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DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
Suggested Prayers
Here are some prayers that you can choose from:
In Times of Conflict
O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our
struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and
to work together with mutual forebearance and respect; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen
For the Unemployed
Heavenly Father, we remember before you those who suffer want and anxiety from lack of
work. [in particular__________]. Guide the people of this land so to use our public and
private wealth that all may find suitable and fulfilling employment, and receive just
payment for their labor; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
For Schools and Colleges
O Eternal God, bless all schools, colleges, and universities [and especially
__________], that they may be lively centers for sound learning, new discovery, and the
pursuit of wisdom; and grant that those who teach [especially __________], and those who
learn [especially __________] may find you to be the source of all truth; through Jesus
Christ our Lord, Amen.
For Young Persons
God our Father, you see your children [especially remembering __________] growing up in
an unsteady and confusing world: show them that Your ways give more life than the ways of
the world, and that following You is better than chasing after selfish goals. Help them to
take failure, not as a measure of their worth, but as a chance for a new start. Give them
strength to hold their faith in You, and to keep alive their joy in Your creation; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
For Those Who Live Alone
Almighty God, whose Son had nowhere to lay His head: Grant that those who live alone
[in particular __________] may not be lonely in their solitude, but that, following in His
steps, may find fulfillment in loving You and their neighbors; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, Amen.
For the Aged
Look with mercy, O god our Father, on all whose increasing years bring them weakness,
distress, or isolation [in particular __________]. Provide for them homes of dignity and
peace; give them understanding helpers and the willingness to accept help; and, as their
strength diminishes, increase their faith and their assurance of Your love. This we ask in
the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
For a Birthday
O God, our times are in Your hand: Look with favor, we pray, on your servant [name],
as they begin another year. Grant that they may grow in wisdom and grace, and strengthen
their trust in Your goodness all the days of their life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
For the Absent
O God, whose fatherly care reacheth to the uttermost parts of the earth: We humbly
beseech thee graciously to behold and bless those whom we love, now absent from us [in
particular __________]. Defend them from all dangers of soul and body; and grant that both
they and we, drawing nearer to thee, may be bound together by thy love in the communion of
thy Holy Spirit, and in the fellowship of thy saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
For Travelers
O God, our Heavenly Father, whose glory fills the whole creation, and whose presence we
find wherever we go: Preserve those who travel [in particular __________]; surround them
with Your loving care; protect them from every danger; and bring them in safety to their
journey's end; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
For Those We Love
Almighty God, we entrust all who are dear to us [in particular __________] to thy
never-failing care and love, for this life and the life to come, knowing that Thou art
doing better things than we can desire or pray for; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
For a Person in Trouble or Bereavement
O merciful Father, who hast taught us in they Holy Word that Thou dost not willingly
afflict or grieve the children of men: Look with pity upon the sorrows of thy servant for
whom our prayers are offered. Remember [name], O Lord, in mercy, nourish their soul
with patience, comfort them with a sense of Thy goodness, lift up Thy countenance upon
them, and give them peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
For Recovery From Sickness
O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers:Mercifully accept our
prayers, and grant to your servant [name] the help of your power, that their
sickness may be turned into health, and our sorrow into joy; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, Amen.
Before an Operation
Almighty God our Heavenly Father, graciously comfort your servant [name] in
their suffering, and bless the means made use of for their cure. Fill their heart with
confidence that, though at times they may be afraid, they yet may put their trust in You;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
For Guidance
O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light riseth up in darkness for the
godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what Thou wouldst
have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in
Thy light we may see light, and in Thy straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ
our Lord, Amen.
A Prayer of Self-Dedication
Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to Thee, so guide our minds, so fill our
imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly Thine, utterly dedicated unto
Thee; and then use us, we pray Thee, as Thou wilt, and always to Thy glory and the welfare
of Thy people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.
The Prayer of St Francis of Assisi
Lord, make us instruments of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let us sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that we may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.
On Sunday
O God our King, by the resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ on the first day of the
week, You conquered sin, put death to flight, and gave us the hope of Everlasting Life:
Redeem all our days by this victory; forgive our sins, banish our fears, make us bold to
praise you and to do your will; and steel us to wait for the consummation of your Kingdom
on the last Great Day; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
For the Answering of Prayer
Almighty God, who hast promised to hear the petitions of those who ask in Thy Son's
Name: We beseech Thee mercifully to incline Thine ear to us who have now made our prayers
and supplications unto Thee; and grant that those things which we have faithfully asked
according to Thy will, may be effectually obtained, to the relief of our necessity, and to
the setting forth of Thy glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
A General Thanksgiving
Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that You have done for us. We thank you
for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of
life, and for the mystery of love.
We thank You for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which
surrounds us on every side.
We thank You for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to
accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.
We thank You also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our
dependence on You alone.
Above all, we thank You for Your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of His Word and the
example of His life; for His steadfast obedience, by which He overcame temptation; for His
dying, through which He overcame death, and for His rising to life again, in which we are
raised to the life of Your Kingdom.
Grant us the gift of Your Spirit, that we may know Christ and make Him known; and through
Him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to You in all things. Amen.
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