Jesus, I confess that you are not only the
most important person in history, but you are the Creator and
Savior of the world. Lord Jesus, I need you. I
have done wrong. Please forgive me of my sins and come
into my life. I ask you not just to be part of my life,
but to guide me to live according to the words I read in the
Bible. Thank you for your mercy and forgiveness. I
am now committed to be your follower. Amen.
~~~
"We need prayer to
understand God's love for us.
You have to read that
beautiful passage
in Isaiah where God speaks and says:
'I have called you by name.
You are mine.
Water
will not drown you,
fire will not burn you.
I will
give up nations for you.
You are precious to me.'
We are precious to him.
That man dying in the street - precious to him;
that
millionaire - precious to him;
that sinner - precious to
him.
Because he loves us."
~~~
St. John Chrysostom
It is possible to offer
fervent prayer
even when walking in public
or strolling
alone, or seated in your shop...
while buying or selling,
or even while cooking.
Comfort, O comfort my
people, says your God.
Have you not known? Have you not
heard?
The Lord is the
everlasting God,
The Creator of the ends of the
earth
He does not faint or grow weary;
His understanding
is unsearchable.
He gives power to the
faint
And strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will
faint and be weary,
And the young will fall exhausted;
But those who wait for the
Lord shall renew their strength,
They shall mount up with
wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They
shall walk and not faint.
- Book of Isaiah
~~~
"The Lord is close to the
brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he
saves."
- Psalm 34:19
~~~
"I waited patiently for
the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew
me up from the desolate pit,
out of the miry bog,
And
set my feet upon a rock,
Making my steps secure."
- Psalm 40:1-2
~~~
"I am the Resurrection and
the Life
he who believes in me,
though he
dies,
shall live.
- John 11:25
Traditional Celtic
Christian Prayer
Deep peace of the running
wave to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you,
Deep
peace of the quiet earth to you,
Deep peace of the shining
stars to you,
Deep peace of the Son of Peace to
you.
Amen
~~~~
A Blessing
The Lord bless you and
keep you; the Lord make his face
to shine upon you and be
gracious to you,
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace.
- Book of Numbers
~~~~
Prayer of Frances de
Sales
If only I possessed the
grace, good Jesus,
to be utterly at one with you!
Amidst all the variety of worldly things around me,
Lord, the only thing I crave is unity with you.
You
are all my soul needs.
Unite, dear friend of my heart,
this unique little soul of mine
to your perfect
goodness.
You are all mine; when
shall I be yours?
Lord Jesus, my beloved, be the magnet of
my heart;
clasp, press, unite me for ever to your Sacred
Heart.
You have made me for yourself; make me one with
you.
Absorb this tiny drop of life into the ocean of
goodness whence it came.
~~~~
Traditional Jewish
Prayer
I believe in the sun even
when it is not shining.
I believe in love even when feeling
it not.
I believe in God even when He is silent.
~~~~
St. Teresa of Avila
Trust in God.
Let
nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you.
All
things pass.
God alone never
changes.
Patience achieves
All it strives for.
He who
has God
Finds he lacks nothing,
God alone suffices.
~~~~
Traditional Christian
Prayer
God of all
consolation,
In your unending love and mercy for us
You
turn the darkness of death
Into the dawn of new
life
Show compassion to your people in their sorrow.
Be our refuge and our
strength
To lift us from the darkness of this grief
to
the peace and light of your presence.
Your son, our Lord Jesus
Christ,
By dying for us, conquered death
And by rising
again, restored life.
May we then go forward
eagerly to meet him,
And after our life on earth
Be
reunited with our brothers and sisters
Where every tear
will be wiped away.
~~~~
Traditional Jewish
Prayers
I have the Lord always
before me;
Surely He is at my right hand,
I shall not be
moved.
Therefore my heart is glad,
And my glory
rejoiceth.
Thou makest me know the path of life;
In Thy
path is fullness of joy,
In Thy right hand bliss for
evermore.
~~~~
May God remember the soul
of my beloved ones
Who have been called to eternal
rest.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of eternal
life.
May they rest in peace.
Amen.
Traditional Christian
Hymn
Lead, kindly light, amid
the encircling gloom
Lead thou me on!
The night is dark,
and I am far from home;
Lead thou me on!
Keep thou my
feet;
I do not ask to see the distant scene;
One step
enough for me.
I was not ever thus,
nor prayed that thou shouldst lead me on;
I loved to
choose and see my path;
but now lead thou me on!
I
loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my
will:
remember not past years!
So long thy power hath
blessed me,
sure it still will lead me on.
O?er moor
and fen, o?er crag and torrent,
till the night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
which I
have loved long since, and lost awhile!
- John Henry Newman,
1833
~~~~
You are Near
Yahweh, I know you are
near
Standing always at my side.
You guard me from the
foe,
and you lead me in ways everlasting.
Lord you have searched my
heart
And you know when I sit and when I stand.
You
hand is upon me,
protecting me from death,
keeping me
from harm.
Yahweh, I know you are
near
Standing always at my side.
You guard me from the
foe,
and you lead me in ways everlasting.
Where can I run from your
love?
If I climb to the heavens you are there;
If I fly
to the sunrise
Or sail beyond the sea,
still I'd find
you there.
You know my heart and its
ways,
You who formed me before I as born,
In the secret
of darkness before I saw the sun,
In my mothers womb.
Yahweh, I know you are
near
Standing always at my side.
You guard me from the
foe,
and you lead me in ways everlasting.
Marvelous to me are your
works;
How profound are your thoughts my Lord.
Even if I
could count them
They number as the stars,
You would
still be there.
Yahweh, I know you are
near
Standing always at my side.
You guard me from the
foe,
and you lead me in ways everlasting.
By Dan Schutte, based on
psalm 139
Words and music (c) 1981
~~~~
Traditional Shaker
Song
I danced in the morning
when the world was begun,
And I danced in the moon and the
stars and the sun,
And I came down from heaven and I danced
on the earth,
At Beth-le-hem I had my birth.
Dance, then, wherever you
may be.
I am the Lord of the dance, said he.
I'll lead
you all wherever you may be,
I will lead you all in the
Dance, said he.
I danced on a Friday when
the sky turned black
It's hard to dance with the devil on
you back
They whipped and they stripped and they hung me
high,
And they left me there on a cross to die.
Dance, then, wherever you
may be.
I am the Lord of the dance, said he.
I'll lead
you all wherever you may be,
I will lead you all in the
Dance, said he.
They cut me down and I
leapt up high,
I am the life that'll never, never
die,
I'll live in you if you'll live in me;
I am the
Lord of he Dance, said he.
Dance, then, wherever you
may be.
I am the Lord of the dance, said he.
I'll lead
you all wherever you may be,
I will lead you all in the
Dance, said he.
-------------------------
Psalm 121:1-8 -- "I look
up to the mountains-- does my help come from there? My help
comes from the LORD, who made the heavens and the earth! He
will not let you stumble and fall; the one who watches over
you will not sleep. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never
tires and never sleeps. The LORD himself watches over you! The
LORD stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will
not hurt you by day, nor the moon at night. The LORD keeps you
from all evil and preserves your life. The LORD keeps watch
over you as you come and go, both now and forever."
Spiritual Words:
I have told you these
things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you
will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
(John 16:33)
It's easy to be positive
and encouraging when everything is going your way, isn't it?
But every one is going to have obstacles to overcome in life.
Problems have a purpose, and part of God's purpose for
allowing you to face obstacles is to test your attitude.
That's why you need to be positive even in negative
situations. Remember, God wants you to live life to the
fullest. And He has provided a way for you to enjoy your life,
even when you're going through hard times.
Look closely again at John
16:33. Jesus has just told you that you will face tribulation.
But then He says, "Take heart!" What God is saying is that you
can choose to be joyful and positive no matter what happens.
The reason you can do that is because Jesus has already won
your battle, whatever it may be!
Anyone who drinks the
water I give will never thirst? not ever. The water I give
will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of
endless life." (John 4:14)
When you make Jesus the
Lord of your life, God puts within you an eternal well that
will never run dry. You have an unlimited supply of good
things inside you which should be continually bubbling out of
you.
But Satan doesn't want
your joy, happiness, or laughter to flow freely. So he comes
along and throws a stone of, say, worry into your well. You
may think, "That's just one little stone. It's not hurting
anything. The water is still flowing pretty well."
But Satan will be back
soon with another stone, whether it's fear, self-pity, or
hopelessness. If you haven't dealt individually with each of
these stones and gotten rid of them, your nice, free-flowing
well of good things will become clogged. But you can still
unclog it with a major dose of laughter!
Be very careful, then, how
you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every
opportunity." (Ephesians 5:15-16)
If you want to experience
God's best, stay focused on Him and on the things that are
truly important. Those who are living their best life now have
their priorities in order. They make time for key
relationships. Make sure to do what it takes to share quality
time with those God has placed around you. Please don't be
conformed to the comfort and the promises of this world. This
earthly tent (per St. Paul) will be destroyed and is not
eternal. Let us fulfill the Will of God in everything we do
and the way we live in this world. Let us run that Christian
race gracefully to please our creator. So that we may finish
the race victoriously to gain the eternal Kingdom He has
promised us.
-------------------------------------