Morning Prayers – A Collection of Prayers

Cover My Soul with the Shadow of Your Wing

Thanks to you, O God, that I have risen today,
to the rising of life itself;
may it be to your own glory,
O God of every gift,
and to the glory of my soul likewise.
O great God, aid my soul
with the aiding of your own mercy;
even as I clothe my body with wool,
cover my soul with the shadow of your wing.
Help me to avoid every sin,
and the source of every sin to forsake;
and as the mist scatters
on the crest of the hills,
may each ill haze clear from my soul, O God.

Source: Adapted from Carmina Gadelica.

Mozarabic Morning Prayers

From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised! (Psalm 113:3)
Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore! (Psalm 113:2)

O God, your name is praised from the rising of the sun until it sets. Fill our hearts with knowledge and open our lips in your praise. Since you are blessed with due honor forever and ever, so may you be praised from the east to the west by all nations.
Amen.

Through your mercy, O our God, you are blessed, and live and govern all things, now and forever.
Amen.

It is right, O Lord, to declare your praise in the morning.
And your truth in the evening.

Let our morning prayer rise to you, O Lord. Since you receive our praise and have compassion on our weakness, grant that this day may be one of joy, peace and quietness and without stain of sin, so that being delivered from temptation, we may glorify you in the evening as our eternal King.
Amen.

Through your mercy, O our God, you are blessed, and live and govern all things, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Mozarabic, 7th century
Source of this version: Freely modified from The Revised Prayer-book of the Reformed Spanish Church. p. 11-12, 26. Scripture reverences from the English Standard Version.

For Light to Follow You

O Lord,
direct our steps this day
into the way of peace,
and strengthen our hearts
to obey your commandments.
May the Dayspring visit us from on high,
and give light
to those who sit in darkness
and the shadow of death,
that they may adore you for your mercy,
follow you for your truth,
desire you for your sweetness,
for you are the blessed Lord God of Israel,
now and forever. Amen.

Source: An ancient Collect, A. D. 440
Source of this version: Freely modified from Service and Prayers for Church and Home, Ed. Wilbur Patterson Thirkield, Methodist Book Concern, 1918

Version in traditional English:

DIRECT our steps this day, O Lord, into the way of peace, and strengthen our hearts to obey thy commandments; may the Dayspring visit us from on high, and give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, that they may adore thee for thy mercy, follow thee for thy truth, desire thee for thy sweetness, who art the blessed Lord God of Israel, both now and evermore. Amen.

Morning Thanksgiving

We give you sincere thanks
for the rest of the past night
and for the gift of a new day,
with its opportunities for pleasing you.
Grant that we may pass its hours
in the perfect freedom of your service,
that at evening,
we may again give you thanks;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Source: Daybreak Office of the Eastern Church
Source of this version: Freely modified from Service and Prayers for Church and Home, Ed. Wilbur Patterson Thirkield, Methodist Book Concern, 1918

Version in traditional English:

WE give thee hearty thanks for the rest of the past night and for the gift of a new day, with its opportunities of pleasing thee. Grant that we may so pass its hours in the perfect freedom of thy service, that at eventide we may again give thanks unto thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

For Cheerfulness

O God,
you have have folded back
the mantle of the night
to clothe us in the golden glory of the day.
Drive from our hearts
all gloomy thoughts,
and make us glad
with the brightness of your hope,
that we may aspire
to heavenly virtues;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Source: An Ancient Collect, A. D. 590
Source of this version: Freely modified from Service and Prayers for Church and Home, Ed. Wilbur Patterson Thirkield, Methodist Book Concern, 1918

Version in traditional English:

O GOD, who hast folded back the mantle of the night to clothe us in the golden glory of the day, chase from our hearts all gloomy thoughts, and make us glad with the brightness of hope, that we may effectively aspire to unwon virtues, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

For Spiritual Light

Almighty God,
in you there is no darkness at all.
Give us your eternal light.
When we cannot see the way before us,
may we continue to put our trust in you,
that under your guidance and protection
we may be kept from falling this day,
and finally, by your mercy,
enter into our rest;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Source: Unknown
Source of this version: Freely modified from Service and Prayers for Church and Home, Ed. Wilbur Patterson Thirkield, Methodist Book Concern, 1918

Original in traditional English:

ALMIGHTY GOD, in whom is no darkness at all, grant us thy light perpetually, and when we cannot see the way before us, may we continue to put our trust in thee, that so being guided and guarded, we may be kept from falling this day, and finally, by thy mercy, enter into our rest; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Morning Prayer

Almighty God,
you fill all things with your presence.
In your great love,
keep us near you this day.
Grant that in all our ways and doings
we may remember that you see us,
and may always have grace to know and perceive
what things you would have us do,
and give us strength to do the same;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Source: An Ancient Collect, fifth century

Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Early Church, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1953

The Thanksgiving for the Morning

O God,
the God of spirits and of all flesh,
you are beyond compare,
and stand in need of nothing.
You have given the sun rule over the day,
and the moon and the stars rule over the night,
look down on us with gracious eyes,
and receive our morning thanksgivings,
and have mercy on us.
We have not “spread out our hands to a strange God;”
for there is not among us any new God
but you the eternal God.
You are without end.
You have given us our being through Christ,
and given us our well-being through him.
Through him also give us eternal life;
with him be glory, and honor,
and worship to you and to the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.

Source: Apostolic Constitutions

Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Early Church, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1953

A Morning Prayer

O God,
you are faithful and true,
you “have mercy on thousands and ten thousands
of those who love you,”
you love the humble
and protect of the needy who lack all things,
for all things are subject to you.
Look down on this your people,
who bow their heads to you,
and bless them with spiritual blessing.
“Keep them as the apple of your eye,”
preserve them in piety and righteousness,
and give them eternal life in Christ Jesus your beloved Son,
with him be glory, honor, and worship to you and to the Holy Spirit,
now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.

Source: Apostolic Constitutions

Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Early Church, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1953

The Light of Your Heavenly Grace Has Renewed Us

O Lord,
hear the morning prayers of your people,
and enlighten our hearts with your healing goodness,
that no dark desires may trouble us
since the light of your heavenly grace has renewed us;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Source: Gelasian, freely modified from Ancient Collects, ed. WIlliam Bright, p. 7#1