16th Century – Page 20 – A Collection of Prayers

I Come in Confidence in Your Sweet Word

brooklyn_museum_-_the_communion_of_the_apostles_la_communion_des_apc3b4tres_-_james_tissot Lord Jesus Christ,
truly I am not worthy that you should come under my roof,
yet I need your help and desire your grace,
that I may attain godliness and salvation.
I come now in no other confidence than this,
that I have heard the sweet words of your invitation to your table,
and though I am unworthy, you promised me
forgiveness of my sins through your body and blood
which I eat and drink in this Sacrament.
O dear Lord, I know that your divine Word and promise are true.
I do not doubt them,
and resting on them,
I eat and drink with you.
Let it be to me according to your word.
Amen.

Source: Martin Luther

Source of this version: Modified from Prayers from the collection of the late baron Bunsen, selected [from Versuch eines allgemeinen evangelischen Gesang – und Gebetbuchs] and tr. by C. Winkworth, 1871, p.182

Picture by James Tissot, public domain

Variant:

Lord, it is certainly true that I am unworthy to have you come under my roof, but I am so needy and long for your help and grace so that I may become righteous. Therefore, I come to you, trusting in nothing other than the sweet words which I have heard, with which you invite me to your Table and say to me, who am so unworthy, that I will receive forgiveness of my sins through your Body and Blood if I eat and drink of them in this Sacrament. Amen! Dear Lord, your word is true; this I do not doubt; and on this promise I eat and drink with you; let it be to me according to your will and word. Amen.

Source: Modified from http://www.godrules.net/library/luther/NEW1luther_f7.htm

Keep Us Repentant, Keep Us Strong in Faith

Blessed Lord,
give us your Holy Spirit
to work in us daily a true and lasting repentance,
and lead us as repentant Christian people,
always willing to acknowledge, mourn and lament our sins,
yet also keep us steadfast and strong in our faith
in the forgiveness of sins
and in our purpose to amend our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Johann Eichhorn, d. 1564

Graphic: Church of the Atonement (Crooksville, Ohio), photo by Nheyob, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

Forgive Our Sins

0940_Cranach_nR 001 Almighty, eternal God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Creator of heaven and earth, and man,
together with your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, your word and image,
and with your Holy Spirit, have mercy upon us,
and forgive us our sins for your Son’s sake,
whom you have made our Mediator according to your wonderful counsels,
and guide and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit,
which was poured out upon the Apostles.
Grant that we may truly know and praise you throughout all eternity! Amen.

Source: Philip Melanchthon

Source of this version: https://thekingsdale.wordpress.com/2013/10/28/a-prayer-of-philipp-melanchthon/

Prayers by Philip Melanchthon are included in Prayers from the Evangelical-Lutheran Heritage, available from Amazon.com, and also available for Amazon Kindle. It is a collection of prayers from the history of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church from Luther to Loehe. The collection includes prayers by Johannes Bugenhagen, Georg C. Dieffenbach, Veit Dietrich, Matthias Flacius, Wilhelm Loehe, Martin Luther, Philip Melanchthon, Joachim Mynsinger, Johann G. Olearius, Johann Jacob Rambach, and the early agendas and prayer books of the Austrian, Brunswick, Hamburg, Lueneberg, Norwegian, Nuremberg, Pomeranian, Riga, Russian, Saxon, Schleswig-Holstein, and Swedish Evangelical-Lutheran churches.

Grant Us Patience when Hurt

coverdale O God, give us patience when the wicked hurt us.
O how impatient and angry we are
when we think ourselves unjustly slandered, reviled, and hurt!
Christ suffers strokes upon his cheek,
the innocent for the guilty;
yet we may not abide one rough word for his sake.
O Lord, grant us virtue and patience,
power and strength,
that we may take all adversity with good will,
and with a gentle mind overcome it.
And if necessity and your honor require us to speak,
grant that we may do so with meekness and patience,
that the truth and your glory may be defended,
and our patience and steadfast continuance perceived.
Amen.

Souce: Miles Coverdale

Source of this version: https://thevalueofsparrows.com/tag/patience-2/

Give Us Patience

coverdale Give us patience and steadfastness in adversity,
strengthen our weakness,
comfort us in trouble and distress,
help us to fight;
grant that in true obedience and satisfaction of mind
we may give over our own wills
to you our Father in all things,
according to the example of your beloved Son;
that in adversity we grudge not,
but offer up ourselves to you without contradiction….
Give us a willing and cheerful mind,
that we may gladly suffer and bear all things for your sake.

Souce: Miles Coverdale

Source of this version: Modified from http://fubar.com/s/bp4/681/

Original in traditional English:

Give us patience and steadfastness in adversity,
strengthen our weakness,
comfort us in trouble and distress,
help us to fight;
grant unto us
that in true obedience and satisfaction of mind
we may give over our own wills
unto thee our Father in all things,
according to the example of thy beloved Son;
that in adversity we grudge not,
but offer up ourselves unto thee without contradiction….
Give us a willing and cheerful mind,
that we may gladly suffer and bear all things for thy sake.

Source of this version: http://fubar.com/s/bp4/681/

Draw Our Hearts to You

coverdale
O Lord Jesus Christ, draw our hearts to you;
join them together in inseparable love,
that we may abide in you and you in us,
and that the everlasting covenant between us may stand sure forever.

Let the fiery darts of your love pierce through
all our slothful members and inward powers,
that we, being happily wounded,
may so become whole and sound.

Let us have no lover but yourself alone;
let us seek no joy nor comfort except in you.

Souce: Miles Coverdale

Source of this version: Modified from http://marccortez.com/2014/01/19/prayer-sunday-miles-coverdale/

Original in traditional English:

O Lord Jesus Christ, draw thou our hearts unto thee;
join them together in inseparable love,
that we may abide in thee and thou in us,
and that the everlasting covenant between us may stand sure for ever.

Let the fiery darts of thy love pierce through
all our slothful members and inward powers,
that we, being happily wounded,
may so become whole and sound.

Let us have no lover but thyself alone;
let us seek no joy nor comfort except in thee.

“draw our hearts to you” is a reference to Song of Solomon 1:4

“that we may abide in you and you in us” is a reference to John 15:4-7

Give Us a Right Understanding

O God,
by the teaching of the Holy Spirit
you have instructed the hearts of your faithful.
By the same Spirit give us a right understanding,
that we always rejoice in his holy comfort;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Source: Private Prayers, p. 30

Graces from the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I

Grace before supper
O Lord Jesus Christ,
without you nothing is sweet nor pleasant.
Bless us and our supper
and cheer our hearts with your blessed presence,
that in all our eating and drinking
we may taste and see that you are good,
to your honor and glory.
Amen.

Grace after supper
Blessed is God in all his gifts,
and holy in all his works.

Our help is in the name of the Lord
the maker of heaven and earth

Blessed be the name of the Lord
now and forever.

Most mighty Lord and merciful Father
we give you thanks
for our bodily sustenance
entirely from your gracious goodness.
Feed us with the food of your heavenly grace
that we may worthily glorify your holy name in this life
after be partakers of the life everlasting,
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Amen.

Source: Private Prayers, p. 18

Original in traditional English:

Grace before supper.

O Lord Jesu Christ, without whom nothing is sweet nor savoury, we beseech thee to bless us and our supper, and with thy blessed presence to cheer our hearts, that in all our meats and drinks, we may savour and taste of thee, to thy honour and glory. Amen .

Grace after supper.

Blessed is God in all his gifts: and holy in all his works.

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who hath made both heaven and yearth.

Blessed be the name of the Lord: From henceforth world without end.

Most mighty Lord and merciful Father, we yield thee hearty thanks for our bodily sustenance, requiring most entirely thy gracious goodness, so to feed us with the food of thy heavenly grace, that we may worthily glorify thy holy name in this life, and after be partakers of the life everlasting ,through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

God save our Queen and Realm, and send us peace in Christ. Amen.

Parts of these prayers are taken from Latin originals:

Benedictus est Deus in donis suis. Response: Et sanctus in omnibus operibus suis.

Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini est. Response: Qui fecit coelum et terras.

Sit nomen Dei benedictum. Response: Ab hoc tempore usque ad saecula.

https://balliolarchivist.wordpress.com/2013/01/12/college-grace-prayers/

Forgive Me My Sins

Forgive me my sins, O Lord,
forgive me the sins of my youth
and the sins of my age,
the sins of my soul,
and the sins of my body,
my secret and my whispering sins,
my overconfident and my crying sins,
the sins that I have done to please myself,
and the sins that I have done to please others.
Forgive me those sins which I know,
and those sins which I do not know;
forgive them, O Lord,
forgive them all of your great goodness. Amen.

Source: Private Devotions, 1560

Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers Ancient and Modern
by Mary Wilder Tileston, Boston, Little Brown, 1914, p. 32 #1

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.