| FOR FAITHFULNESS Give me, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downward; give me an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; give me an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow on me also, O Lord my God, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. FOR GUIDANCE Direct us, O Lord, in all our doing with your most gracious favor and further us with your continual help, that in all our works, begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy name, and finally, by your mercy obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
FOR HOPE Father in heaven, help me to have hope by surrounding me with hopeful people. Help me not to receive bad news as though it is the last edition, but rather as one piece of information afloat on a river of facts flowing into a hopeful future. Heal me, I pray, not for my sake or anyone else’s, but for your sake. And ground my hope n the reality of your profound and enduring love for me and desire for my well-being. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen. ♦♦♦ God, thank you for the one true thing in my life-your faithful love. Help me to place my hope in you. Amen. ♦♦♦ Thank you, God, for the gift of faith that brings me hope and drives fear away. Amen. ♦♦♦ God, we will place our hope in you as we walk together from beneath the dark clouds of the past and into the promise of the future. Amen. ♦♦♦ Father, replace all of my pessimism with optimism, fearfulness with hopefulness. As Jesus healed the man with the withered hand, heal my withered attitude and fill me with hope, as well as a desire to meet you in the midst of my pain and worry. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. ♦♦♦ Thank you, God, for the promise of your constant love and the hope it brings to my life. Amen. SELF-DEDICATION Almighty God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated to you. Use us as you will, always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. FOR STRENGTH You are able, dear God, to do far more with me than I am able to do with myself. I trust your power, seek your wisdom, and surrender to your leading. Amen. FOR THE UNEMPLOYED Gracious God, we remember before you those who suffer want and anxiety from lack of work. Guide the people of this land so to use our wealth and resources that all persons may find suitable and fulfilling employment and receive just payment for their labor; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
FOR TRAVELERS The world is yours, mighty God, and all people live by your faithfulness. Watch over those who are traveling, who drive or fly, or speed through space May they be careful, but not afraid and safely reach their destinations. Wherever we wander in your spacious world, teach us that we never journey beyond your loving care, revealed in Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. FOR CHILDREN Great God, guard of the laughter of children, bring them safely through injury and illness, so they may live the promises you give. Do not let us be so preoccupied with our purposes that we fail to hear their voices, or pay attention to their special vision of the truth; but keep us with them, ready to listen and to love. Amen. AT THE BIRTH OF A CHILD Mighty God, by your love we are given children through the miracle of birth. May we greet each new son and daughter with joy, and surround them all with faith, so they may know who you are and want to be your disciples. Never let us neglect children, but help us enjoy them, showing them the welcome you have shown us all through Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. FOR SPOUSES Lord Jesus, grant that I and my spouse may have a true and understanding love for each other. Grant that we may both be filled with faith and trust. Give us the grace to live with each other in peace and harmony. May we always bear with one another’s weaknesses and grow from each other’s strengths. Help us to forgive one another’s failings and grant us patience, kindness, cheerfulness and the spirit of placing the well-being of one another ahead of self. May the love that brought us together grow and mature with each passing year. Bring us both ever closer to you through our love for each other. Amen. FOR FRIENDS Heavenly Father, watch over those whose names you can read in my heart. Guard over them with every care and make their way easy and their labors fruitful. Dry their tears if they weep; sanctify their joys; raise their courage if they weaken; restore their hope if they lose heart, their health if they are ill, truth if they err, and repentance if they fall. Amen. FOR THOSE WE LOVE Almighty God, I entrust all who are dear to me to your never-failing care and love, for this life and the life to come; knowing that you are doing for them better things than I can desire or pray for; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. | | ON A BIRTHDAY O God, our times are in your hands. Look with favor, we pray, on your servant _____, as he/she begins another year. Grant that he/she may grow in wisdom and grace and strengthen his/her trust in your goodness all the days of his/her life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. FOR YOUNG PEOPLE Almighty God, you see your children growing up in an uncertain and confusing world. Show them that your ways give more life than the ways of the world, and that following you is better than chasing after selfish goals. Help them to take failure, not as a measure of their worth, but as an opportunity for a new start. Give them strength to hold their faith in you and to keep alive their joy in your creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. IN A PERSONAL CRISIS God of life, there are days when the burdens we carry are heavy on our shoulders and weigh us down, when the road seems dreary and endless, the skies gray and threatening, when our lives have no music in them, and our hearts are lonely, and our souls have lost their courage. Flood the path with light, turn our eyes to where the skies are full of promise; tune our hearts to brave music; give us the sense of comradeship with heroes and saints of every age; and so quicken our spirits that we may be able to encourage the souls of all who journey with us on the road of life; to your honor and glory. Amen. FOR THOSE IN DISTRESS Almighty and everlasting God, the comfort of the sad, the strength of those who suffer, let the prayers of your children who cry out of any tribulation come to you. To every soul that is distressed, grant mercy, grant relief, grant refreshment, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen FOR CHALLENGES God, as I face the challenges of my personal journey through life, I am thankful for your presence that guides and protects me. Amen. AT A TIME OF TRAGEDY God of compassion you watch our ways, and weave out of terrible happenings wonders of goodness and grace. Surround those who have been shaken by tragedy with a sense of your present love, and hold them in faith. Though they are lost in grief, may they find you and be comforted through Jesus Christ who was dead, but lives and rules this world with you. Amen. ♦♦♦ Out of the darkness we cry to you, O God. Enable us to find in Christ the faith to trust your care even in the midst of pain, so that we may not walk alone through the valley of the shadow of death through Christ our Lord. Amen. FOR THE SICK O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers, mercifully hear our prayers and grant to your servant _______ the help of your power, that his/her sickness may be turned into health and our sorrow into joy; through Jesus Christ. Amen. ♦♦♦ Lord of all health, you are the source of our life and our fulfillment in death. Be with _____ now comfort in the midst of pain, strength to transform weakness, and light to brighten darkness, through Christ our Lord. Amen. ♦♦♦ Faithful Healer of the sick, in your loving mercy, embrace ____ in her/his time of need. Guide the nurses, doctors, and others who attend her/him. Use their skills to restore ____ to health and joy for the service of Christ our Savior. Amen. ♦♦♦ Jesus, friend of little children, bless _____ (child)with your healing love and make him/her well. Amen. ♦♦♦ Merciful God, enfold ______ (child)in the arms of your love. Comfort _____ and _______ (parents) in their anxiety. Deliver them from despair, give them patience to endure and guide them to choose wisely for _________(child). Amen. FOR HEALING Father in heaven, heal me, I pray. Not because it is my best interest, but because it is in your nature to do so. For you alone are the Great Physician. Grant me the grace to remain faithful in the face of pain and suffering, nausea and concern. If you heal me, I will praise you. If I am not to be healed, I will praise you by allowing my light to shine until it is extinguished and you lead me to my eternal home. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. ♦♦♦ Father, instill in me a reason of hope. Bring, I pray, calm to the raging storms of my life. I am afraid, but I am not afraid of you. Help me place my trust not in the well-meaning doctors, nurses, nutritionist, and clergy who attend my needs, but in you and you alone. Use them, I pray, as conduits of your grace, and bring me the healing I know you will bring me if you so desire. I offer my humble prayer in the name of the Great Physician, Jesus Christ. Amen. ♦♦♦ By your power, great God, our Lord Jesus healed the sick and gave new hope to the hopeless. Though we cannot command or possess your power, we pray for those who want to be healed especially for ______. Mend their wounds, soothe their fevered brows, and make broken people whole again. Help us to welcome every healing as a sign that you are with us and have promised renewed and risen life in Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. | |