Matthew 6:6 – (Jesus said), “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Luke 11:1 — One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
Luke 5:16 — Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
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Lord, I do not even know what I ought to ask of you. You alone know what I need and what is best for me. You love me better than I know how to love myself. O Father, give to me what I do not know how to ask for myself. I do not dare ask for crosses or for consolations; I simply present myself to you.
Lord, I open up my heart to you. Behold my needs; especially the ones that I am not even aware of. See and do according to your tender mercy. Bring suffering on me or heal me, cast me down or raise me up; I accept your will for me even when I do not know what it is.
I will remain silent, giving myself over completely to you. I have no other desire than to do your will. Amen.
–François Fénelon, French Archbishop (1651-1715)
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Our Father, each day is a little life, each night a tiny death; help us to live with faith and hope and love. Let not our strength fail or our determination falter in the heat and burden of the day. O God, make us patient and pitiful, one with another, in the fret and fray of life, remembering that each of us fights a hard fight and walks a lonely way.
Forgive us, Lord, if we hurt our fellow souls. Teach us a gentler tone, a sweeter choice of words, and a more healing touch. Sustain us when we must face sorrow, give us courage for this day, and hope for tomorrow. Day after day may we keep our eyes on Jesus, whatever happens, until our work is finished and our last day is done. In His name we pray. Amen.
–Joseph Fort Newton (1876-1950)
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Our Father, who art in heaven… It is your will not only that we call you ‘Father,’ but that all of us together call you ‘our Father.’ Grant us, therefore, brotherly love and unity, that we may think of one another as true brothers and sisters; and pray to you, our one common Father, for all people everywhere.
Let no one seek only his own good and forget the good of others; but laying aside all hatred, envy, and dissension, we may love one another as your good and true children.
May we always pray with one accord not ‘my Father’ but ‘our Father.’ Amen.
–Martin Luther (1483-1546)
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Most merciful and loving God, you have said that you hate nothing that you have made. You suffer for and bear with the sins of all people, patiently awaiting their repentance. We pray that you give to our enemies whatever you see may do them good; chiefly, we pray, that you give them a sound and uncorrupted mind, so they may seek you and know you and love you with their whole heart. And then, may we not hate, but love each other, for your sake. Destroy them not, O Father, for their hatred toward us, but may we all be saved by your grace. In the name of Him who commanded that we pray for our enemies, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
–Elizabethan Prayer Book
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A little bit longer table prayer:
Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest
And let these gifts, to us be blessed.
And may there be a goodly share,
On every table everywhere;
And may we help
To put it there. Amen.
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Father, we thank thee that dark and uncertain is our future;
Because in darkness and doubt we must cling more closely to thee.
Father, we thank thee that there will be pain;
Because through pain we are forced to clutch at thy hand.
Father, we thank thee that there will be loneliness;
Because in loneliness thou art more surely our friend.
Father, we thank thee that there shall be death;
Because dying we come unto thee.
–John S. Hoyland (1830–1894)
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A prayer for someone old:
Lord, even though I’m pretty old
I’m not going to get obsessed with heaven.
Otherwise, I forget that you are with me now.
You are here, not some place far away.
And when I do enter heaven, it won’t be like
Moving as a stranger to a strange land,
But just changing to a new apartment;
One with a better view, and with more to do,
And more people to visit, to know, to love.
In the meantime, I’ll heed the chorus
We sang so long ago in Sunday School:
“Brighten the corner where you are.”
…But, if the end is near, I’m ready, Lord.
–Arthur O. Roberts (1923-2016)
