Learn to Pray

“Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous; teach me to serve You as You deserve; to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward save that of knowing I am doing Your Will. Amen” St. Ignatius Loyola

 

 

A Daily Prayer

 

Good morning, Lord. I am thankful for Who You are – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – and who You have made me to be – Your precious child. Thank You for loving me, creating me, saving me and sustaining me. Thank You for sending Your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ so that I may know You and have eternal life with You. And thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to live in me.

 

Thank you for a night’s sleep and the gift of this day.

 

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. I confess that I have sinned against You, in thought, word and deed, by what I have done and by what I have left undone. I have not loved You with my whole heart. I have not loved my neighbor as myself. I have run from You and rebelled against You, missed the mark and fallen short. And I struggle with [add your personal struggles.] I am truly sorry and I humbly repent.

 

Father, for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and forgive me, that I may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your name. Please wash me clean, whiter than snow. Make me holy as You are holy. Make me Christ-like. Set me on Your straight path and put me to Your good purposes. Shape me into the person You created me to be, and prepare me to be with You in heaven when my life in this world is over.

 

In all that I pray today, I include [spouse or fiancé, by name.] And I pray today for me and [spouse or fiancé, children, their spouses and grandchildren, friends and enemies by name.] I pray that all we adults are godly, Christian men and women, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, and that we are raising up these precious children and grandchildren to be godly, Christian men and women, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers.

 

I pray that we worship and praise You Lord God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – as our One true God, putting no other gods before You – no idols – that we love You with our whole hearts, bodies, minds, souls, strength and spirit and that we love our neighbors as ourselves.

 

I pray that each of us accepts and confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and that we serve You Lord Jesus in all of our thoughts, words and deeds and that we have eternal life with You now and forever.

 

I pray Your Holy Spirit lives in each one of us and that Your kingdom come and Your will be done in each of our lives and on earth as it is in heaven.

 

Lord, surround us with Your angels and protect us from Satan and his minions and from all evil and all harm. Rouse our intercessors to pray for us prayers that are consistent with Your will that we so desperately need this day. Help us to put on Your full armor – the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and the shoes of the readiness to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and empower us to wield these weapons against Satan and his dark kingdom.

 

And Lord, show us those who are in need and help us to help them and to walk with them so that they may know You and that Your name will be glorified on earth as it is in heaven.

 

I pray that all I think, say and do today is pleasing to You.

 

This is the day that You have made. I rejoice and I am glad in it.

 

Thank You Lord!

 

Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil and the evil one. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

 

To learn more: A Daily Prayer

 

 

Camp Mystic Prayer

 

O God, our hearts are broken, our spirits shaken. Lives – so precious, so loved – have been swept away. Children, mothers, fathers, neighbors ... all gone too soon, leaving behind questions too deep for words. We do not understand. But You know our hearts, Lord. You hear our thoughts. We cry out to You from the depths of sorrow: Why this loss? Why this pain? Why these lives? Why now?

 

Lord, bring Your comfort. Reveal Your presence. And to those who cannot find You, who are angry or numb, meet us in our silence, our shouting, our confusion.

 

For You are not a stranger to suffering. You weep with the brokenhearted. You walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death. So, walk with every grieving one of us now and always. Hold those who feel crushed beyond repair. Bring rest to those who cannot sleep. Bring peace to those who feel forsaken, who cannot stop searching for answers to questions which may not have answers this side of eternity.

 

For those of us who are confused and cannot make sense of what has happened, help us to remember that understanding is not a requirement for Your love, and that our questions do not keep us from Your presence. You are big enough for our doubts. You are patient with our sorrow. You never promised to explain everything. But You do promise to be with us.

 

Help us to be gracious with one another’s pain. May compassion and prayer – not easy answers or explanations – be what we offer to others. When all we can do is weep, remind us that You weep with us. Make us instruments of comfort, even in our own confusion. May our love reflect Your love. May our presence be Your presence.

 

We offer up this prayer to You, our God, in sorrow – but also in hope.

 

In time, God, bring beauty from these ashes. But today – just stay close. That is enough.

 

Amen

 

To learn more: When Hearts Are Broken

 

 

The Divine Exchange*

 

*To view the scripture verses supporting this prayer and to learn more: The Divine Exchange

 

Lord Jesus, I belong to You. I accept and confess You as Lord and Savior.

I receive Your Life in exchange for my life.

I receive Your Holy Spirit, Who lives in me.

I receive faith in You and release my doubt.

I receive the assurance of Your presence and release my sense of isolation.

I receive Your love and release my hate and selfishness.

I receive Your revelation.

I receive Your light and release my darkness.

I receive Your good and release my evil.

I receive Your grace.

I receive Your truth and release all lies.

I receive Your clarity and release my confusion.

I receive Your salvation.

I receive Your blessedness and release my depression.

I receive Your courage and release my fear.

I receive Your forgiveness and release my guilt and shame.

I receive Your righteousness and release my sinfulness.

I receive Your wisdom and release my ignorance and foolishness.

I receive Your healing and release my sickness.

I receive the simplicity of the cross and release the arrogance of all I think I know.

I receive Your hope and release my despair.

I receive Your peace and release my anxiety.

I receive Your joy and release my sorrow.

I receive Your encouragement and release my murmuring.

I receive Your abundance and release my scarcity.

I receive Your wholeness and release my brokenness.

I receive Your fullness and release my emptiness.

I receive Your rest and release my restlessness.

I receive Your help to supply every need.

I receive Your power.

I receive Your strength and release my weakness.

I receive Your humility and release my pride.

I receive Your purity and release my impurity.

I receive Your lament and release my outrage.

I receive the compassion of Your Word and release my people-pleasing ways.

I receive Your mercy. I stop running from You, I stop hiding from You and I stop rebelling against You.

I need You, Lord. I want You, Jesus. I surrender to You.

I receive freedom in You and release my slavery to sin.

I celebrate Your Victory and accept my defeat. I receive Your deliverance from my false self and receive Your deliverance of my true self.

I accept my real authority in You.

I receive Your holiness and release my wickedness.

I receive Your blessings and release all curses.

Thank You, Jesus. You are my Lord! Praise God! Hallelujah!

Amen

 

*To view the scripture verses supporting this prayer and to learn more: The Divine Exchange

 

 

St. Patrick’s Breastplate

 

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through belief in the Threeness,

Through confession of the Oneness

Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today

Through the strength of Christ’s birth with His baptism,

Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,

Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension.

Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of Doom.

I arise today

Through the strength of the love of cherubim,

In obedience of angels,

In the service of archangels,

In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,

In prayers of patriarchs.

In predictions of prophets,

In preaching of apostles,

In faith of confessors,

In innocence of holy virgins,

In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today

Through the strength of heaven:

Light of the sun,

Radiance of the moon,

Splendor of fire,

Speed of lightning,

Swiftness of wind,

Depth of sea,

Stability of the earth,

Firmness of the rock.

I arise today

Through God’s strength to pilot me;

God’s might to uphold me,

God’s wisdom to guide me,

God’s eye to look before me,

God’s ear to hear me,

God’s Word to speak for me,

God’s hand to guard me,

God’s way to lie before me,

God’s shield to protect me,

God’s host to save me

From snares of the devil,

From temptations of vices,

From everyone who desires me ill,

Afar and near.

Alone and in a multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils.

Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul

Against incantations of false prophets.

Against black laws of pagandom,

Against false laws of heretics,

Against craft of idolatry,

Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,

Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.

Christ to shield me today

Against poison, against burning.

Against drowning, against wounding,

So that there may come to me abundance of reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,

Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me.

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through belief in the Threeness.

Through confession of the Oneness,

Of the Creator of Creation.

Amen

 

To learn more: St. Patrick’s Breastplate, A Prayer