16th Century – Page 22 – A Collection of Prayers

Feed and Nourish Our Bodies and Souls

wilhelm_loehe Gracious Father,
you feed and nourish every creature.
Feed and nourish our bodies and souls.
Do not let us forget your benefits,
but strengthen us with your blessings
that we may glorify your name,
do good and honest work,
and live and move before you
in righteousness and innocence.
Amen.

Source: Wilhelm Löhe. Freely adapted from Seed Grains of Prayer, A Manual for Evangelical Christians, Wartburg Press, Chicago, 1914 (#20)

Also found here: Morning and Evening Prayers for All Days of the Week by Dr. John Habermann, Wartburg Publishing House, Chicago, 1918

“feed and nourish every living creature” is a reference to Psalm 145:15-16

“Do not let us forget…” is a reference to Psalm 103:2

“live and move” is a reference to Acts 17:28

Note: Both Seed Grains of Prayer… and Morning and Evening Prayers… have the note after this prayer, “(1562.)”

Original in German:

O barmherziger Vater, Du speisest und ernährt alle Creaturen, speise und tränke auch uns leiblich und geistlich also, daß wir Deine Gaben nicht mißbrauchen, sondern durch sie zu Deiner Ehre, zu aller ehrlichen Arbeit und zu allem Guten gestärkt werden, fromm und unschuldig vor Dir zu wandeln und zu leben! Amen

https://books.google.com/books?id=yw5kAAAAcAAJ&pg=PR12&dq=Samenk%C3%B6rner+des+Gebets&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwijxLn63v7UAhXKPz4KHax4C9UQ6AEIJzAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Open My Eyes

Open my eyes and I shall see,
incline my heart and I shall desire,
order my steps and I shall walk
in the path of your commandments.

O Lord God, be my God,
and beside you let there be no other,
none else, nothing else with you.

Let me adore and worship you
and serve you in truth of spirit,
in reverence of body,
in blessing of lips,
in private and in public.

Source: Lancelot Andrewes, Preces Privatae

Source of this version: https://ia801404.us.archive.org/0/items/theprecesprivata00andruoft/theprecesprivata00andruoft.pdf

Also found here: http://www.elyrics.net/read/j/john-rutter-lyrics/open-thou-mine-eyes-lyrics.html

Original in traditional English:

Open Thou mine eyes and I shall see :
incline my heart and I shall fervently desire :
straighten my steps and I shall walk
in the way of thy commandments

O Lord God, be Thou to me a God :
beside Thee let there not be to me another,
none else, nought else with Thee.

Grant unto me to adore Thee
and to worship Thee in truth of spirit,
in comeliness of body,
in blessing of the mouth,
in private and in public :

Martin Luther’s Evening Prayer

Martin Luther’s Evening Prayer from Dave Lassanske on Vimeo.

In the name of the Father, + Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have graciously kept me this day. And I pray that you would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into your hands I commend myself, my body, my soul and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.

Source: Martin Luther [Die Gebete Luthers, #26]

Source of this version: (This video)

Variant:

I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have graciously kept me this day. Forgive me all my sins, and graciously keep me this night. Into your hands I commend my body and soul and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen.

An Expanded Lord’s Prayer

coverdale

Let us heartily make our prayer to God the Father of all mercy, believing assuredly that he will graciously hear us through our Lord Jesus Christ, who commanded us to pray, and promised us saying, “Ask and ye shall have; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you.” Wherefore, in consideration of the same commandment and promise, lift up your hearts, and say thus with me in your prayer:

O Lord God, our Father in heaven, we thy miserable children upon earth beseech thee, that thou wilt mercifully look on us and lend us thy grace; that thy holy name may be sanctified among us and in all the world, through the sincere teaching of the Word, and through earnest charity in our daily living, and our conversation. Seclude thou graciously all false doctrine and evil living, whereby thy worthy name might be blasphemed and slandered.

Oh, let thy kingdom come, and be great. All sinful, blind people, and such as are holden captive of the devil in his kingdom, those bring thou to the knowledge of the true faith in Jesus Christ thy Son.

Strengthen us, Lord, with thy Spirit, to do and to suffer thy will both in life and death, in weal and woe; that our will may alway be broken, offered up, and mortified.

And give us our daily bread. Preserve us from covetous desire, and carefulness of the belly; that of thee we may be assured to have abundance of all good things.

Forgive us our trespass, as we forgive them which offend us; that our heart may have a sure and glad conscience, and that we never fear, nor be afraid for any sin.

Lead us not into temptation, but help us through thy Spirit to subdue the flesh, to despise the world with his vanities, and to overcome the devil with all his crafty assaults.

And finally, deliver thou us from all evil, both bodily and ghostly, temporal and eternal. Amen.

They that earnestly desire all this, let them say, “Amen!” believing without any doubt that it is granted and heard in heaven, according as Christ promised us, saying, “When ye pray, believe assuredly that ye shall have it, and it shall come to pass.” Amen.

Souce: Miles Coverdale

Souce of this version: http://liturgicalvariations.blogspot.ru/search/label/miles%20coverdale

Coverdale was an early English Bible translator. His translation was heavily influenced by the German translation of Martin Luther.

Compare with Luther’s Lord’s Prayer paraphrase.

Restore Us to Your Right Path

veit-dietrich Lord God, heavenly Father,
we all like sheep have gone astray.
We let ourselves be led away from the right path
by Satan and our own sinful flesh:
Graciously forgive us all our sins
for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ;
and quicken our hearts by your Holy Spirit,
that we may remain in your Word,
and in true repentance and a steadfast faith
continue in your Church to the end,
and obtain eternal salvation;
through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Veit Dietrich, d. 1549, Trinity 3

This revision/translation of The Collects of Veit Dietrich is licensed by Paul C. Stratman under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Please contact for permission for any commercial use.

Guide Us by Your Holy Spirit

veit-dietrich

Lord God, heavenly Father,
keep us in your grace and guard us in all temptations,
that by the guidance of your Holy Spirit
we may live according to your will
and be comforted in every need by your goodness,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Veit Dietrich, 1506-1549

Source of this version: Freely paraphrased from several sources.

A Communion Prayer

veit-dietrich

O Lord God, heavenly Father,
we praise and thank you for your grace
that through your Son Jesus Christ
you established this supper
in which we eat his body and drink his blood.
By your Holy Spirit, help us
to use this gift worthily,
to confess and forsake our sins,
to confidently believe that we are forgiven through Christ,
and to grow in faith and love day by day
until we come at last to the joy of eternal salvation,
through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Veit Dietrich, 1506-1549

Source of this version: Freely paraphrased from http://olcc.us/liturgical-resources/collects-veit-dietrich/

Strength and Grace in Adversity

girolamo_savonarola Lord, I pray not for tranquility,
nor that my tribulations may cease;
I pray for your spirit and your love,
that you grant me strength
and grace to overcome adversity;
through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Source: Girolamo Savonarola

Source of this version: Modified from https://www.hymnary.org/hymn/UMH/531

Holy Spirit, Illumine and Preserve Me

0940_Cranach_nR 001 Almighty and Holy Spirit,
the comforter, pure, living, true—
illumine, govern, sanctify me,
and confirm my heart and mind in the faith,
and in all genuine consolation;
preserve and rule over me so that,
dwelling in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my life,
I may behold the Lord and praise him with a joyful spirit,
and in union with all the heavenly church. Amen.

Source: Philip Melanchthon (in some sources, titled “Melanchthon’s Last Prayer”)

Source of this version: http://www.lcr-yardley.org/content/adulted/Luther_theology.pdf

Also found here: Freely modified from Prayers Ancient and Modern by Mary Wilder Tileston, Boston, Little Brown, 1914, p. 168 #2

A Prayer for the Church

Gracious Father,
we humbly pray for your holy universal Church,
fill it with all truth; in all truth with all peace.
Where it is corrupt, purge it;
where it is in error, direct it;
where it is superstitious, rectify it;
where in anything it is amiss, reform it;
where it is right strengthen and confirm it,
where it is in want, furnish it;
where it is divided and rent asunder, make up the breaches of it,
O Holy One of Israel.

Source: William Laud

Source of this version: Modified from http://orderofcenturions.org/documents/church_prayer.html

Also found here: http://sbabbey.com/our-mission.html