|
|
|
|
|
Contents |
Morning PrayerWe look to the Lord to guide us today."Look at the birds in the sky. They do not plant or harvest; they gather nothing into barns. Yet your Father provides for them. Consider the lilies of the field. Solomon in all his glory was not clothed as beautifully as they are. Will not God provide for you also? Do not worry about what you will eat or drink, or what you will wear. Your Father knows what you need. Seek first the kingdom of God, and everything else you need will be given to you."
Our life is not our own; we belong to God. He created us for no other purpose than to love us. Each new day he gives us opportunities to grow closer to him. If we embrace this day, striving for holiness and serving others, we will be at peace within ourselves. But if we miss the opportunities he gives us today, worrying about what is not important and toiling for what does not last, we will have no peace. Only by trusting God and opening ourselves to his love can our deepest longings be fulfilled.
"God our Father, we thank you for today. We offer you the work of this day as an act of worship. Guide our thoughts, words, and actions, that we may do your will and serve you faithfully. Strengthen our faith, that we may speak truthfully and act justly in all our affairs. May we keep watch for any of your children in need, and serve humbly anyone you send to us today. And may we live this day for you alone, and draw ever closer to you." Top of PagePrayer of EncouragementNo burden is too heavy, because God is with us."Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
I know by faith that my life is a gift. God created me so that he could love me. He is with me at every moment. Each day is filled with opportunities to grow closer to him.
"Lord God, all that I am and everything I do comes from you, so I give it back to you. May I live only to do your will. May all my efforts have their beginning in you, and may they be brought to completion by your will.
Top of PagePrayer of HumilityWe are nothing apart from the Lord."Two men went to the temple to pray; one was a pharisee and the other a tax collector. The pharisee stood in a prominent place and spoke this prayer to himself: 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men, greedy, dishonest, adulterous, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.'
We are created in the image of God. Nothing in the world can compare with the beauty and wonder of man. But in our earthly condition we are not complete. We carry the Spirit of God within us, but we do not know all that we will become.
"Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I worship you, creator of all things. I am a lowly creature of the earth. You know my hidden thoughts, my bitter words, my cowardly deeds. I hide from you in shame, because you know all that I am. I fear your judgment, but I ask for your mercy. Do not judge me as my sins deserve.
Top of PageSong of PraiseWe sing out joyfully a song of praise."My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. To worship God is the highest act of man; not to peer into the farthest reaches of the universe; nor to unlock the secrets of life; nor to master the forces of nature; but to bow humbly before God and give thanks for his steadfast love. Only the wise understand the frailty of man and the power of God. And only the faithful know that the power of God is the power of love, love that is showered upon mankind without end. For this love we give thanks to God in worship. "Almighty God, we bow before you in worship. We are in awe before you; we cover our faces before your glory. Yet you are not a stern God to be feared, but a Father to be loved. And so we sing out joyfully a song of praise. May we serve you faithfully in this earthly life, and may we one day join our voices with the choirs of angels in your heavenly kingdom." Top of PagePrayer for a Newborn ChildGod's greatest blessing is the gift of a child."Mary set out in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice, 'Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.' God's greatest gift to a man and woman is the gift of a child. A mother is touched by the love of God in a unique way when a child comes to life within her. When her child stirs in the first movements of new life, she becomes part of God's greatest miracle. Her child is completely new, yet so close to her that she can hardly distinguish her child from herself. This child makes her life a circle of love. It is a circle made complete by God, and as long as God is present, this circle of love will be unbroken. "God our Father, you bestow your greatest blessing on us when you call upon us to take part in the miracle of bringing new life into the world. You fill us with wonder as we watch this life grow from its very beginning. And you teach us to love as we love this child whom you entrust to our care. We give you thanks for this gift of life, and as we cherish this gift we ask you to encircle us always with your fatherly love." (Read a reflection on the gift of life) Top of PagePrayer for a Loved One DepartedIn memory of Father Richard Lower"I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. If God is for us, who can be against us? Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones? It is God who acquits us. Who will condemn? It is Christ Jesus who died and was raised, and who is at the right hand of God interceding for us. My friend, today you are at home with the Lord, whom you strived to serve faithfully in your earthly life. Any burdens that weighed heavily on you in your life have been taken from you by the gracious hand of the Lord. Now you sit with God in the cool of the evening, and listen to the quiet flow of peaceful waters, and watch the sunset, and talk of your days on earth with all their troubles now gone. He listens. He touches you with his hand to assure you of his love. He speaks words of comfort. You are at peace.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. (Read a reflection on eternal life) Top of PagePrayer for the EarthThe bounty of the earth is given for all the people of God."God created man in his image, male and female he created them. He blessed them, and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. I give you the green plants and every fruit-bearing tree for food.' God looked upon all that he had made, and he saw that it was good." God created the earth as a homeland for his human family. He has given man dominion over all living things, so that the family of man might grow and prosper. But God has also charged man with the responsibility of taking care of the earth. Man has the power to use the earth for good or ill. If he uses it wisely, it will sustain the human family indefinitely; if not, it will become a barren waste, hostile to life, and we will be no more. "Almighty God, we thank you for giving us the earth. You have made it our dwelling place for a while. You fill it with great beauty to remind us that it is yours. It overflows with bountiful gifts to sustain us and gladden our hearts. Guide us to use the earth wisely, so that none of your children may be in want, but all may share in the abundant fruits of the earth." Top of PagePrayer for PeaceThe Lord alone guides us in the way of peace."Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. God places only one condition on his love: that we love others as he loves us. We cannot approach God if we refuse to approach our brothers and sisters. The burden of our own wrongdoing will not be overlooked unless we forgive the wrongs done to us by others. We cannot be reconciled with God until we are reconciled with one another. "Lord Jesus, when you came among us as a man, you bore the name Prince of Peace. You promise peace to all who worship God as Father and love his children as brothers and sisters. Guide us in the way of peace. Reconcile us with one another, that we may be reconciled with you. May peace reign in our hearts, and may we be witnesses to the peace you give to all the world." (Read a reflection on peace) Top of PagePrayer for my EnemiesWe are called to love as the Lord has loved us."You have heard it said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you: love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For God makes the sun rise on the bad and the good, and sends rain to fall on the just and the unjust alike." Jesus' words are blunt: love those who do evil to you. No one has ever given a commandment as difficult as this. Human nature recoils at such an idea. It is surprising that Jesus had any followers at all. But it is at the heart of the message that Jesus brings to the world. God is the Father of all the children of the earth, and he loves each one of them unconditionally. And his desire for us is that we love one another as he loves us.
"Lord Jesus, I pray for my enemies, as you prayed for yours. But I do not truly pray as you do. For although I heed your command to love my enemy, I can love him only until I see his face. Then I recoil from him, and I cannot love him.
Top of PagePrayer of the BelovedWe give thanks to the Lord for his great love."God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but may have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but that the world might be saved through him." God has endowed man with intelligence to understand all the mysteries of the universe. And with each new generation man unlocks new secrets of knowledge. But God would have man know one thing more than any other. Time and time again God sent messengers into the world to proclaim this all-important truth. But man did not accept it. Finally he sent his own beloved Son, the very image of himself, to dwell among us as a man, and to reveal his word. It is this: God created us for love; and his love for us will never end. "Father, so great is your love for us that you gave us your only Son that we might believe in him, and be led to eternal life. We give you thanks for so great a love. Shine the light of your truth in the darkness of our world, and guide us along the way to eternal life." Top of PagePrayer in SolitudeWe are never alone when we trust the Lord."When you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. Your Father, who sees in secret, will answer you." We are never alone. No truth is more important than this: that God is always with us. He imparted his own Spirit to us at the moment of our conception, and he has been with us ever since, closer to us than we are to ourselves. He has never ceased to sustain us with his life-giving Spirit. And he has never ceased to look upon us with a Father's love. "Lord God, in the silence of my heart I meet with you in prayer. I thank you for this quiet time with you. I do not fear the darkness of night, nor loneliness, nor the storm, because you are with me. Your presence gives me courage to face the trials of my daily life. Because I walk with you, I am filled with confidence. You have been with me from the beginning, and you are with me still, and surely you will be with me until the end. And you will lead me to eternal life with you." Top of PagePrayer in IllnessFaith assures us that if we suffer with Christ, we will also be raised up with him."A woman who had been afflicted with bleeding for twelve years approached Jesus. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors, yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said to herself, 'If I but touch his cloak, I shall be cured.' Immediately her flow of blood dried up. Our life is a gift of God. That we have it at all is a miracle that we never fully appreciate. But we are sometimes reminded of how fragile our life is when we are afflicted with illness.
"Lord Jesus Christ, I pray to you in time of illness. If it be your will, heal me with the touch of your hand. Then with renewed faith I will dedicate my life to serving you. But if it be your will that I should suffer, give me the courage to join my suffering with yours, so that even in this I may serve you. And if you should will that this be the hour that I depart from this life, give me strength for the journey and lead me safely to the house of your Father, that I might abide with you in peace forever." Top of PagePrayer of HopeWe trust the Lord to bring us to fulfillment."See what love the Father has for us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure."
We do not know what will become of us. We make many choices in life. We think of ourselves as free, but every choice limits freedom. We do not have the perspective of eternity; our every choice is made within the narrow limits of earthly existence. And so we make our way through life nearly blind, knowing little of what effect our choices will have on our future.
"Lord God our Father, you created us for a purpose beyond our understanding. We cannot discern this purpose by our own powers, but you revealed it to the world by the death and resurrection of your Son. He revealed to us that we are your children, and that you created us to dwell with you in love for all eternity. He overcame sin and death to reconcile us with you. Free us from every form of bondage that separates us from you and purify us by the fire of your love. Guide us by the light of your truth, and lead us to the eternal life you have prepared for us." (Read a reflection on hope) Top of PageNight PrayerWe commend our spirit into God's hands."There was a rich man whose land produced an abundant harvest. He said to himself, 'I will tear down my barns and build larger ones to store all my grain. I have ample goods stored up for years to come.' If we were to pass from this life tonight, we would soon be forgotten. Only those to whom we have done good would remember us, and they are few. That we are given another day on this earth is not to be taken for granted. We would do well to ponder the lessons of this day, and to listen anew to God's voice, so that tomorrow we may walk with God in faith and holiness. "Lord, in the quiet hour before sleep I turn to you. I reflect on this day, on what I have done, and what I have failed to do. If I have done any good today, it was when I gave myself up to your will, and allowed you to work in me. All my efforts would be in vain, were it not for the few that had their beginning in you, and that you brought to completion.
Top of Page |
|