God's Word on That

Tag: Prayer

  • Prayer For The Home

    We praise You as the bountiful benefactor from whose gracious hand all our blessings have come. We remember Your lovingkindness and tender mercy toward us through all the years, and with grateful hearts we lift up to You our songs of joy. For all the gifts You have bestowed upon us and upon our land, we give You humble and hearty thanks. May we show our gratitude by faithful lives devoted to Your service.

    Let us ask God to bless our homes and our families, that we may radiate His love.

    Heavenly Father, I praise You for Your mercy in giving me a home. Keep me from a sullen and ungrateful spirit. Show me how I may help to make my home a blessing to all who come to it. And let the law of kindness rule my life. Make me kindly and thoughtful in word and generous in deed. Make me ever ready to give the understanding answer that turns away wrath. Take from me the wish to irritate and prevent me from saying the grievous words that stir up strife. If I am tempted to quarrel, make me able to keep my own temper. Let the law of kindness rule my life and govern all I do. When my feelings are hurt, let me turn to You for comfort and keep my calm under the shadow of Your wings.

    As I read and study Your Word, please let the words permeate my being, accomplishing the creative work they are designed to do in Your people. Loving God, source of all wisdom, grant that as we seek truth, we may find that the search leads to You. Give us courage to seek honestly and reverence to seek humbly and, when our minds are perplexed and we cannot find You, give us patience to go on with our daily duties and wait on Your timing.

    O God, all my life is Yours. Help me so to plan and arrange the hours of this day that I may serve You in then all. Give me an open mind, O God, a mind ready to receive and to welcome new light of knowledge as You reveal it to me. Let me be tolerant to the thoughts of others and hospitable to such light as may come to me through them. Be with me today and help me to do my best. Give me a clear mind and an honest heart. If there are things I do not know, let me not be flustered or afraid but let me use to the utmost what I do know. May everything in which I have worked hard stand by me now, and if in anything I must face the results of laziness, make me resolve to work better in the days ahead. Help me express all I know; but whether I can do that or not, grant that I may have learned something that will last

    From the family of men, we give You thanks, O Lord of Hosts, for all saints and servants who have done justly, loved mercy, and walked humbly with You. For all the high and holy ones who have wrought wonders and been shining lights in the world, we thank You. For all the meek and lowly ones who have earnestly sought You in darkness, and held fast their faith in trial, and done good unto all men as they had opportunity, we thank You. Especially for those whom we have known and loved, who by their patient obedience and self-denial, steadfast hope and helpfulness in trouble have shown the same mind that was in Christ Jesus, we bless Your holy Name. Grant us grace to follow in their footsteps.

  • Prayer For His Church

    O Almighty God, who by the birth of Your holy Son Jesus has given us a great light to dawn upon our darkness, grant that in His Light we may see light to the end of our days. Bestow upon us that most excellent gift of love to all men, so the likeness of Your Son may be formed in us, and we may have the ever-brightening hope of everlasting life.

    May the church of Christ Jesus spread over the whole earth and subdue it.

    O Lord and Father of us all, who did send Your Son to be the Savior of the entire world; grant Your blessing to all followers of Christ Jesus of every name and creed. May we rejoice in the privilege of being fellow workers with You and Him and each other, that the dankness of the world may be driven out by the Light of life.

    Take away all hatred and prejudice, arrogance and contention; and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord. Bring us into close cooperation and harmony that all our forces may be united for the common cause of Your Kingdom. Grant that as there is one Body and one Spirt, and one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify You, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Take all resentment, bitterness, and rebellion out of our hearts. Make us instead hopeful, cheerful, courageous, patient, and confident people to serve You faithfully.

    O God, who has made man in Your own likeness and who loves all whom You have made; teach us the unity of Your family and the breadth of Your love. Enable us to enter into fellowship of the whole human family and forbid we should despise any for whom Christ died. Lord, in Your great mercy, please remember us when You come into Your kingdom.

    O Lord and Father of us all, who did send Your Son to be the Savior of the entire world; grant Your blessing to all followers of Christ Jesus of every name and creed. May we rejoice in the privilege of being fellow workers with You and Him and each other, that the dankness of the world may be driven out by the Light of life.

    Take away all hatred and prejudice, arrogance and contention; and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord. Bring us into close cooperation and harmony that all our forces may be united for the common cause of Your Kingdom. Grant that as there is one Body and one Spirt, and one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify You, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Take all resentment, bitterness, and rebellion out of our hearts. Make us instead hopeful, cheerful, courageous, patient, and confident people to serve You faithfully.

    O God, who has made man in Your own likeness and who loves all whom You have made; teach us the unity of Your family and the breadth of Your love. Enable us to enter into fellowship of the whole human family and forbid we should despise any for whom Christ died. Lord, in Your great mercy, please remember us when You come into Your kingdom.

  • Prayer For Duties To Perform

    O gracious Lord, from whom I have received so much, grant unto me this blessing also: make my heart grateful for the gift of the life You have bestowed upon me. Grant me the desire to apply my heart unto heavenly wisdom, that my remaining days may be spent to Your glory.

    Oh, to live an entire day in the mercies and blessings and knowledge of God’s love!

    Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12).

    You know, O heavenly Father, the duties that lie before me this day, the dangers that may confront me, the sins that most beset me. Guide me, strengthen me, deliver me. Awaken in me the realization that You have a purpose for each of us to fulfill, that life is filled with sacred meaning. Bestow upon me a rich measure of Your wisdom that I may take from my past experiences insight that will serve in the present hour. You know our needs, teach us to pray.

    Help me to keep my body and mind trained and fit, that they may be wholesome instruments of service, and my soul may be free from remorse and despair. May I be in all my parts a worthy temple for Your indwelling Spirit and an honor to Your Name.

    Send me chances to do a little good every day, and to grow more like Christ Jesus every hour. O God, when I pray to You as my Father, please help me to remember that You are the Father of ALL people everywhere.

    O loving Father, I commit myself with perfect trust into Your loving hands. Watch over me and protect me in my hours of weakness, and grant that as I become unconscious of earthly things my thoughts may be turned to You. Please grant that I may bear suffering with cheerful courage that I may be the means under Your hand of helping others in their time of trial.

    I call upon You in my trouble, You will deliver me and I will glorify You. As You watch over me in these trying days, grant me patience and guide my thoughts to dwell on Your goodness and Your blessings. You are my shepherd; make me confident that I shall not want. O gracious Father, I cast all my cares upon You, knowing that You care for me.

  • Prayer For Graces

    St Francis of Assisi, the most beloved of all saints, gives us the immortal words of humility and kindness.

    O Lord our Messiah, may we have Your mind and Your Spirit. Make us instruments of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that we 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 ourselves pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

    O heavenly Father, in whom we live and move and have our being: take from us all pride and vanity, all boasting and forwardness, and give us the true strength that shows itself by gentleness, true understanding that shows itself by simplicity, and true wisdom that shows itself by humility. O Father, who has filled the world with beauty: open our eyes to behold Your gracious hand in all Your works, that rejoicing in Your whole creation we may learn to serve You with gladness. Give us grace to be generous toward others and stern with ourselves.

    When we draw near to You, dearest Father, deliver us from coldness of heart and wandering of mind, that with steadfast thoughts and kindled affections we may worship You in spirit and in truth as You deserve. Hear our prayers, O Lord, and consider our desires. Give unto us true humility, a meek and quiet spirit, a loving, friendly, holy and useful manner of life, bearing the burdens of our neighbors, denying ourselves, and studying to benefit others and to please You in all things. Grant us to be gentle and easy to be entreated, slow to anger, and readily prepared for every good work.

    Behold, Lord, an empty vessel that needs to be filled. I am weak in faith; strengthen me. I am cold in love; warm me; at times I doubt and am unable to trust You altogether, renew my trust in You. Take from me all doubt and mistrust. Lift my thoughts up to You in heaven and make me to know that all things are possible to us who believe in Your Son, our Redeemer.

  • Prayer For Courage

    Nowhere in Scripture do we find anyone praying for courage. “Lord, give me courage to face this situation.” God tells us multiple times to “be of good courage” (Deuteronomy 31:6, 7, 23; Joshua 1:6-9; 2 Chronicles 32:7), but never “ask Me for courage”. Even Jesus exhorted His disciples, “Take courage” (Matthew 14:27; Mark 6:50). I can only think then that courage is on our part, while strength and wisdom and fortitude come to us from our Heavenly Father.

    Be of good courage and He will strengthen your heart. Wait I say on the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)

    O God, make me ready to face what I must – prepared, trained, unafraid, willing – in the faith that if I do my utmost, my effort will not be lost. O God, with whom nothing shall be impossible: please teach me to build my courage, so I may meet whatever You send me with serenity and peace, and never fail to think brave thoughts, to speak brave words, and to do brave deeds. I ask this in the name of Him who died for me, my Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

    Dear Father in heaven, I come to You and ask Your divine protection and gracious guidance. By the precious blood of Your Son You have bought me and made me Your own. You have assured me that the very hairs of my head are all numbered. Trusting in Your promise and relying on Your grace I confidently ask You to guard me against all danger and deliver me from all evil of body and soul. Yet it is Your will and not my own that I would serve.

    O Jesus, my Redeemer, let me never forget what it cost You to redeem me, so that the memory of Your bitter suffering and death may keep me from sin and wickedness. Wash me daily in Your blood, cleanse me from all my transgressions and iniquities, and by Your grace enable me to follow in Your footsteps, so You never need to be ashamed of me.

    O Holy Ghost, strengthen me in the hour of temptation. Keep me pure in heart and chaste in body, obedient to my superiors, considerate to all my fellow warriors in Christ, a living example of true Christian faith.

    O God of my salvation, let me be and remain Your own in time and eternity. Amen.

  • Prayer For Our Neighbors

    Eternal Father, enthroned in suns and stars yet near to the lowly and the contrite, hear us now as we pray, not for ourselves but for our neighbors.

    Let us pray for those around us. We are the light in our own personal sphere.

    As You have been mindful of us, so make us always mindful of You, for our times are in Your hands. Lord of the secret soul, who knows our infirmities before we ask and our blindness in the asking, we pray for all needy ones. Come like dawn upon all sadness, as a cool hand upon fevered sickness, as springs of water in deserts of despair, and be pleased, we pray, to hold our loved ones in Your care.

    Lord of the whole earth, govern our land and guide our leaders that we may be saved from low appeals to passion and fear, and instead be dedicated to the Spirit given through Your Son. Let vested interest wane and advocacy see beyond pure personal gain. Above all, help our elected officials to refrain from self-serving and to commit themselves to those things that benefit us all. Please preserve our commitment to the common good, give us joy in our citizenship, and confidence in our future.

    Most loving God, there are some who look up to me, and so I look up to You. They learn from me, and I need to be enlightened so what they learn may be only what is right and true. O God my Father, who gives food for the body and truth for the mind, so enlighten and nourish me that I may grow wise and strong to do Your will.

    O Lord of the harvest, I earnestly pray that You will send out workers into Your harvest field.

  • Prayer For A Blessed Day

    O Lord, I pray please bless all I do this day. Accept it as an act of worship and give me grace to find You in every task and duty, however small or dull it may seem to be.

    Let us take time to ask for the Lord’s blessing on our day.

    Lord, this is all my desire – to walk along the path of life You have appointed me, in steadfastness of faith, in meekness of spirit, and in gentleness of love. And because outward events have such power to scatter my thoughts and disturb the inward peace in which alone I can hear Your Spirit, please calm and settle my soul by that power which alone can bring all thoughts and desires into captivity to Christ Jesus.

    Lord God, You told me: in repentance [turning to You] and rest [abiding in You] is my salvation; and in quietness [listening for You] and in confidence [knowing You will act] is my strength. So, I turn to You, O my God, and I quietly wait for You (Isaiah 30:15).

    O God, in the midst of turmoil and confusion, when a dozen things must be done at once, when I am at the breaking point, please reach forth a steadying hand. May I find again that in quietness and confidence my strength will appear – for there I will find You. May laughter come with its saving grace, laughter which rises from a heart at peace with You.

    Keep me from inner anger, O Lord, so my words and deeds may not hinder those who need encouragement and strength. Nurture truth and generosity in me and keep me in the light of Your Presence this day.

    I am a wise person, so I turn away from anger; a fool gives full vent to anger but I am a wise person, and I keep myself under control (Proverbs 29:8, 11). Through Jesus Christ living in me, and by His power, I am quick to hear, slow to speak, and even slower to anger (James 1:19).

    O Lord, full of love and mercy, please enable me to be careful of the feelings of others. Let me beware of the hasty word, the prying question, and the indelicate allusion that hurt worse than a blow. Show me how to put the shy one at ease, and to dole out confidence by words of kindness and true interest. Keep me from blundering into the sacred paces of others. Bestow on me keen insight, that I may see at once the fitting thing to do. For Jesus’ sake I pray. Amen.

    Heavenly Father, please give me the tongue of the learned that I may know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary (Isaiah 50:4).

  • Prayer For Personal Protection

    The well-known “Breastplate Prayer” of St. Patrick has seven stanzas of invoking blessings on oneself to be empowered by God’s strength. The most famous of the stanzas states trust in God to protect a person while living a godly life.

    I arise today, through
    The strength of God to pilot me,
    The might of God to uphold me,
    The wisdom of God to teach me,
    The eye of God to watch over me,
    The ear of God to hear me,
    The word of God to give me speech,
    The hand of God to protect me,
    The shield of God to shelter me,
    The host of God to defend me against
    The snares of devils,
    Temptation of the world, and
    Everyone who mediates injury to me
    Whether far and near.

    I summon today
    All these powers between me and those evils,
    Against every cruel and merciless power
    that may oppose my body and soul,
    Against incantations of false prophets,
    Against black laws of pagandom,
    Against false laws of heretics,
    Against craft of idolatry,
    Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
    Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul;
    Christ to shield me today
    Against poison, against burning,
    Against drowning, against wounding,
    So that there may come to me an abundance of reward.

    St. Paul wrote of putting on the “Armor of God” in his letter to the Ephesians (6:11) to fight sin and evil inclinations. In this day and age we don’t wear armor while living our daily lives, but the Breastplate Prayer can function as divine armor for protection against spiritual adversity.

  • Forms of Prayer

    We fail when we try to obey God in our own power.  We were never called to live this supernatural life by natural means!

    Different forms, but all are communication.

    In Fr Peter John Calmeron’s book, Lord, Teach Us To Pray, he writes:

    Prayer purifies and refines our life as it filters out the distractions, deceptions, and delusions of the world.  Prayer alerts us that we are not alone in this life of faith. For prayer not only draws us close to God, but it unites us to every other holy one who loves God as we do.  Prayer gently reminds us God can never be reached by thoughts alone.  It is only through lived love that God can be reached.  We need the embrace of prayer to find the truth and happiness for which we never stop searching.

    The mysterious encounter of prayer takes five basic forms: 

    1. Adoration exalts the greatness of God, the Creator and Sustainer, in the spirit of humility and homage.  The gracious generosity of God compels us to bless the One who remains the source of every blessing in life.
    2. Petition acknowledges our dependency on God the Father, especially as it prompts us to turn back to Him in a spirit of repentance and contrition, asking for forgiveness.
    3. Intercession is prayer through which we entrust ourselves to God’s mercy, especially by placing before the Father the concerns of others in need.
    4. Thanksgiving is prayer that gives voice to the gratitude that befits every mature and honest person, especially as it calls to mind the redeeming deeds of Jesus that saved us and set us free.
    5. Praise, as the Catechism explains, “lauds God for His own sake and gives Him glory, quite beyond what He does, but simply because He is.”

    In short, these five different forms of prayer enable us to love God for what He has created, for His compassionate mercy, for His presence and assistance in our lives, for His redemptive tenderness, and for God Himself.

    NEVER forget the power of prayer, for it is the very foundation that enables us to go from faith to faith and glory to glory!

  • After This Manner Pray

    Andrew Murray’s study on the model prayer Jesus gave us covers the basic points we need to remember while reciting it. (Matthew 6:9).

    First is the wonderful revelation that the Son came to earth to make: His Father is also our Father. The knowledge of God’s father-love is the highest lesson, calling for a personal relationship to the living God. And, in true worship, the Father must be all – only as we yield ourselves to be led of Him will the Father be hallowed in our lives.

    Remember: the heir of the King has no higher ambition than the glory of his father’s kingdom. So the coming of the kingdom is the one great event on which the revelation of the Father’s glory and salvation of the world both depend. So the Master teaches us to pray for it.

    The Master then teaches us to ask that God’s Will be done in the spirit of adoring submission and ready obedience. Faith accepts the Father’s love; obedience accepts the Father’s Will. Consecration to God and His Will gives wonderful liberty in prayer for temporal things; the whole earthly life is given into His loving care.

    As bread is the first need of the body, so forgiveness is the first need for the soul. In each prayer I make, I must be able to say “I know of no one whom I do not heartily love.” [Not easily said for this author, much less for me to actually do…] In three petitions all our personal needs are comprehended. Prayer for bread and pardon must be accompanied by surrender to live in holy obedience to the Father’s Will. The believing prayer in everything is to be kept by the power of the indwelling Spirit from the power of the evil one.

    Therefore, let His Name and Kingdom and Will have first place in our love to Him. Then His providing and pardoning and keeping love will be our sure portion. Such prayer will indeed be an interchange of love, always bringing us back in trust and worship to Him who is not only the Beginning but also the End.