God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that
cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right, if I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.
- Reinhold Niebuhr
Lord, keep all my children free to love.
Help each to think the best of every other.
Through all the chances and changes of life, hold all together in tender
love. Let nothing quench love. Let
nothing cool it. Keep every thread of gold cord unbroken,
unweakened, until the end. O my Lord, Loving One, keep my
beloveds close together in your love for ever.
- Amy Carmichael
Lord, teach me how to pray. There’s a busy part of
me that urges me to be always out doing something. But
you taught that being quiet with you is essential, too.
How can I know what you want me to do if I don’t take time to listen to you?
Help me not to be afraid of what I might learn if I am still.
Let my life be a work of peace because I have discovered you and
myself in you.
- Pat Corrick Henton
God of endless possibility, I do not always perceive the opportunities you
place before me. Caught up in my own hopes, plans, and
fantasies, and crushed when they disappoint me, I am slow to see the open
pathways you set before me. Open my eyes so that I may
accept the new life you offer me, through Jesus Christ.
Amen
- Ruth C. Duck
O God, help me to believe the truth about myself – no matter how beautiful
it is!
- Macrina Wiederehr
Lord, I’m in trouble. Time after time in the past, you
rescued me. Right now I don’t doubt you are planning good
for me. I just don’t know how challenging the journey
will be. How long drawn-out, how tormenting.
Dear God, you know I love you. I know you love me.
You have plans for my good. Grant me patience
while I wait to see how you work it out this time.
- Catherine Brandt
Give me
A pure heart that I may see You,
A humble heart that I may hear You,
A heart of love that I may serve You.
A heart of faith that I may live You.
You – Whom I do not know, but Whose I am.
You – Whom I do not comprehend, but Who has dedicated me
to my fate.
You – Amen
- Dag Hammarskjold
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.
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.
Amen
I’m tired, Lord, but I’ll lift one foot if you’ll lift the other for me.
- Saidie Patterson
O Lord, when I am bewildered and the world is all noise and confusion around
me and I don’t know which way to go and am frightened, then be with me.
Put your hand on my shoulder and let your strength invade my weakness
and your light burn the mist from my mind. Help me to
step forward with faith in the way I should go.
- Avery Brooke
Today, O Lord, I say YES!
to you,
to life,
to all that is true, and good, and beautiful.
Amen
- Richard J. Foster
Addiction. It’s got hold of me, God, and I’m powerless to
stop it. It crept up on me when I wasn’t looking and
became a part of my being. I thought that surely I could
manage on my own. I tried this way and that but
nothing worked, and I’m beaten. I need help, Jesus, yours
and the help of others. Bring me through, Lord Jesus, to
a new and brighter place.
- Avery Brooke
God of joy, thank you for the gift of a good laugh. Like
music and love, it speaks all languages and has a healing power all its own.
Help me to remember that there is nothing life-giving about being
gloomy. Let my faith in you and my trust in your care be so complete that my
joy will be the sure sign of your presence in this world that needs you so
much.
- Pat Corrick Hinton
God of light, hear my prayer. Listen to me and guide me
in this deep darkness which is so predominant in my life.
I feel as though an enemy is hounding me, trying to crush me.
It presses against me until all of my world feels black and empty.
You have been a source of light to me so many times in the past.
I remember this with gratitude and I turn now to your light.
Amen
- Joyce Rupp
Lord, open unto me
Open unto me – light for my darkness.
Open unto me – courage for my fear.
Open unto me – hope for my despair.
Open unto me – peace for my turmoil.
Open unto me – joy for my sorrow.
Open unto me – strength for my weakness.
Open unto me – wisdom for my confusion.
Open unto me – forgiveness for my sins.
Open unto me – thy Self for my self.
Lord, Lord, open unto me!
Amen.
- Howard Thurman
Dear God, it is so hard for me not to be anxious.
I worry about work and money,
about food and health,
about war and politics,
about loving and being loved,
about family and friends.
Lord, show me how your perfect love casts out fear.
In Christ’s name. Amen
O Lord, I have done something wrong and I am afraid I will be found out.
I am ashamed, but more than that, I am afraid that people who love me
will be ashamed. O Lord, I know it is my fault that I
have done this thing and it cannot be undone, but help me not to be a
coward. If I ought to confess to someone, give me the
courage. If I can make things better, show me how.
And above all, do not let me add bad to bad because I am too afraid
to let someone know what I have done.
- Avery Brooke
God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in my 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 my end, and at my departing.
Amen
- Ancient Celtic Prayer
Keep my heart open to loving others and to being loved by them.
Do not allow me to close off my life because of the scars of painful
rejection. Lead me into peace of heart.
Help me to believe in my own goodness, so much so that I can reach
out to others with confidence and receive their affection with trust.
I pray for all those who have been brutally and harshly betrayed …
and I pray for the one who has rejected me. Jesus, you
continued to be a loving person even though you had been so painfully
treated. Please help me to be a loving person, too.
Amen
- - Joyce Rupp
Merciful God, I do not know how to pray. I speak too much
and listen too little. I am uncomfortable with silence
and impatient in waiting. Far too often I am more concerned
with listing my needs and wants than in discovering your will for my life.
Forgive me when I am selfish, hard of hearing or less than honest in
my moments with you. By your grace, teach me to pray so
that I may know the heart of Jesus in fresh and living ways this day.
In his name I pray. Amen.
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 seek so much
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 pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal.
Amen
- Attributed to Francis of Assisi
