A Collection of Prayers

Send Out Your Light and Your Truth

Send out your light and your truth;
that I may live always near to you, my God.
Let me feel your love, that I may be,
as it were, already in heaven,
that I may do all my work as the angels do theirs;
and let me be ready for every work!
Ready to go out or go in, to stay or depart,
just as you will appoint.
Lord, let me have no will of my own;
or consider my true happiness as depending,
in the smallest degree,
on anything that can befall me outwardly,
but as consisting altogether in conformity to your will.
Amen.

Source: Henry Martyn (1781-1812)

Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers Ancient and Modern
by Mary Wilder Tileston, Boston, Little Brown, 1914, p. 31 #1

“Send out your light and your truth” is a reference to Psalm 43:3

An Early Easter Hymn

Let us glorify him singing,
“Glory to you, O Lord!”
Let us worship him and say,
“Glory to you, O Lord!”

The Lord is risen for us,
the Word of truth,
made flesh from the virgin.
Let us praise him and say
“Glory to you, O Lord!”

Source: Fourth to Sixth Century hymn (Catalogue of Greek Papyri in the John Rylands Library, Vol. I, 7)

Source of this version: The New Archaeological Discoveries and their Bearing upon the New Testament by Camdem McCormick Cobern, Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1918, p. 304

Help, Have Mercy, Save

O God almighty,
you made heaven and earth and sea
and all that is in them.
Help me.
Have mercy on me,
Wash away my sins.
Save me in this world
and in the world to come
through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
through whom is the glory and the power
forever and ever.
Amen.

Source: Oxyrhynchus Papyrus

Source of this version: The New Archaeological Discoveries and their Bearing upon the New Testament by Camdem McCormick Cobern, Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1918, p. 292

Meaning and Faith

Almighty God,
bestow on us the meaning of words,
the light of understanding,
the nobility of diction,
and faith in what is true.
And grant that what we believe we may also speak.

Source: Hilary of Poitiers

Source of this version: Modified from http://christchurchwindsor.ca/2010/01/13/saint-hilary-of-poitiers/

Also found here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wendymurray/2014/02/remembering-mister-rogers/

Lamb of God

O Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,
look on us and have mercy on us;
You yourself are both Victim and Priest,
you both Reward and Redeemer,
keep safe from all evil those you have redeemed,
O Savior of the world.

Source: Iranaeus

Source of this version: Modified from http://marccortez.com/2012/06/24/a-prayer-for-sunday-irenaeus-of-lyon/

Also found here: http://www.mc-pro.com/kbc/pray-wk.html

Casting All Anxieties on Him

800px-lucas_cranach_d-c384-_-_martin_luther2c_1528_28veste_coburg29_28cropped29 Luther’s Prayer based on the Scripture passage: “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Heavenly Father,
you are indeed my Lord and God!
You made me out of nothing and redeemed me through your Son.
You have commanded and appointed me to perform my duties and labors,
which I, however, cannot accomplish as I desire,
and there are many troubles that frighten and oppress me,
so that I am, as to my own power,
without help and consolation;
therefore I commend all things into your hands.
Help and console me, and be my all in all.
Amen.

Source: attributed to Martin Luther, printed in The Little Treasure of Prayers, Columbus OH, Lutheran Book Concern, 1888 [Die Gebete Luthers, #507]

Original in German:

Himlischer Vatter, du bist je mein Herr und Gott, der mich geschaffen hat, da ich nichts war, dazu mich erlöset hast durch deinen Son; nu hastu mir dises ampt befehlen und aufferlegt, da geht es nit, wie ich will, und ist so vil, das mich trucket und ängstet, da ich bei mir selbst weder raht noch hilff finde, darumb laß ich dir auch solches befohlen sein. Gib du rath und hilff und sei selbst alles inn disen sachen.

A Short Grace

Dearest God, for food and rest
Accept our praise. Your name be blessed.
Amen.

Source: Unknown

Source of this version: Freely modified from Morning and Evening Prayers for All Days of the Week by Dr. John Habermann, Wartburg Publishing House, Chicago, 1918

Original:

Dearest God, for meat and drink
Accept our praise. Thy Name be blessed.
Amen.

(This prayer is not in the original German edition of Habermann’s Gebetbuch.)

A Short Grace

Jesus, bless what you have given,
Feed our souls with bread from heaven;
Guide and lead us all the way,
In all that we may do and say.
Amen.

Source: Unknown

Source of this version: Freely modified from Morning and Evening Prayers for All Days of the Week by Dr. John Habermann, Wartburg Publishing House, Chicago, 1918

(This prayer is not in the original German edition of Habermann’s Gebetbuch.)

A Short Grace

Heavenly Father, bless this food,
To your glory and our good.
Amen.

Source: Unknown

Source of this version: Freely modified from Morning and Evening Prayers for All Days of the Week by Dr. John Habermann, Wartburg Publishing House, Chicago, 1918

(This prayer is not in the original German edition of Habermann’s Gebetbuch.)

Be the Goal of My Pilgrimage

220px-sandro_botticelli_050 Father,
you are full of compassion,
I commit and commend myself to you,
in whom I am and live and know.
Be the Goal of my pilgrimage,
and my Rest by the way.
Let my soul take refuge
from the crowding turmoil of worldly thoughts
beneath the shadow of your wings;
let my heart,
this sea of restless waves,
find peace in you O God.
Amen.

Source: Augustine of Hippo

Source of this version: https://www.theologyofwork.org/the-high-calling/blog/holy-interruptions

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work atwww.theologyofwork.org

Graphic by Sandro Botticeli from Wikipedia.com.