mind
the beam and warmth of your light
to dispel my ignorance and sin.
Instruct my speech and touch my lips with graciousness;
make me keen to understand, quick to learn,
and able to remember;
and keep me finely tuned
to interpret your word,
for you are God for ever and ever.

 
written by St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274),
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #150

 

3 Prayers of lament


(Photo: Irene Bom)
 

To complement the many psalms of lament and your own ‘wordless sighs’ and ‘aching groans’ (Romans 8:26, MSG), here are three short prayers of lament to try on for size … to pray for yourself, or on behalf of someone else.

 

#1

Heart of my shattered heart,
who will soothe the buried lament?
Who will pour oil on the biting pang
that never dies
Christ, do you hear the words held back?
You are there, a love most healing.
 
~ written by Brother Roger of Taize,
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #223
 

#2

Lord Jesus,
many of us are waiting for you:
the war-torn are waiting for peace,
the hungry are waiting for bread.
the refugees are waiting for a homeland,
the sick are waiting for healers.
Have you forgotten us?
O Lord, come quickly, we pray.
Amen.
 
~ written by Bruce Prewer, posted on bruceprewer.com
 

#3

Lord of my darkest place:
Let in your light.

Lord of my greatest fear:
Let in your peace.

Lord of my most bitter shame:
Let in your word of grace.

Lord of my oldest grudge:
Let in your forgiveness.

Lord of my deepest anger:
Let it out.

Lord of my loneliest moment:
Let in your presence.

Lord of my truest self – my all:
Let in your wholeness.
 
~ written by Alison Pepper,
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #283
 

 
Prayer poem for Lent 4B : Talk about it
 
This prayer poem is inspired by Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22, in particular verse 2a: “Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story …”
 

From the blog
3 Prayers for Lent
3 Prayers while waiting
3 Prayers for refugees
 

3 Prayers for courage


Space separates our bodies, but not our minds | Rotterdam Centraal  (Photo: Irene Bom)

 

Another post in the 3 Prayer series, to introduce our theme for September: THRESHOLD.

 

#1

O God, you know we are often filled with fear and foreboding.
Give us courage and deepen our trust.
You are a rock which nothing can shatter.
On you we can place the whole weight of our lives.

~ written by Richard Harries,
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #279
 

#2

O Lord, everything fills me with fear and apprehension. Even the smallest commitment has become a huge ordeal in my eyes. I cannot see any hope or purpose in my life. Teach me to go on praying, though my faith seems lost and there is no apparent response. Give me the strength to face one day at a time, and to know that, somehow, you will carry me through. Do not let me become so obsessed with myself that I fail to respond to the needs of others. As I echo the words of Jesus, ‘Let this cup pass from me,’ let me, like him, accept your will – and give me a little of his courage.

~ written by Mary Rose de Lisle,
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #289
 

#3

When I feel threatened
or believe myself to be a failure,
give me courage to enter my still centre,
the place of buried treasure
and sunshine
and solitude
where you are, Lord,
and where it no longer matters
who approves of me
or how successful I am
because you are there,
and, in your presence,
I rediscover the confidence
to be me.

~ written by Angela Ashwin,
from A Little Book of Healing Prayer by Angela Ashwin, #50
 

From the blog
Theme: Do not lose heart   [prayer sheet]
Not deserted
Leaving the desert behind
 

3 Prayers while waiting


 
 
In Psalm 27:13-14 the psalmist says:
 

I remain confident of this:
      I will see the goodness of the Lord
      in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
      be strong and take heart
      and wait for the Lord.

 

Here are three prayers to keep your heart centred on God while waiting – whether in joyful anticipation, frustration or dread.

 

#1

Now is the time, let us pause.
As we wait, may we hear the voice of God.

Now is the time, let us watch.
In our homes, at our work, even while waiting in line —
may we see the face of Christ.

Now is the moment, let us prepare our hearts.
In our words, in our hearts, in all we say and do —
may God’s extravagant love shine through.

 
~ written by Rev. Nancy J, posted on re:worship
 

#2

In the depths of my being
      I become quiet and still;
I wait for you, my God,
      source of my salvation

~ written by Jim Cotter,
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #604
 

#3

When nothing is right,
when we are weary and lost,
when clouds dull the sky,
help us to be still.

When our cries are unheeded,
when no effort bears fruit,
when the sun sets,
help us to be still.

When love is over,
when hope is gone,
when darkness covers the land,
help us to be still.

For in being still,
in refusing to panic or despair,
we shall come to know that God is there,
suffering alongside and with us,
waiting to show us stepping-stones through the swirling waters,
and to help us sing a new song.

 
~ written by Kate Compston, posted on re:worship
 

 
From the blog
Check the index for more prayers in the “3 Prayers” series, and much more besides.