Prayers for Living

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:
Lord,
there is so much that I don’t know,
and I ask you to inspire me
with a thirst for knowledge.
I pray, too,
for wisdom and understanding
that I may use my knowledge well.
I give thanks
for many people I have never met
whose knowledge
and understanding
have been passed on to me.
I ask that I may benefit
from their work and experience
and may contribute, in turn,
to the well-being of others. Amen

[MajestyJo]

January 5

Let us pray:
Lord, I give thanks
for the “gold” in my life:
for the people who are precious to me,
for the happy memories I treasure,
and for all that has been good
over the years.
May all that has been “gold” for me,
remind me always to appreciate
all who are part of my life.
Inspire me, Lord,
to live in such a way
that I help to bring out the best
in others.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

January 6

Let us pray:
Lord Jesus,
you call me to live
every aspect of my life
in your presence,
and so I come before you as I am.
With the myrrh
that the wise men carried
I bring, too,
the pain and sorrow and suffering
that I have experienced.
I lay them before you
because they are all part of who I am.
I ask that good may come
from whatever negative things
happen to me,
knowing that nothing
can ever separate me from your love.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

January 7

Let us pray:
Lord, as I offer you
all that is ordinary
and everyday in my life,
I ask you
to give me the power of your Spirit
that I may transform each day
by living with a positive attitude,
looking for the best
in people and situations.
Inspire me to live in your presence
every day
so that I may share your outlook
and do the ordinary things of life
in an extraordinary way.
May this, Lord, my prayer today,
rise before you
like the burning of incense.
Amen.

There is a saying:
“Wise men followed Jesus.
People who are wise still do.”

[MajestyJo]

January 8

Let us pray:
Lord God,
may all of your creation
- from the vastness
of mighty planets and stars
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.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:
Lord, give us each day
the wisdom to recognise
which things are important,
and which things are not.
Show us how best
to use the time and talents
you have given us.
Help us to use all opportunities wisely
that we may give in service to others
the good gifts we have received
from you. Amen.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:
Commemorative stamps, Lord,
call to mind famous people,
sport and inventions,
and nature, art and history.
As I value what these images represent,
lead me particularly, Lord,
to value every individual person
- made as we all are
in your image and likeness.
Inspire me to show appreciation
to all who are a part of my life.
May I use well
all the opportunities that come my way
to make my part of the world
a better place. Amen.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray
for all who will be making journeys today:
We pray, Lord,
- for those who are going to a new job
and for those who are going to work
for the last time today;
- for the emergency services
who will travel at high speed
on land, water or in the air,
to bring help to others;
- for those starting a new life
as they move house;
- for those travelling
to or from prison;
- for people
who will go into hospital today;
- for young people on their way
to school, college and university;
- for those who are lost
on the journey of life;
- for those who will die today
and make their final journey.
On all these people
we ask your blessing, Lord. Amen.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:
We pray, Lord, for all
who will need strength and courage
in the day ahead:
- for those who face danger;
- for those who risk themselves
for others;
- for those who must make
an important decision today;
- for people who are seriously ill;
- for those facing persecution
or torture.
We ask you, Lord,
to give them
the power of your Spirit.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:
Lord our God,
may the playing
and the watching of sport
remind me
of the qualities I need for living:
developing skills and talents,
appreciating the different skills
that others have,
learning to co-operate with others,
being positive,
having respect for others,
being determined and committed,
having a clear goal at which to aim.
Inspire me to work hard
at developing these qualities
in daily life
so that each of us - working together -
may help to build up your Kingdom.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

1 Albert Schweitzer was born on this day
in 1865. He became a world-famous organist
and author, and sacrificed a comfortable
life in France and Germany to
be a missionary doctor. In Africa he set
up a hospital and leper-colony for the
very poor.
2 He encouraged others to share his “reverence
for life”, growing in compassion
for life in all its forms. He wrote:
“By having reverence for life, we enter
into a spiritual relationship with the
world.”
He helped lead others to see that, with
love and compassion and respect for all
life, people would find a greater meaning
in their lives. In 1952 Doctor Albert
Schweitzer was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize.
3 We can use a short prayer of his today -
a prayer of offering. It’s the kind of prayer
some people memorise and use from
time to time:
4 “Here, Lord, is my life.
I place it on the altar today.
Use my life as you will."

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:
Father, may our human family
not become separated from you
by building barriers of race or colour,
of religion or class.
Inspire us to recognise
that we are all made
in your image and likeness,
so that we may grow in appreciation
of all people,
and encourage each other
to grow in pride in who we are
and who we are called to be.
May we recognise your Son in our midst,
and live truly as brothers and sisters.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

For our prayer today we will use words that
are based on an ancient Chinese blessing:

May God guard us and keep us
in safety and comfort
and in health and strength,
sending us nothing but good.
May God send down
so many blessings
that the day is not long enough
for them all.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:
Father,
I ask you
to help me to be generous
when I think
of the attitude and actions of others.
Forgiving someone
isn’t an easy option,
and I know that forgiveness
isn’t somehow pretending
that something wrong
hasn’t happened.
For what I have done wrong,
forgive me Father,
to the extent
that I am generous in forgiving -
or hoping to forgive -
those who have done wrong to me.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

1 Today sees the start of the Week of Prayer
for Christian Unity.
2 Pope John XXIII (the twenty-third) was
Pope in the early 1960s and he did a lot
for world peace at the time of the Cuban
Missile Crisis that almost became World
War III. He is also well-known for being
very keen to bring closer together Christians
of different churches. He said:
“In essential things - unity;
in unimportant things - freedom;
in all things - charity.”
3 The end of Church Unity Week on the
25th is the anniversary (in 1959) of the
announcement by Pope John that he
would call together all the Catholic bishops
across the world to look at bringing
the Church up-to-date, “to let in some air
and blow away the dust”. That meeting
would be called “The Second Vatican
Council”
4 Pope John wrote a prayer which we will
make our own today:
“Renew in our own days
your miracles
like a second Pentecost.
Grant that the Church,
re-united in prayer,
may extend the kingdom of Jesus
- a kingdom of truth and justice,
of love and peace.
Amen.”