Daily Prayer 2018

[ajusmc]

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
(Ps 118)

God our Father, we listen to the words of your Son and desire to follow in His footsteps.
As we take time each day to spend in prayer with you and your Son,
may we grow in our understanding of what it means to be a follower.
Amen.

[ajusmc]

Seek the Lord while he can be found.
Call on him while he is still near.
(Is 55)

God our Father, we need your help in our lives.
This day we call on you to give us hope when we feel discouraged, to give us peace in time of despair,
to give us joy in times of sadness and to give us love in those moments that we feel alone, isolated and forgotten.
We cry out to you, please hear our prayers this day and everyday of our lives.
Amen.

[ajusmc]

The Lord is my light and my salvation.
(Ps 27)

Lord Jesus, we believe that you are our light and our salvation.
Help us to believe more that you will always guide us on the path of life.
Help us to grow in our trust of your presence in our lives and that you will never leave us.
Amen.

[ajusmc]

Justice shall flourish in his time and fullness of peace forever. (Ps 72)

Lord, we desire so much to live in peace and that justice will flourish in our time.
Yet, our humanness gets in the way and we fall to temptations and live with our limitations.
We are in need of your forgiveness in our lives and we need to reach out to those who are hurt by our selfishness and greed.
Help us to recognize the need for your help and guidance in our lives.
Amen.

[ajusmc]

Guide Us to Our Truest Selves

Boundless Sea of Love and Energy, our God,
may all your dreams for us come true:
your motherly imaginings, and your fatherly hopes,
your creative purposes everywhere in nature.
Guide us to our truest selves, co-creators of this environment.
Make us worthy inheritors
of the astonishing evolutionary reality in which we live.
May it be so.

William Cleary

[ajusmc]

Prayer When I Can't Pray

I try to pray;
words don’t come.
I toss and turn
and feel nothing.
My mind is dry,
my heart is dull,
my soul longs
for life.
Hear my silent cry,
my God, hear me.
Let me not be
a shriveled reed
or an empty shell.
Breathe on me
and make me whole.
Give me passion
that I may love.
Then shall my tongue praise
your holy name
with words I do not yet know.
So be it.

Vienna Cobb Anderson

[ajusmc]

Day by Day

Day by day, dear Lord of you
Three things I pray:
To see you more clearly,
To love you more dearly,
To follow you more nearly,
Day by day.

St. Richard of Chichester

[ajusmc]

The Lord is kind and merciful;
slow to anger and rich in compassion.
(Ps 45)

Lord Jesus, in these days that we are living, there is much sadness and fear in our world.
Help us to turn towards you for strength and courage to bear the tragedies
and sorrows that we are facing.
Help us to grow in trust that we will know of your presence in our lives and in the world.
Amen.

[ajusmc]

Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths;
all humankind shall see the salvation of God.
(Lk 3)

Lord, we come before you this day in our hope of loving you more each and every day.
As we prepare our hearts and our lives to celebrate your birth,
may we be blessed with hearts that are open to celebrate the gift of your life and with lives that will truly know your love for us.
Amen.

[ajusmc]

Justice shall flourish in his time and fullness of peace forever.

Lord our God, we come before you this day in need of your help in our lives.
We ask for your help in our times of weakness,
that you will give us strength to bear witness to your presence in our world.
During this time of uncertainty in our world,
we need to see that justice will flourish and peace will be on this earth.
Amen.

[ajusmc]

The Lord our God comes in strength and will fill his servants with joy.
(Is 40)

God of mercy and consolation, we stand before you this day in need of your mercy and consolation.
We desire to have our lives touched by this joy and to stand in your presence in gratitude for this gift of joy in our lives.
Amen.

[ajusmc]

In Time of Need

Heavenly Father,
in my present need,
help me to believe
that you are aware of my anxiety
and will do what is best for me.
Give me the strength to trust you
and put the present and future in your hands.
Grant this through Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

[ajusmc]

Come Emmanuel, God's presence among us, our King. Our judge: save us, Lord our God!

Lord Jesus, we are in need of your mercy.
As we approach the celebration of Christmas,
may we feel your saving presence and respond with open hearts to your mercy and forgiveness.
Amen.

[ajusmc]

Prayer for the Homeless

O God, as Naomi and Ruth journeyed from one land to another seeking a home, we ask your blessing upon all who are homeless in this world.
You promised to your chosen people a land flowing with milk and honey;
so inspire us to desire the accomplishment of your will that we may work for the settlement of those who are homeless in a place of peace,
protection, and nurture, flowing with opportunity, blessing, and hope.
Amen.

Vienna Cobb Anderson

[ajusmc]

Come, King of all nations, source of your Church's unity and faith: save all humankind, your own creations!

Lord Jesus, we desire to live in unity and in faith.
Help us to respond with open ears to hear your words of wisdom,
to share with those around us your unconditional love for us.
Amen.

[ajusmc]

Gratitude for Friends and Family

To our friends who have become family
and our family who have become friends-
May you be blessed with the same
love and care you've given us.

Mary Maude Daniels

[ajusmc]

In Praise of God

You are holy, Lord, the only God,
and Your deeds are wonderful.
You are strong.
You are great.
You are the Most High.
You are Almighty.
You, Holy Father are King of heaven and earth.
You are Three and One, Lord God, all Good.
You are Good, all Good, supreme Good,
Lord God, living and true.
You are love. You are wisdom.
You are humility. You are endurance.
You are rest. You are peace.
You are joy and gladness.
You are justice and moderation.
You are all our riches, and You suffice for us.
You are beauty.
You are gentleness.
You are our protector.
You are our guardian and defender.
You are our courage. You are our haven and our hope.
You are our faith, our great consolation.
You are our eternal life, Great and Wonderful Lord,
God Almighty, Merciful Saviour.

St. Francis of Assisi

[ajusmc]

Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
(Ps 128)

Lord God, as we try to live according to your laws and ways,
we sometimes fall short of being faithful and we become discouraged.
For there are many distractions that surround us and it can become a bit overwhelming for us.
We are in need of your guidance,
your graces and your love to help us walk in your ways.
Amen.

[ajusmc]

In the past God spoke to our fathers through the prophets;
now He speaks to us through His Son.
(Heb 1)

Lord God, open our ears to hear the Words of your Son, touch our lips to proclaim your presence in our lives and in our world and heal our broken hearts so that we may love our neighbors.
May we be living examples of your Son's actions on earth and be peacemakers in situations that we find ourselves living in at this time.
Amen.

[ajusmc]

Christmas Eve Prayer

Most Loving Father, thank you for this night and for all it represents.
Thank you for the hope you bestow, the peace you bring, the love you pour out, and the joy you give.
We praise you most of all for Jesus, your Word made flesh. May he light our way as the holy star lit the way for the wise men.
Amen

Rev. Richard J. Fairchild