Prayers for all Occasions 4

I AM UNSURE

Lord, I am unsure:

The future is all unknown.

I do not know what to do,

Or what lies before me.

Let me know who is there.

Let me know you are here.

I do not know what will happen:

I cannot predict my path,

I often walk in the darkness,

I cannot see what is ahead.

Let me know who is there.

Let me know you are here.

I do not know where I shall go:

I am unsure of the road.

I do not know much of tomorrow,

Yet I know you and your love.

I know you will meet me there.

I am uncertain of the way:

I do not know where I am to travel,

I am so able to get lost.

Yet you are there as my guide.

I know you will meet me there.

I do not know how life will treat me:

I do not know if friends will leave me,

Or if health and strength will fail me.

Yet I can depend on you and your love.

I know you will meet me there.

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HELP ME TO COPE

Open my eyes, that I sleep not in death,

Inspire me by your Spirit with every breath.

Touch my heart with the fire of your love,

Let my whole life burn with fire from above.

Guide my feet in your straight and narrow way,

Strengthen my will, that I do not stray.

I need you, Lord, I need your great might,

I need your protection by day and by night.

Here is my heart, here is my hope,

Lord, never depart, help me to cope.

Here is my mind, here is my will,

Lord, peaceful and kind, help me be still.

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THE SHINING WORD "AND"

"And" teaches us to say yes

"And'' allows us to be both - and

''And'' keeps us from either - or

''And'' teaches us to be patient and long-suffering

''And'' is willing to wait for insight and integration

''And'' does not divide the field of the moment

''And'' helps us to live in the always imperfect now

''And'' keeps us inclusive and compassionate toward everything

''And'' demands that our contemplation become active

"And" insists that our action is also contemplative

"And" keeps us from the false choice of liberal or conservative

"And" allows us to critique both sides of things

"And'' allows us to enjoy both sides of things

"And" is far beyond any one nation or political party

"And" helps us face and accept our own dark side

"And'' allow us to ask for forgiveness and to apologise

"And" is the mystery of paradox in all things

"And" is the way of mercy

"And'' makes daily, practical love possible

"And" does not trust love if it is not also justice

"And" does not trust justice if it is not also love

"And" is far beyond my religion versus your religion

"And" allows us to be both distinct and yet united

"And'' is the very Mystery of Trinity

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FOR SELF-FORGIVENESS

Today I am overcome with a sense of failure.

I am painfully aware of dreams not fulfilled,

of ambitions not realised, of work left unfinished,

of people not cared for, of bridges not mended,

of promises not kept.

I feel that I have wasted the days of my years.

Awaken within me an acceptance of myself as I am.

Quieten the voice of excessive self criticism within me.

Awaken in me a forgiveness that is unconditional.

Lead me to the conviction that:

in you all is forgiven,

in you all is understood and accepted,

in you the prodigal is welcomed home.

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ADVENT PEACE PSALM

O Prince of Peace,

whose Advent we seek in our lives,

come this day and show us

how to beat our swords into ploughshares,

tools of life instead of instruments of fear.

May your love strip us

of all weapons and strategies of conquest

which are not the tools of lovers,

wise ones and God's children.

Let us not lust for power

but rather strive for the insight

to be guided on the Way of Peace.

Let us not yearn for a victory

that requires a sister's sorrow

or a brother's shameful defeat.

Let us be Advent adventurers and peacemakers,

hammering swords into shovels,

filling holes and levelling peaks.

Let us be disarmed and vulnerable,

for only through such open hands and hearts

can Emmanuel come.

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A BLESSING OF ANGELS

May the Angels in their beauty bless you.

May they turn towards you streams of blessing.

May the Angel of Awakening stir your heart

To come alive to the eternal within you,

To all the invitations that quietly surround you.

May the Angel of Healing turn your wounds

Into sources of refreshment.

May the Angel of the Imagination enable you

To stand on the true thresholds;

At ease with your ambivalence

And drawn in new directions

Through the glow of your contradictions.

May the Angel of Compassion open your eyes

To the unseen suffering around you.

May the Angel of Wildness disturb the places

Where your life is domesticated and safe,

Take you to the territories of true otherness

Where all that is awkward in you

Can fall into its own rhythm.

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PSALM FOR PRAYING

May the spirit of the Lord rest upon us,

may the call of God sustain us,

as we seek to be God's people,

transformed by the Gospel,

announcing good news to the poor,

proclaiming freedom for those in prisons

of wealth, poverty, disease and disorder,

committed to making a difference

to the world's kingdoms

for the sake of Christ's Kingdom.

May we deploy our resources as the Spirit guides,

not shirk difficult decisions about the priority of mission,

pledge ourselves anew to work with all our fellow Christians

and use the gifts of all God's people

so that all may be filled

with the Spirit of healing, justice and peace.

Amen.

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WALKING WITH SOMEONE WHO MOURNS

Holy Shelter,

I walk with one who grieves.

Help me to be patient

with their journey of loss.

Let me not rush or push

the process of healing.

Grant me the gift of insight

to know when to speak

and when to be silent.

May my words of advice be few

and my loving presence ample.

May my heart reflect

the fullness of your compassion.

Heart of Consolation,

ease the sorrow.

Relieve the aching spirit.

Bring your soothing solace

and comfort them.

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A PRAYER FOR OTHERS​

Through the open door of your divine heart

may blessings pour forth in great abundance to those I love.

I pray for those who are prisoners of fear or hate

and for the intentions of all peoples of this planet,

in particular this night for:___________.

May those who find it impossible to pray,

who are burdened with cares

or lost in the desert of loneliness,

be touched by your gentle healing

and find peace today and always.

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EMBRACING HOPE

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Loving Gardener of Life,

turn my time of sorrow

toward a season of hope.

I long to return to joy.

I yearn to be free from sadness.

May the eyes of my faith

look beyond my loss

and see the promise of spring

that follows every winter.

Never-Ending Source of Hope,

may the power of the Resurrection

assure me of future happiness.

I hold out my downcast spirit to you

and offer you my trusting heart.

I await the healing I need,

confident that your grace

will restore my inner peace.

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OPEN MY EYES

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God open my eyes so I may see

And feel your presence close to me...

Give me strength for my stumbling feet

As I battle the crowd on life's busy street,

And widen the vision of my unseeing eyes

So in passing faces I'll recognise

Not just a stranger, unloved and unknown,

But a friend with a heart

that is much like my own...

Give me perception to make me aware

That scattered profusely on life's thoroughfare

Are the best gifts of God

that we daily pass by

As we look at the world with an unseeing eye.

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WALKING WITH SOMEONE WHO SUFFERS

Attentive and caring God,

you hear the cries of those in pain.

There are people everywhere who walk

a path filled with suffering and sorrow.

I have the privilege and challenge

of journeying with ____________.

It pains me to be unable to take away the hurt.

It saddens me to be unable to alleviate his/her burdens.

Help me not to be afraid to be there with the pain.

Let me not run from what distresses and disturbs me

when this suffering invades my peace and happiness.

I want to be generous with my attention and my care.

May your spirit guide me so that I will make good choices

about how much I can be and do for ____________.

Do not allow me to become so engulfed with the suffering

that I lose my balance and my ability to be with his/her pain.

Bless all who walk with someone who suffers.

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ENCOUNTERING DEPRESSION

Giver of Life,

I am in the wasteland of depression.

I cry out to you, Source of Solace,

as I meet this empty void within me.

Sustain me as I try to exist

in this day-to-day dying

of my energy and vitality.

Wrap your arms around me.

Carry me through this bleak journey.

Help me to stay open to your love.

I rely on you. I lean on you.

I trust you to hold me close

as I stumble on this joyless path.

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COMPASSION FOR SELF

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Unwavering Love,

when I am going through troubled times,

help me to attend to my own spirit.

I need to believe that my heartaches

are also worthy of a compassionate gaze.

Teach me how to offer kindness

to the part of me that hurts.

With your grace I can overcome

any obstacles that keep me

from being attentive to my own needs.

Remembering your great love for me,

I turn toward myself with understanding

and reach out with tenderness

as I lovingly embrace my hurting self.

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MEETING MY OWN PAIN

Tender and loving God,

I know that you are with me.

Take my hand and stretch it

toward that which brings me hurt.

Lead me into my sufferings

and help me to be healed.

Together let us touch my woundedness.

Together let us meet my pain.

Teach me how to enter my suffering in a way

that brings me greater wisdom and growth.

Gift me with determination not to turn away.

Help me to meet myself with kindness and mercy.

Tender and loving God,

together let us walk the road to my healing.

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