Daily Prayers - March

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March 28

Lord of All Hopefulness

Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy, whose trust, ever child-like, no cares can destroy, be there at my waking, and give me, I pray, your bliss in my heart, Lord, at the break of the day.

Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith, whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe, be there at my labors, and give me, I pray, your strength in my heart, Lord, at the noon of the day.

Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace, your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace, be there at my homing, and give me, I pray, your love in my heart, Lord, at the eve of the day.

Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm, whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm, be there at my sleeping, and give me, I pray, your peace in my heart, Lord, at the end of the day. Amen.

~ Jan Struther, 1931
Meditation

[God give me the strength do to the work you set out for me.]

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Prayer for Grace and Strength

Lord God, I pray that you will fill my heart with the blessing of your Holy Spirit. Grant me this day the strength to be temperate in all things, diligent in my duties, and patient under my afflictions. Direct me in all my ways. Give me grace to be just and upright in all my dealings; quiet and peaceable; full of compassion; and ready to do good to all people, according to my abilities and opportunities. For the sake of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

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Dear Lord, today may be the most important day of my life because the seeds I sow today will determine what I harvest tomorrow. ... If I sow seeds of doubt and cultivate these by sampling the occult, or if I "buy into" the line that I am responsible to no one, free to live my life according to my own gospel and agenda, then I will have no one to blame but myself if my life ends in a quagmire. ... But if I sow seeds of taking time to study Your Word, seeking the Holy Spirit's guidance to understand Your truths, and accepting Your authority, Your love and Your forgiveness, then I will find that I am free indeed, and that Your strength and comfort will be sufficient for my needs. ... Open my eyes and my heart to want all that You have for me.

In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen.
© 2001 by D. L. Hammond, Permission to copy granted for noncommercial use.

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Lord Jesus, I give you my hands - to do your work. I give you my feet - to go your way. I give you my eyes - to see as you do. I give you my tongue - to speak your words. I give you my mind - that you may think in me. I give you my spirit - that you may pray in me. Above all, I give you my heart that you may love, in me, your Father and all mankind. I give you my whole self that you may grow in me, so that it is you, Lord Jesus, who live and work and pray in me. Amen.

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The Proper Time for Judgment

1 Corinthians 4:5

Dear Father, who drives away all the darkness,

Keep me from passing judgment before the proper time, before the Lord comes, for he will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of every person's heart, including mine. And so everyone will receive appropriate commendation from you.

Let me be concerned about "this day" and "that day." Let me do my best to serve you "this day" - today, that I may stand before you on "that day" - your day of reckoning!

It is by Jesus' authority and in his name that I offer up this prayer. Amen.
Grail Prayer

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Dear heavenly Father, I do appreciate You, and I want my life to glorify You. Fill me today with Your Holy Spirit so that I might bring encouraging words to others. Father, I have been down at times in my life and I am so grateful for my brothers and sisters in the Lord who came to me with faith and encouragement. They lifted me up, and today I want to lift them up. You know each of them and exactly what they are going through at this time. Bless them and encourage them and meet their needs even as You used them to meet my needs in the trying times of my life. May we all be good witnesses for You and never lose our saltiness. Lord, shine on us that we may reflect Your glory. I ask this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.