Morning Prayers – Page 3 – A Collection of Prayers

Swedish Morning Prayer

O Lord God, heavenly Father,
we thank you with all our heart
that you have brought us to the beginning of this day
on which we will hear your holy gospel.
Graciously preserve among us the light of your truth,
and so direct and rule our hearts by your Holy Spirit,
that we may never turn away from it,
but remain steadfast in your Word,
and finally, by your grace, receive salvation;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Freely modified from The Swedish Rite: a translation of “Handbok för svenska kyrkan” by Eric Esskildsen Yelverton, 1921, Prayer at Mattins, p. 3

Give Your Blessing to Our Daily Work

thomas_arnold_by_thomas_phillips O Lord,
give your blessing to our daily work,
that we may do it in faith, with all our hearts,
as working for the Lord and not for human masters.
All our powers of body and mind are yours,
and we devote them to your service.
Sanctify us and the work in which we are engaged;
let us not be lazy, but diligent in spirit.
O Lord, bless our efforts
that they may bring forth in us
the fruits of true wisdom.
Teach us to seek truth and lead us to find it,
but grant that we may always speak the truth in love,
that while we know earthly things,
we may know you, and be known by you,
through and in your Son Jesus Christ.
Give us this day your Holy Spirit,
that we may be yours in body and spirit
in all our work and all our refreshments;
through Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Thomas Arnold, d. 1842

Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers Ancient and Modern by Mary Wilder Tileston, Boston, Little Brown, 1914, p. 86

“with all our hearts… not for human masters” is a reference to Colossians 3:23

“let us not be lazy” is a reference to Romans 12:11

“the fruits of true wisdom” may be a reference to James 3:17

“always speak the truth in love” is a reference to Ephesians 4:15

“we may know you, and be known by you” is a reference to Galatians 4:9

“that we may be yours in body and spirit” may be a reference to 1 Thessalonians 5:23

We Hear Your Mercy in the Morning

O Lord,
you are the Light in our darkness,
Creator of all of the elements,
Forgiver of sins.
Your mercy is great
toward those who seek you
with all their heart.
O Lord, we hear your mercy in the morning,
blot out our secret sins;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Antiphonary of Bangor, ninth century

Source of this version: Translated and reworked from the Latin text for A Collection of Prayers.

Translation of Prayer “Tu es, Domine, illuminator caliginum / O Lord, you are the Light in our darkness,” by Paul C. Stratman is under under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

“we hear your mercy in the morning” is a reference to Psalm 143:8

“blot out our secret sins” is probably a reference to Psalm 19:12

Original in Latin:

38. Ad matutinum

Tu es, Domine, illuminator caliginum, conditorque elementorum, remissor criminum, misericordia tua, Domine, magna est super eos qui te toto corde requirunt. Majestas tua, Domine, mane nos exaudiat, et deleat delicta nostra quae tibi non sunt abdita;

The Antiphonary of Bangor and The Divine Offices of Bangor is now available in paperback through Amazon.com. It is also available for Amazon Kindle. This is a new translation of the entire Antiphonary into comtemporary liturgical English.

Prepare Us for All the Events of This Day

O Lord,
prepare us for all the events of this day,
for we do not know what a day may bring forth.
Give us to stand complete in your whole will;
to deny ourselves,
to take up our cross daily,
and to follow Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Modified from Miscellaneous Writings of Matthew Henry, (Wikipedia: Matthew Henry, d. 1714)

“to deny ourselves, to take up our cross daily…” is a reference to Luke 9:23

Armenian Morning Prayer

O God, creator of light:
at the rising of your sun this morning,
let the greatest of all lights, your love,
rise like the sun within our hearts.

Source: Armenian Apostolic Church

Also found here: http://www.prayingeachday.org/100Prayers.pdf

A Prayer for Enlightenment

6069369723_ee697728eb_z_d O God, author of eternal light,
shed forth continual day upon us who watch for you,
that our lips may praise you,
our lives may bless you,
and our meditations in the morning glorify you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Source: Sarum Missal

Also found here: http://kenanderson.net/bible/html/may.html

Graphic: Page from an English Psalter, from Flickr, Walters Art Museum, Public Domain.

Prayer for Grace

6069369723_ee697728eb_z_d O Lord, our heavenly Father,
almighty and everlasting God,
who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day;
defend us in the same with thy mighty power;
and grant that this day we fall into no sin,
neither run into any kind of danger,
but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance,
to do always that is righteous in thy sight;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Source: Sarum Breviary

Source of this version: Book of Common Prayer (Unaltered).

Variant:

O Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to this new day. Defend us with your mighty power, and grant that this day we neither fall into sin nor run into any kind of danger; and in all we do, direct us to what is right in your sight, through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.

Graphic: Page from an English Psalter, from Flickr, Walters Art Museum, Public Domain.

I Arise Today (Celtic Prayer)

I arise today
embraced in the arms
of God the Father,
empowered by the strength
of God the Spirit,
immersed in the love
of God the Son.
I arise today
in the company
of the Trinity,
Father, Spirit and Son.
I arise today.

Source: Unknown, attributed as “A Celtic Prayer”

Source of this version: http://stoswaldsoswestry.org.uk/prayer-room/morning-and-evening-prayers/

See: St. Patrick’s Breastplate.

A Morning Prayer

I arise in the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, the crucified,
who has redeemed me with his precious blood.
May he guard me from evil,
preserve me in body and soul,
and give me what will further and strengthen me
in all good to everlasting life.

Source: Freely adapted from Seed Grains of Prayer, A Manual for Evangelical Christians, Wartburg Press, Chicago, 1914 #106.

Our Souls Long for You

antifonariodelec3b3n1 As watchmen wait for the morning,
so do our souls long for you, O Christ.
Come with the dawning of the day,
and make yourself known to us in the breaking of bread;
for you are our God for ever and ever.
Amen.

Source: Mozarabic Rite

Source of this version: http://1stholistic.com/Spl_prayers/prayer_mozarabic-morning-prayer.htm

Also found here: https://attentiontothemoment.wordpress.com/2010/04/26/the-mozarabic-sacramentary/

“As watchmen wait for the morning” is a reference to Psalm 130:6

“known in the breaking of bread” is a reference to Luke 24:35

Graphic: Mozarabic manuscript from the Cathedral of Leon, from Wikimedia Commons.