Prayer for the Day - April 2015

[MajestyJo]

APRIL

Lead me this day, Lord,
not only to be of service to others
but to ensure
that I find quiet moments
for myself and for you.

Let us pray:
Slow me down, Lord!
Ease the pounding of my heart
by the quietening and calming
of my mind.

Break the tensions
of my nerves and muscles
with the soothing music
of the singing streams
that live in my memory.
Give me, amidst the confusion
of the day,
the calmness of the everlasting hills.

Steady my hurried pace
with a vision
of your eternal reach of time,
and restore and heal me
in the hours of sleep.

Teach me the art
of appreciating what is ordinary:
of slowing down
to look at and become more aware
of the beauty around me;
to take time to be with others,
to sit and enjoy music
or a good book
- to give myself time for myself.

Remind me each day
of the fable
of the hare and the tortoise,
that I may know
that the race is not always
to the swift;
that there is more to life
than increasing its speed.

Let me look upwards
into the branches
of the towering trees
and know
that they grew great and strong
because they grew slowly and well.

Slow me down, Lord,
and inspire me to send my roots
deep into the soil
of life’s enduring values.

Slow me down, Lord,
that I may grow true and well
in your light.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

Let’s pause for a moment to call to mind
that we are in God’s presence.

(pause…)

An English saint called Richard of Chichester
(whose feastday it is tomorrow)
wrote a short prayer that can easily be
memorised and used quietly at different
times throughout the day. The words of
his prayer have been set to music, and
the song ‘Day by day’ is found on the
album of the musical, ‘Godspel’. We use
his words as our prayer today:

Let us pray:

Jesus, Friend and Brother,
may we know you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly,
day by day.

Amen.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

Lord, we ask
that we may have the vision
to see when something is not right
and then try to do something
about it:

- that we may notice
when someone is unhappy
or isn’t well,
and set out to encourage them;
- that we may notice
when someone feels left out,
and then do what we can
to help them feel part of things;
- that we may notice
when something needs to be done,
and then get on with it.
Lord, we ask that we may notice
all that is around us,
and live in a positive
and cheerful way.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

On this day in 1968, Martin
Luther King was shot dead.

One of his best-known speeches was
delivered at the largest rally ever held in
the United States - when a quarter of a
million people gathered in Washington
in a Civil Rights demonstration. He said:

“I have a dream
that one day on the red hills of Georgia
sons of former slaves
and the sons of former slave-owners
will be able to sit down together
at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream
that my four little children
will one day live in a nation
where they will not be judged
by the colour of their skin
but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.”

Let us pray:

Father, sometimes I am too quick
to draw conclusions
about other people,
and I fail to see
many of the qualities in individuals
Remove from me any prejudices
that might lead me
to think of myself
as “better” than someone else.
If anyone should be negative
towards me,
inspire me to remain positive
towards them.
Because we are all different,
there are many things
I need to learn from others,
and so I ask for the gifts
of understanding and wisdom
and a clear vision
that will lead me to treat others
as I would like them to treat me.
Amen.

Let’s each of us think of two people in
our lives at home or in school or work
today whom we need to value and respect
a little more. In silence, let’s think
of ways today in which we can improve
those relationships.
(pause…)

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray that we may discover
what is really important in life.

Lord, in your mercy - hear our prayer.

Let us pray that we may respect and value
each person who comes into our lives.

Lord, in your mercy - hear our prayer.

Let us pray that we may be willing to
learn from others.

Lord, in your mercy - hear our prayer.

Let us pray for those who will experience
hatred, abuse, and violence this day.

Lord, in your mercy - hear our prayer.

Let us pray for people of violence,
that their attitude and behaviour
may change.

Lord, in your mercy - hear our prayer.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

Lord, inspire me to give of my best
and make good use
of the talents you have given me.
Show me how to be positive in attitude,
appreciating and valuing others,
always being ready to encourage
and give praise.
Sometimes I draw conclusions
about people
in terms of what I think
is meant by “success” and “failure”,
but the “failure” of one person
might count as a great “success”
of someone with other talents.
Lead me never to judge people
but to accept others as they are,
knowing that it is together,
each with our differences,
that we build up your Kingdom.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

Let’s pause for a moment and think of
one practical way today of showing our
respect for others…

(pause…)

Let us pray:
Lord Jesus,
you invite each of us by name
and you call us “friends”.
Lead us to show
as much respect and care for others
as we would like them to show for us.
Help us to look for
and bring out the best
in all who share our lives this day.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

Let’s pray in silence for a moment for
those who, today, will suffer the death
of someone they love dearly…

(pause…)

Let’s pray in silence for a moment that,
as others will help us in our times of difficulty,
we, too, will be ready to stand
with others in their difficulties....

(pause…)


Let us pray:
Loving Father,
to you the dead do not die
and, in death, our life is changed
- not ended.
We believe
that all that binds us together
in love and friendship
does not end with death.
Hear our prayers for those close to us
who have died.
As you have made each of them
in your image and likeness
and have called them by name,
hold them safe in your love
in your kingdom
of light, happiness and peace.
Your Son told us
that those who mourn are “blessed”,
because only those
who love greatly can mourn.
Bless us this day
with the warmth of your love
as we mourn those we have lost.
Amen.

Do not be afraid; Abide with me; Christ be beside me;
There is a world; Make me a channel of your peace.

[MajestyJo]

Today is the anniversary of the end of
the American Civil War in 1865.

Abraham Lincoln wrote a prayer about
injustice and war and all who suffer in
war. We use Lincoln’s words today, as we
pray for those who need justice and healing
and peace in their lives:

Grant, O merciful God,
that with malice toward none,
with charity to all,
with firmness in the right
as you give us to see the right,
we may strive to finish
the work we are in:
to bind up the nation’s wounds,
to care for those
who have borne the battle
and for their widows and orphans,
to do all which may achieve and cherish
a just and lasting peace
among ourselves and with all nations.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

Let’s simply spend a few moments in
silence, reflecting on how wealthy we are,
compared with the majority of people
throughout the world…

(pause…)

Let us pray:
Lord, that we may live simply
so that others may simply live.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

God our Father,
amidst the vastness of space
you treasure mankind
and you call each of us by name.
You so love our world
that, in the fullness of time,
you sent Jesus, your Son,
to live among us.
Inspire us each day
to live in wonder and appreciation
of all that is around us,
and may your love,
seen fully in Jesus, your Son,
surround us this day and for ever.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

There are poems in the Bible that reflect
on our place in the universe, and we use
one of them as our prayer today. It is
called ‘Psalm 8’, and a copy of this psalm
was later left on the moon in a sealed
capsule by American astronauts:

Let us pray:

Lord, our God and King,
your greatness is seen
throughout the earth.

When I gaze at the heavens
which your fingers have formed,
and look at the moon and the stars
which you have set there,
I realise how small we are
in the majesty of your creation.

Yet you treasure us
above all that you have made,
and you give us control
over all the works of your hand
- animals both wild and tame,
birds in the air,
and the creatures of the sea.
Lord, our God and King,
your greatness is seen
throughout the earth.
(Psalm 8, paraphrased)

✍ What might the Russian priest have meant
when he said: “If you haven’t seen God on earth,
you will never see him in heaven” ?
✍ Why might some astronauts have felt that their
experiences led them closer to God?
✍ James Weldon Johnson has an interesting
poem, ‘The Creation’: “And God stepped out
on space.”
✍ Yuri Gagarin, once the most famous person in
the world, died in 1968, aged 34, when testing
a new aircraft.
✍ Psalm 1397-10 - “If I climb the heavens you are
there
& O Lord, my God, when I in awesome
wonder; This day God gives me; Christ
be beside me; Yahweh, I know you are
near.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

God our Father,
may all that we see and experience
lead us to grow
in wonder and respect,
that we may value and be thankful
for everything in our lives each day.
Inspire us to choose wisely
and live positively,
and make good use
of our knowledge and talents,
both for ourselves
and for the benefit of others.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

Let’s pray in silence for all who are
suffering…

(pause…)

Let’s pray for those who care for people
who have suffered tragedies in their
lives…

(pause…)

Let’s pray for courage when we will face
difficult times…

(pause…)

Let’s pray for those who place their own
safety at risk for the good of others - for
all members of the rescue services....

(pause…)

[MajestyJo]

Regular prayer N/A

Hear the words of the dancing God,
the music of whose laughter stirs the winds,
whose voice calls the seasons:
I who am the Lord of the Hunt and the Power of the Light,
sun among the clouds and the secret of the flame
I call upon your bodies to arise and come unto me.
For I am the flesh of the earth and all its beings.
Through me all things must die and with me are reborn.
Let my worship be in the body that sings,
for behold all acts of willing sacrifice are my rituals.
Let there be desire and fear, anger and weakness,
joy and peace, awe and longing within you.
For these too are part of the mysteries found within yourself,
within me, all beginnings have endings,
and all endings have beginnings.

charge of the god - author unknown