Prayers
MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Thomas Merton (1915-1968)
Morning Prayer
"I thank You, my heavenly Father, though Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things, Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
"Give me, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downwards; give me an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; give an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside."
Thomas Aquinas (1227-1274)
"Thanks be to Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits which Thou hast given to me, for all the pains and insults which Thou hast borne for me. O most merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother, May I know Thee more clearly, Love Thee more dearly, and follow Thee more nearly, Day by day. Amen."
Richard of Chichester (1197-1253)
"O Lord, our Savior, you have warned us that you will require much of those to whom much is given; grant that we whose lot is cast in so godly a heritage may strive together the more abundantly to extend to others what we so richly enjoy; and as we have entered into the labors of others, so to labor that others may enter into ours, to the fulfillment of your holy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
Augustine (354-430)
"Lord, give me grace to hold righteousness in all things . . . that I may lead a clean and blessed life, and prudently flee evil, and that I may understand the treacherous and deceitful falseness of the devil . . . Make me mild, peaceable, courteous, and temperate . . . and make me steadfast and strong. And also Lord give thou to me . . . that I be quiet in words [and] that I speak what is appropriate. Amen."
John Wycliffe ~ (1330-1384)
"May the strength of God pilot us. May the power of God enable us. May the wisdom of God instruct us. May the hand of God protect us. May the way of God direct us. May the shield of God defend us. Amen."
Patrick ~ (5th century)
"Grant me a ready spirit, a fearless heart, a right faith, a firm hope, and a perfect love, that for thy sake I may lay down my life with patience and joy."
John Hus, (15th century)
"Lord God, let us keep your Scriptures in mind and meditate on them day and night, persevering in prayer, always on the watch. We beg you, Lord, to give us real knowledge of what we read and to show us not only how to understand it, but how to put it into practice, so that we may . . .obtain spiritual grace, enlightened by the law of the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Lord, whose power and glory will endure throughout all ages. Amen."
Origen, (3rd century)
"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 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 pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."
Francis of Assisi, (13th century)
"O Lord, come quickly and reign on Thy throne, for now often something rises up within me, and tries to take possession of Thy throne: pride, covetousness, uncleanness, and sloth want to be my kings; and then evil-speaking, anger, hatred, and the whole train of vices join with me in warring against myself, and try to reign over me. I resist them, I cry out against them, and say, ‘I have no other king than Christ.’ O King of Peace, come and reign in me, for I will have no king but Thee! Amen."
Bernard of Clairvaux, (12th century)
"My God, stand by me, against all the world’s wisdom, and reason . . . . Not mine but yours is the cause . . . . I would prefer to have peaceful days and to be out of this turmoil. But yours, O Lord, is this cause; it is righteous and eternal. Stand by me, you true Eternal God! In no man do I trust . . . . Stand by me, O God, in the name of your dear Son Jesus Christ, who shall be my Defense and Shelter, yes, my Mighty Fortress, through the might and strength of your Holy Spirit. Amen."
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
"Almighty God and most merciful Father, we humbly submit ourselves and fall down before Thy Majesty, beseeching Thee from the bottom of our hearts, that this seed of Thy Word, now sown among us, may take such deep root, that neither the burning heat of persecution cause it to wither, nor the thorny cares of this life choke it, but that like seed sown in good ground, it may bring forth thirty, sixty and a hundred fold, as Thy heavenly wisdom hath appointed. And because we have need continually to crave many things at Thy hands, we humbly beg Thee, O heavenly Father, to grant us Thy Holy Spirit to direct our petitions, that they may proceed form such a fervent mind as may be agreeable to Thy most blessed will. Amen."
John Knox, (16th century)