Category Archives: Prayers

Are You Moved With Pity, God?

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“Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him.”  (Mk 1.41 NRSV)

Eternal God,
you who love all living things,
are you moved with pity
when you see our plight?

When a homeless man sleeps under a bridge,
are you moved with pity?
When a worker loses his job
and fears how he will pay the bills,
are you moved with pity?
When a child dies in the womb
and has no chance to see the sunlight,
are you moved with pity?
When a teenager takes her own life,
are you moved with pity?
When nations go to war,
are you moved with pity?

We believe you are.
In Jesus we see your heart
spelled out and spilled out for us
in a human life.
Jesus was a neon sign to tell us who you are.
He taught us by example
that you are a God
who is moved with pity toward us
when we are in need.
You are a God who acts to help us.

Teach us the lessons of pity, God.
Touch us in the deepest places of our hearts
so that we may see the needs all around us.
Let our hearts break
with what breaks your heart.
From that yearning,
from those tears,
moves us to take action in works of mercy.
Love your neighbor as yourself, Jesus tells us.
How you want to be treated, so treat others.
Let these words be for us more than mere words –
let this love become our signature,
our very way of life.

Teach us also, God, to allow ourselves
to receive the help of others
when they know our need.
There is no shame here –
there is only grace,
grace flowing from you through others
into our heart of hearts.

We pray this in the name of the one
who showed us how to live, Jesus,
whose spirit now helps us do things
we never thought we could do.

Praying Through Tears

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I sat with a family in a hospital waiting room today while a woman had surgery on her back.  At one point in the afternoon I walked outside to a pond in front of the building.  A gaggle of ducks scurried over to me in hopes of finding food, but all I had was a camera.  Then a security guard came over to talk to me.  In a post 9/11 world, taking pictures of ducks in front of a hospital apparently marks you as a potential terrorist.  He did not take my camera.  But it was surreal.

Later in the day, news from the surgeon was good and bad.  It was hard to hear.  There were lots of tears.  I prayed for them all through my tears, and I held onto a string of prayer beads.  Afterward, I thought about a quote from Frederick Buechner, “Of all powers, love is the most powerful and the most powerless.”  So what does that say about God, since God is love?  Pain and suffering make you wonder what God can and cannot do.

My ministry today was mainly praying through tears.  I trust that God puts all of our tears in his bottle. (Ps 56.8)

Morning Light

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I had a bit of time this morning before choir practice began, so I went outside to enjoy the morning sunlight.  Being at the western edge of the time zone, the sun had just risen for us in Michigan.  This picture shows the lovely morning light on the east wall of the sanctuary.  “Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning, born of the one light Eden say play.” Standing in the morning light, I felt a deep sense of peace and gratitude for the gift of life.

Later, during worship, I offered a prayer that borrows imagery from our recent snowfall:

You blanket the earth with snow, God.  Your snow covers the ground, rests on tree limbs.  The beauty of snow reminds us of your beauty.  The sight of it awakens praise in us.  We thank you for the loveliness of your creation, for the beauty of each season.

Yet what we see is only a sliver of all that you have made.  You have set stars and galaxies in motion.  The whole universe, immensely old, is full of your handiwork, with you yourself older still.  Before all things, before all time, you are God.

The thing about you, God, that most astonishes us is that you know us.  You know each of us, even though we are so tiny and vulnerable compared to the vastness of all that you have made.  You know us, you care about us, you watch over us, you stay with us. This is the mind boggling thing, your knowledge of us.

You know when we sit, when we stand, when we lie down.  You know our thinking even before it appears in our minds.  All the days set out for us are written in your book before they even come to pass.  When we are perplexed, at our wit’s end, you know it. When we are in physical pain, you know it.  When we are scared, you know it.  When we are dancing for joy, you know it.  Our laughter, our tears, our smiles are all known to you.

Come to us afresh today, O God, with your beauty, your love, and your great strength. Fill our limbs and our lives with your healing presence.  Let us rest easily in your knowledge of us, your care for each of us.

There are echoes of Psalm 139 in this prayer, as well as 1 Corinthians 8:3, “If someone loves God, then they are known by God.” The latter was part of the morning scripture that the senior pastor preached on.

Praying the Psalms Monthly

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Saying and praying the Psalms morning and evening has long been an important part of Jewish and Christian spirituality.  (A Jewish man above prays the Psalms at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.)  When you don’t know what else to say to God, praying the Psalms helps you find words.  The table below gives you an order to use in saying the Psalms over the course of a month.  This list comes from Disciple Bible Study, but this particular arrangement goes back to the Anglican Book of Common Prayer as it developed in the 16th and 17th centuries.

  1. Morning Psalms 1–5; Evening Psalms 6–8
  2. 9–11; 12–14
  3. 15–17; 18
  4. 19–21; 22–23
  5. 24–26; 27–29
  6. 30–31; 32–34
  7. 35–36; 37
  8. 38–40; 41–43
  9. 44–46; 47–49
  10. 50–52; 53–55
  11. 56–58; 59–61
  12. 62–64; 65–67
  13. 68; 69–70
  14. 71–72; 73–74
  15. 75–77; 78
  16. 79–81; 82–85
  17. 86–88; 89
  18. 90–92; 93–94
  19. 95–97; 98–101
  20. 102–103; 104
  21. 105; 106
  22. 107; 108–109
  23. 110–113; 114–115
  24. 116–118; 119:1-32
  25. 119:33-72; 119:73-104
  26. 119:105-144; 119:145-176
  27. 120–125; 126–131
  28. 132–135; 136–138
  29. 139–140; 141–143
  30. 144–146; 147–150

There is a lovely scene in one of Chaim Potok’s novels where Asher Lev is nervous and distraught but saying a Psalm to himself calms his heart.

(Image by Brian Jeffery Beggerly)

You Anoint My Head With Oil

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There was a healing service tonight for a woman whose cancer has returned, or perhaps never left.  She received the anointing with oil, as well as many prayers for her strength and healing.  Olive oil is an ancient symbol of God’s healing presence: ‘You anoint my head with oil.’ (Ps 23.5)  We held the service in the chancel as people stood in a circle around the altar. There were long periods of silent prayer, and afterward people lingered as if they did not want to part.  During the service we sang an evening hymn.

All praise to thee, my God, this night,
for all the blessings of the light!
Keep me, O keep me, King of kings,
beneath thine own almighty wings.

Forgive me, Lord, for thy dear Son,
the ill that I this day have done,
that with the world, myself, and thee,
I, ere I sleep, at peace may be.

Teach me to live, that I may dread
the grave as little as my bed.
Teach me to die, that so I may
rise glorious at the judgment day.

O may my soul on thee repose,
and with sweet sleep mine eyelids close,
sleep that may me more vigorous make
to serve my God when I awake.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise him, all creatures here below;
praise him above, ye heavenly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

It’s one of my favorite hymns, but the third verse was hard to sing in light of cancer.  You can listen to the melody here.

(Image:  The Olive Trees by Van Gogh)

Prayer for Healing

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You are medicine for me when I am sick.
You are my strength when I need help.
You are life itself when I fear death.
You are the way when I long for heaven.
You are light when all is dark.
You are my food when I need nourishment!

(Prayer by Ambrose of Milan; image by Simon Eugster.)

God For All Seasons

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God of all times and all seasons, great and wonderful are your works.  You set the sun in the sky to give warmth to our days.  You cause the moon and the stars to light up the night.  We spend our days surrounded by the beauty of your creation, and our nights filled with an assurance that you care for all things.

As the shadows get long, and the days get short, praise for your name still comes forth from our mouths.  You are God for all seasons of our lives.  When winter chills us, you warm us with your love.  When spring comes, you cause new life to grow from the ground.  You fill long days of summer with recreation and play.  In the autumn, we thank you for the harvest that comes forth from the earth.

Teach us, God, to number our days that we may gain a wise and humble heart.  Since Christ came to set us free from deeds of darkness, so help us learn to follow him as sons and daughters of light.  Let us in the midst of trials be firm in the knowledge that Christ stands with us.  May we rise each morning to rejoice in your wonderful works and never fear the opportunities a new day brings.

God of the harvest, we offer ourselves in gratitude to you today, and we pray for a crop of mercy and justice to fill the whole earth.

(Prayer adapted from James G. Kirk, When We Gather.)

Prayer of Remembrance

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From Sharon Watkins, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ):

Ever-present God,

We give you thanks that you are ever near.

Today as we remember those lost to us 10 years ago on that day we now call 9/11, we give thanks that you do not lose your own.

Memories come to us, O God – where we were; what loved one we needed to place. Horror at the brazenness of it; sorrow at the loss of life.

There is still so much we do not understand.

And yet we know that each one lost to us is found in your embrace. For this we praise you.

Other memories come: awe at the courage of first responders; the rallying cries of friendship from around the globe; our own love of this nation we call home; the desire of so many to connect in worshiping community with you.

Even now, dear God, may we continue to seek you – knowing that you are ever near. Strengthen us to be the evidence that you are near. Help us to build on the courage of that day; on the love and friendship and faith. Mold us into your ambassadors for healing and wholeness and hope.

Come near through us we pray in Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Strong Arms of Love

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Eternal God,
you are kind, just and full of compassion.
Let your ears be attentive to my voice today.
Listen to my cry for mercy.

The cords of death entangled me.
The anguish of the grave took hold of me.
I was overwhelmed by trouble and fear.
I slid down to the depths,
and I thought there was no one to help.
But then long arms reached down to me –
strong arms of love
pulled me up from the grave.
You let my eyes see the sky again,
and you set my feet firmly on the ground
that I may walk with you
and with those I love all my days.
Let my soul find rest in you once more, O God,
for you have been good to me.

How can I repay you
for your generosity?
What can I do or say to thank you
for the gift of life you give?
Make me mindful of how precious life is –
each week, each day, each hour.
Let every morning that meets my eyes find me more
humble, gentle, grateful and joyful.
Let every friend or stranger
read the truth in my face –
that in life and in death I belong to you
for I am held tightly
in arms of eternal love.

Lord I take up the cup of your saving love today,
and I drink it down to the bottom.

(after Psalm 116)