Posts Tagged ‘ Prayer ’

Being the Wheat with Ignatius of Antioch

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Continuing on with prayers from the Saints in history, I turn us now to Ignatius of Antioch.

It seems clear that Ignatius based this prayer on the words of Jesus from John 12:23-26 (ESV):

And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

May we become those who do not consider our lives of any worth apart from the Lord, indeed, that our lives are entirely in the hands of our God and Savior!

I am the wheat of God,
and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts,
that I may be found the pure bread of God.
I long after the Lord,
the Son of the true God and Father, Jesus Christ.
Him I seek, who died for us and rose again.
I am eager to die for the sake of Christ.
My love has been crucified,
and there is no fire in me that loves anything.
But there is living water springing up in me,
and it says to me inwardly:
“Come to the Father.”

Ignatius of Antioch, ~35-110

2015
04/21
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Being Thine with John Wesley

Let Wisdom use your life, and learn where to start with Proverbial Thought!

Regardless of where you stand in the theological and soteriological spectrum, John Wesley was an amazing man of God.

He helped, through this prayer, to remind us of Paul’s words:

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20, ESV

May we all learn to submit ourselves completely to God’s perfect will!

I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

1755, John Wesley

2015
04/14
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Increasing Faith with Pope Clement XI

Increase your wisdom, and get a start at Proverbial Thought!

I will simply let this prayer speak for itself.

The Universal Prayer

Lord, I believe in you: increase my faith.
I trust in you: strengthen my trust.
I love you: let me love you more and more.
I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow.
I worship you as my first beginning,
I long for you as my last end.

I praise you as my constant helper, and call on you as my loving protector.
Guide me by your wisdom, correct me with your justice, comfort me with your mercy,
protect me with your power. I offer you, Lord, my thoughts: to be fixed on you;
my words: to have you for their theme; my actions: to reflect my love for you;
my sufferings: to be endured for your greater glory.  I want to do what you ask of me:
in the way you ask, for as long as you ask, because you ask it.

Lord, enlighten my understanding, strengthen my will,
purify my heart, and make me holy.
Help me to repent of my past sins and to resist temptation in the future.
Help me to rise above my human weaknesses and to grow stronger as a Christian.
Let me love you, my Lord and my God,
and see myself as I really am: a pilgrim in this world,
a Christian called to respect and love all those lives I touch,
those in authority over me or those under my authority,
my friends and my enemies.
Help me to conquer anger with gentleness, greed by generosity, apathy by fervor.
Help me to forget myself and reach out toward others.
Make me prudent in planning, courageous in taking risks.
Make me patient in suffering, unassuming in prosperity.

Keep me, Lord, attentive at prayer, temperate in food and drink, diligent in my work, firm in my good intentions. 
Let my conscience be clear, my conduct without fault, my speech blameless, my life well-ordered.
Put me on guard against my human weaknesses. 
Let me cherish your love for me, keep your law, and come at last to your salvation.
Teach me to realize that this world is passing,
that my true future is the happiness of heaven,
that life on earth is short, and the life to come eternal.
Help me to prepare for death with a proper fear of judgment,
but a greater trust in your goodness.
Lead me safely through death to the endless joy of heaven.
Grant this through Christ Our Lord.   Amen

Attributed to Pope Clement XI (1700-1721)

2015
04/07
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Bending Our Knee with the Celtic Saints

Bestow upon your mind the wisdom of God, and start with Proverbial Thought!

As we continue through prayers of the Saints, today I am taking a slightly different approach. Firstly, the prayer today brought to mind this passage.

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 1:15-23, ESV

Secondly, this prayer is not attributed to any single saint, but as we finish the month of March it feels right to use a Celtic prayer.

Lastly, seeing as we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord this weekend (in what is commonly referred to as Easter these days), this is also a fitting prayer.

I am bending my knee
In the eye of the Father who created me,
In the eye of the Son who purchased me,
In the eye of the Spirit who cleansed me,

In friendship and affection.
Through Thine own Anointed One, O God,
Bestow upon us fullness in our need,
Love towards God,
The affection of God,
The smile of God,
The wisdom of God.
The grace of God,
The fear of God,
And the will of God
To do on the world of the Three,
As angels and saints
Do in heaven;

Each shade and light,
Each day and night,
Each time in kindness,
Give Thou us Thy Spirit.

Eight Century Celtic Prayer

2015
03/31
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A Steadfast Heart with Thomas Aquinas

Find understanding to know God, and get a start at Proverbial Thought!

As we continue this series of prayers from the Saints, I could not help but think of Psalm 51:

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
    and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.
vv. 10-12, ESV

 

Give me, O Lord,
A steadfast heart
Which no unworthy thought can drag downwards;
An unconquered heart
Which no tribulation can wear out;
An upright heart
Which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside.
Bestow upon me also,
O Lord my God,
Understanding to know Thee,
Diligence to seek Thee,
Wisdom to find Thee, and
A faithfulness that may finally embrace Thee;
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

2015
03/24
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Christ Be with Us and Patrick

May the wisdom of God instruct you, and may it start with Proverbial Thought!

There is so much in this prayer from all over the Bible that point to God’s attributes and sovereignty!

In honor of his day, here is a prayer from St. Patrick:

May the Strength of God pilot us.
May the Power of God preserve us.
May the Wisdom of God instruct us.
May the Hand of God protect us.
May the Way of God direct us.
May the Shield of God defend us.
May the Host of God guard us.
Against the snares of the evil ones.
Against temptations of the world

May Christ be with us!
May Christ be before us!
May Christ be in us,
Christ be over all!
May Thy Salvation, Lord,
Always be ours,
This day, O Lord, and evermore.
Amen.

Patrick (387-461)

2015
03/17
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What to Know with Thomas à Kempis

Find knowledge and wisdom at Proverbial Thought!

Here is a continuance of a series on prayers of the saints, and this one reminds me of this passage:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:4-9, ESV

 

Grant me, O Lord, to know what I ought to know,
To love what I ought to love,
To praise what delights thee most,
To value what is precious in thy sight,
To hate what is offensive to thee.
Do not suffer me to judge according to the sight of my eyes,
Nor to pass sentence according to the hearing of the ears of ignorant men;
But to discern with a true judgment between things visible and spiritual,
And above all, always to inquire what is the good pleasure of thy will.

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

2015
03/10
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Becoming an Instrument of Peace with St. Francis

Seek godly wisdom through the thoughts at Proverbial Thought.

I am going to do a series of posts that are prayers of the saints. I hope you enjoy and find yourself drawing closer to our Lord.

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I 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;
it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

Saint Francis of Assisi

2015
03/03
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500 and Counting

I realized after publishing my Groundhog Day post that it was my 500th post on this blog!

I think it rather fitting that on such a milestone, God let me share the first steps to receiving the Gospel message.

Excellent.

Father, help me to remain a faithful servant and witness for your glory. Empower me with your Holy Spirit to always point our fallen world to the sacrifice and resurrection of your Son, Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

2015
02/02
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 11/16/2014

Never grow weary of seeking wisdom, and find some thoughts at Proverbial Thought!

Just for the record, I was a little busy and forgot to prepare one of my poems for last week. Oops!

You could say I was tired, and so it slipped my mind. There is something that it has become increasingly more difficult to forget: thinking about God. Even when I am so tired I can barely see straight or hold a coherent thought, I find my mind wandering to the Bible, God’s attributes, and simply talking with Him.

This has only come after years of deliberately – and very often with Heavenly reminders! – seeking our Lord and reading His Word.

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you want to seek His face, to be filled with a passion for His Word, His presence, to the point of falling asleep while thinking of Him.

tired devotion

i am so devoted to You
that even tired i will praise
my last moment that i have
the last moment i am awake
i spend reaching out for You
i fall asleep as i pray
and i will continue so
each and every day
You deserve what i have
and i will gladly pay
You said to love You with all
my heart and mind and soul and strength
so i will do as You have asked
even tired i will do as You say
my praise You will receive
whether at work or at play
my tired devotion You will get
even if i come to faint

2014
11/16
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