Tomorrow's Prayers

Martin Luther
My Heavenly Father, I thank You, through Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, that You kept me safe from all evil and danger last night. Save me, I pray, today as well, from every evil and sin, so that all I do and the way that I live will please you. I put myself in your care, body and soul and all that I have. Let Your holy Angels be with me, so that the evil enemy will not gain power over me. Amen.



O Lord, grant that my heart may be truly cleansed and filled with Thy Holy Spirit, and that I may arise to serve Thee, and lie down to sleep in entire confidence in Thee, and submission to Thy will, ready for life or for death. Let me live for the day, not overcharged with worldly cares, but feeling that my treasure is not here, and desiring truly to be joined to Thee in Thy heavenly kingdom, and to those who are already gone to Thee. O Lord, save me from sin, and guide me with Thy Spirit, and keep me in faithful obedience to Thee, through Jesus Christ Thy Son, our Lord.

This Mornings Prayers

Attributed to St. Patrick
I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's hosts to save me
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a mulitude.

Christ shield me today
Against wounding
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through the mighty strength
Of the Lord of creation.


Dietrich Bonhoeffer
O God, early in the morning I cry to you.
Help me to pray
And to concentrate my thoughts on you:
I cannot do this alone.
In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;
I do not understand your ways,
But you know the way for me…
Restore me to liberty,
And enable me to live now
That I may answer before you and before me.
Lord, whatever this day may bring,
Your name be praised.

What I need to pray

While away the other week I got up early most mornings to spend some time in prayer. It was easy to do and fruitful. Where we were staying had a small prayer chapel that was space dedicated to 24 hour prayer.

As you entered the chapel there was a bowl of water sitting on a table by the door to bring to remembrance one's baptism. Inside there was cross positioned in the middle of the room with some rugs, pillows and Scriptures scattered around. There were pictures, readings and even what looked like a confession with a chair and very thin veil. It was a quiet, still and dark place which made it easy to pray. I hate to use this word, but the way the room was "decorated” (arranged, setup, planned), made it very inviting to pray.

It was good to get up and pray each morning. It was weighty to walk in one morning, cup my hands in the bowl of fresh, clean water and pour it over my head. It was comforting to kneel at the cross and unload. It felt good to cry before God.

When coming home I resolved to continue this practice of getting up early and praying.

That was then and this is now. Admittedly, I have only prayed this way a couple days since being back. The timing is hard to manage. You see, on days I have to be at work early I just get up a half hour early. No kids to worry about. It is quiet, still and dark. But, I have to be more intentional about this time so I don't fall back asleep. Having some prayers to read or maybe just praying some Psalms would be better than just praying freestyle. On the days I off of work or don't have to be there early, I have to figure out how to get up before the boys. This can be quite a challenge not know when they are going to wake up. It seems once any one of them is up, all meditative and contemplative time or space disappears.

I can see why we are told in Matthew 6 to go into a closet or inner room to pray. To have a special space to pray, a space that facilitates meeting with the Godhead, a thin place between heaven and earth enhances prayer. While in the prayer chapel someone had created this space for me. Now, I need to figure out how to do it my self. It is not that prayer becomes more effective in these sacred places, but it makes it easier for me to give myself to the discipline of prayer. Prayer becomes more purposeful and deliberate. It becomes easier to prayer.