cross and comfort – A Collection of Prayers

Hold on to this Comfort in All Trials and Temptations

Lord God, heavenly Father,
through your Son
you promised us your Holy Spirit,
that he will convict the world of sin,
of righteousness and of judgment.
Enlighten our hearts,
that we may confess our sins,
obtain eternal righteousness through faith in Christ,
and hold on to this comfort
in all our trials and temptations,
that Christ is Lord over the devil and death and all things
and that he will graciously deliver us
out of all our afflictions
and make us partakers of eternal salvation;
through your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one true God, now and forever.

Source: Veit Dietrich, d. 1549, Easter 4, Cantate

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.

Like Your Only Son in Suffering and Glory

Lord God, heavenly Father,
in your fatherly goodness
you allow your children
to come under your chastening rod here on earth
that we may be like your only Son
in suffering here
and in glory hereafter.
Comfort us
in temptations and afflictions
by your Holy Spirit
that we may not fall into despair,
but that we may continually trust
in your Son’s promise
that our trials will endure but a little while
and will then be followed by eternal joy.
In patient hope,
help us overcome all evil
and at last obtain eternal salvation;
through your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one true God, now and forever.

Source: Veit Dietrich, d. 1549, Easter 4, Jubilate

For the Sorrowing

Almighty and eternal God,
the Comfort of the sad,
the Strength of sufferers,
hear the prayers of those who call to you in any trouble,
that they may rejoice to know
your mercy is with them in their afflictions;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Source: Gelasian Sacramentary, Good Friday

Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Early Church, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1953. Also in The New Ancient Collects, #382)

Prayer Reflecting on the Shooting in Las Vegas, October 1

Guard us, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
preserve us from violent men. Psalm 140

O Lord, you know the minds of all,
and your plans are often hidden from us.
But you have given us this promise:
“For those who love God all things work together for good,
for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
We cry out to you,
calm the rage of all who plan evil.
Heal the wounded.
Comfort those who mourn.
Strengthen those who serve.
Draw us closer to you.
Move our hearts to love and mercy,
and our actions to compassion and service.
Remind us all that
“the present form of this world is passing away,” (1 Corinthians 7:31)
and that around your throne,
Good Shepherd,
you will wipe every tear from our eyes. (Revelation 7:17)
Amen.

A Prayer Reflection on Psalm 73

comeuntome Lord Jesus,
your parting words to your disciples
were, “Surely I am with you always,”
and then you ascended
to sit at your Father’s right hand.

“Yet I am always with you.
You hold me by my right hand.
With your guidance you lead me,
and afterward, you will take me to glory.
Who else is there for me in heaven?
And besides you, I desire no one else on earth..”

You came to bear our infirmities,
griefs, and sorrows.
You healed many people of their sicknesses
of body and spirit,
and you restored sinners
with your words of forgiveness:
“Neither do I condemn you…”
“Take heart! Your sins are forgiven..”

“My flesh and my heart fail,
but God is the rock of my heart
and my portion forever.“

Draw me nearer to you.
Fix my heart on your Word,
your commands,
your forgiveness,
your promise.

“Those who are far from you will perish…
As for me, God’s nearness is good for me.
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
so that I can tell about all your works..”

Remind me of your Word, your presence,
…and that nothing else matters.