The good news of Christ
Lord, I would be a simple soul,
Make me see with a single eye.
I’d always speak an honest word,
Come fill me with the gospel truth.
I ask to be a saint of zeal,
Show me the living passion of Christ.
I seek to sanctify my heart,
Let me know your holiness.
I’d wield the Spirit’s powerful sword,
Give me wisdom in the Scriptures.
I want to please you in the Way,
Strengthen my feet to walk your path.
Lord, I would be a fisher of souls,
For I was taught and led to Christ.
Take, Lord, all my liberty,
Receive my failing memory,
My mind for thought, my heart for feeling,
And all I have and now am seeking.
You give, and I to you restore,
I cannot struggle any more;
Illusions led me far away —
Come keep the preying wolves at bay.
Your glory shines as brightly ever,
Your grace, a strong and moving river;
With tenderness, you waken souls,
No word of yours or promise fails.
Make rise, O Spirit, these prayers to heaven,
These wordless yearnings deeply driven;
Such wisps of thought and stirrings unformed
With the Kingdom’s reasonable tongue be framed.
A few lines at the beginning were inspired by a prayer by Ignatius of Loyola, published in the Oxford Book of Prayer, by George Appleton. Please join us in these prayers by signing up to receive them by email.
Good people, mostly — as men count goodness —
Who see no need to change their lives,
Content to continue on with less,
Averse to change, to conversion to Christ,
With only a form of godliness.
Break through, O Lord, my neighbors’ shell,
For them to see their future is dim;
Save men and women and families from hell,
May light shine brightly to redeem,
To enter the Savior’s citadel.
May they reject their human good,
And measure by your holy name;
Let Scripture be their daily food,
The image of Christ, their principal aim,
To live in faith and gratitude.
At knowledge how shall they arrive?
What power will cause their wills to move?
How then shall truth become alive?
What tongue will tell, that they may prove?
O Lord, to their door drive me.
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Our Father in Heaven, let the words of Scripture leap from the page into the deepest recesses of my heart, with your power recreating life and rearranging priorities, purifying motivations and replacing worldly thoughts with visions of heaven and your divine love.
At the same time, we pray for peace in our country. May violence be contained. May the economy permit productive activity and lives of prosperity. May justice prevail within society. May corruption be rooted out. May local and national leaders rise who are honest and who sincerely work for the security and peace of its citizens.
Make us promoters of peace and proclaimers of eternal hope.
Our lives are a mix of trial and trust,
You prove us, Lord, and prod us forward;
So teach us wisdom in tests of faith,
In our distress, be the God of truth.
Heavenly Father, let this be a day of peace, when fullness and joy and blessing populate the hours.
Let this be a day of security, when we rest in you and find safety in your shadow.
Let this be a day of sowing, when the seed of the gospel is scattered far and wide and the power of salvation comes to needy souls.
Let this be a day of reaping, with shouts of joy at seeing friends and family and perfect strangers come into your family.
Let this be a day of faithfulness, as we decide in every situation to do your will and please you in all things.
Let this be a day of hope, with sights set on heaven and the prayer of Jesus’ return on our lips.
Let this be the day when love is shown and shared and received, when people are treated as equals, and our time is dedicated to others, and our obedience brings to us your special presence.
O Lord, let today be the day when we live for these things and not for the world and its passions and ephemeral pleasures; let today be yours and a closer step toward our life in heaven with you.
Future unknown, present uncertain,
Past obscured by faulty memories—
Events mow down our hopes and dreams—
O Sovereign God, come bear our burden!
You, O God, are sovereign and in complete control of all that exists. Before we ever reached consciousness, you were guiding humanity toward its goal. Before we had the first thought, cried our first tears, laughed the first time, you had seen the full extent of our lifetime. And still you permit us to choose and determine the direction of our lives.
To think of the billions of people who have lived up to this moment is mind-boggling. And to consider all the minute beings and microscopic life forms and the interactions of creatures and bodies in the universe, astounds the imagination.
Not even a fallen sparrow escapes your notice. We are grateful that you watch over us. Your care and kindness lead us to consider our lives and to desire holiness, that we might live now with you, and forever.
Father, help us to make our repentance genuine; our decisions, guided by your wisdom; our faith, based upon the reality of your Being; our transformation, deep and permanent in the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Surround me with your rousing love,
Awaken me from this worldly slumber;
Draw me not to dreams of greatness,
Save from Satan’s lies and sin;
Give me, Lord, your garb of glory,
A double portion, to deaden desire
For the pride of life—impress in me,
Upon my soul, the powers invisible—
Surrender your servant to mercy’s song.
By pride and high desires we’re trapped,
By passion for self our life is sapped;
May we from useless struggles cease,
From vanity’s fire may God release!