Prayers & Meditations

[majestyjo]

june 29

7 We’ll use as a short reading and prayer,
some words of Saint Paul, found in a letter
that he wrote to the Christians in
Rome:

“For those who love God
everything works out for good,
because God has chosen us
to bear the image of Jesus, his Son.
With God on our side,
who can be against us?
Even if we face hard times
or are threatened
- God’s love is greater still,
and nothing can ever separate us
from his love.
Through all difficulties
we can never be failures or losers
because of the power of God’s love.”
(based on Romans 828-39)

[caressa222]

June 30

Let us pray:
Lord, may I become more aware
of your presence in my life.
May I discover
that you do walk with me
each day of my life,
accompanying me
in darkness as well as in light,
in sadness as well as in joy.
May your Spirit lead me
to trust and come to know
that you keep your word
and are always faithful and loving.
I place myself and my future
into your hands. Amen.

[majestyjo]

JULY

As you walk beside me, Lord,
lead me to recognise you
in all those you place into my life
this day.

Let us pray:
If countries disagree, Lord,
and if negotiations break down,
“going to war”
has sometimes been seen
as a way of “saving face”.
In the same way,
there are times
when matters get out of hand
as individuals disagree strongly,
and feel they need to “save face”
In my own small part of the world
may I learn ways, Lord,
of being a peacemaker,
of helping people
to see that there are alternatives
to hostility,
and there are ways
of “saving face”
in a decent and human way,
without there being
a break-up of relationships.
Help me
to be a channel of your peace
this day. Amen.

[caressa222]

July 2

Let us pray:
God our Father,
in the Bible you tell me
to “choose life and not death”.
Inspire me
in the choices I will make today
- that I may choose
what is positive and life-giving
and good.
So help me to protect and defend myself
from influences that are not good.
Keep me on the right path
to choose values
that are lasting and beneficial.
Keep my eyes open
whenever there is injustice,
that I may be willing
to stand with those
who are treated unfairly,
and defend those who need support.
Deliver us, Lord, from all that is evil.
Amen.

[caressa222]

July 3

Let’s pray for a growing sense of wonder
and appreciation for all that is around
us:
Lord God,
may all of your creation
- from the vastness
of mighty stars and planets
to the lowliness
of the smallest living creature I can see
- remind me
to live in wonder and appreciation
of all that is around me. Amen.

William Davies was born in Newport, Gwent, on this day in 1871. He was a poet, and wrote:

“What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare?

[caressa222]

July 4

Let us pray:
God our Father,
I can think of mistakes I have made
and the attitude
that I have sometimes had.
May I not become so independent
that I think I know it all
and no longer need others,
but may I always
have true friends around me
who are willing
to point me in the right direction.
May I be ready to apologise
when things go wrong,
and be ready to learn
from my mistakes,
finding humour in my situation
and having the ability and good sense
to laugh at myself.
May I grow in wisdom each day.
Amen

[caressa222]

July 5

Let us pray:
Lord Jesus,
we hear you say
that, “of course”, you want to heal us
of what is not good in our lives.
Touch us today
that we may experience your healing
and the fullness of your life.
Amen

[majestyjo]

July 6

Let us pray:
God our Father,
you made each of us
unique and unrepeatable.
Inspire me to live in such a way
that I respect others
and am ready to learn
from all who are part of my life
this day.
Amen.

[caressa222]

July 7

Let us pray:
For all that we should have thought
and have not thought;
For all that we should have said
and have not said;
For all that we should have done,
and have not done;
we ask forgiveness, Lord.
For all that we should not have thought
but have thought;
For all that we should not have said
but have said;
For all that we should not have done,
but have done;
we ask forgiveness, Lord.

[caressa222]

July 8

Let us pray:
Lord our God,
we pray for the strength
to hold to our convictions.
We pray, too,
for the courage and determination
to stand
with those who suffer from injustice.
In all that we do, Lord,
inspire us to act justly,
love tenderly,
and walk humbly with you, our God.
Amen.

[caressa222]

July 9

Let us pray:
Loving Lord,
these individuals we have heard about
were ordinary people.
They spent years
making choices each day
about small ordinary things.
Their positive and life-giving attitude
eventually led to serious decisions
about standing
with the poor and the underprivileged
and those treated unjustly.
Inspire us, Lord,
to choose wisely
in the ordinary circumstances
of our daily lives.
Having then chosen wisely
in small things,
inspire us
with courage and generosity
when we must make
more important decisions. Amen.

[caressa222]

july 10

Prayer for today not applicable

The God of love my shepherd is,
And he that doth me feed:
While he is mine, and I am his,
What can I want or need?

He leads me to the tender grass,
Where I both feed and rest;
Then to the streams that gently pass:
In both I have the best.

Surely Thy sweet and wondrous love
Shall measure all my days:
And as it never shall remove,
So neither shall my praise.

The Yearbook of Love and Wisdom: - Celia Haddon

[caressa222]

July 11

Let us pray:
God our Father,
it seems obvious to many
and people of all religions and none
are brothers and sisters
of one another.
We ask
that justice and peace may grow
in the hearts and minds
of each individual,
that we may treat others
in the same way
as we wish to be treated.
Rather than thinking over bad things
that have happened in the past,
may we grow
in the freedom, the courage
and the generosity
to place past events into your hands.
Teach us
how to break the cycle of hatred
by being generous and caring
towards those
who have done us harm,
resisting evil
and conquering it with good. Amen

[caressa222]

July 12

Let us pray:
Lord,
I want to be responsible
for my own life,
and I want to make positive choices
each day.
Inspire me
to get my priorities right
and be generous
in my care and concern for others.
In busy days and casual days
remind me, too,
of my basic human need
for personal time
and quiet and space,
and lead me to respect
the personal needs
that others also have.
Amen.

[caressa222]

July 13

Let us pray:
Lord, I ask that you inspire me
always to do my best
- not comparing myself with others,
but only with myself.
Lead me, Lord,
to discover and use
my own talents to the full.
May I live in such a way
that I help others
to experience success,
as well as praising them
for the good use of their abilities
- looking not so much
at the degree of achievement
but at the effort put in.
Stop me from judging people
or jumping to conclusions
about them,
but lead me
to respect and accept others
for who they are,
focussing on the positive
rather than the negative.
Amen.

[caressa222]

July 14

Let us pray:
Lord,
I do not want to be selfish.
I do realise how important it is
to value and appreciate myself,
and I know
that I need genuine love for myself
f I am fully to love others.
Remind me
of the importance
of keeping time and space and quiet
for myself,
and remind me to respect
the personal needs of others, too.
Lord God,
you who call me by my name,
I thank you for making me
who I am.
Inspire me to grow
as a genuine and sincere person
with a positive attitude,
right values,
and a generous spirit. Amen.

[caressa222]

July 15

Let us pray:
Lord, I need to keep an eye
on the small things in my life
as well as the bigger issues,
because my thoughts
become my attitude,
my attitude becomes my words,
my words become my actions,
and my actions form my character.
Be there, Lord,
in that instant before every thought,
that I may choose wisely
my thoughts and my attitude,
my words and my actions,
so that I grow
as the person you call me to be.
Amen.

[caressa222]

July 16

Let us pray:
Lord, I ask for the gifts
of knowledge and wisdom
and understanding.
What I pray for
I intend to work at,
so that I may develop
an open mind,
a thirst for knowledge,
and a wisdom that makes good use
of my knowledge and experience.
I know that any gifts are useless
if I do not also have
love and concern for others,
and so I ask that you inspire me
to live in such a way
that I am caring and compassionate
and promote understanding
between people.
May others respect me, Lord,
as much as I respect them. Amen.

[caressa222]

July 17

Let us pray:
Loving Lord,
you tell us in the Bible
that whatever wrong we have done
you tread down our faults
to the bottom of the sea. Mic 719
We know there is no need
to keep thinking
about what we have done
in the past, Is 4318
because you pardon
the wrongs we have done,
and you delight
in showing mercy. Mic 718
You bind up all our wounds Ps 1473
and you renew us
by your love. Zeph 317
Lord, you love
all that you have made, Wis 1124
and it is your very nature
to love and forgive.
Lead us to be generous
in accepting and forgiving others
in the same way
as you accept and forgive us.
Amen.

[majestyjo]

July 18

Let us pray:
Lord Jesus,
bring your love to our lives
in a new way today
so that any fear that we might have
is driven away,
knowing that
“perfect love casts out fear”.
Then your light
will shine more brightly in us,
and others will be able to see
the good things that are done
in your name.
Help us to grow more aware
of the love and respect and dignity
that you give us
in calling us your “friends”.
We ask that your Spirit acts in us
so that we discover
and take pride
in who we really are.
Make us credible witnesses
of your love
so that others
may more readily share
in your love and your light,
you who are the light of the world.
Amen.