Only recently, by that I mean in the last several years have I come to appreciate prayers that have been written by others hundreds, even thousands of years before I Ever needed them. Perhaps it was my upbringing. In the family of faith I grew up in, aside from the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father”, we were encouraged to speak to God from our own hearts, not simply recite or depend on the prayers of old to guide our way. I understand and accept this, but know now that the hymns we sing are another’s prayer. The prayers of the saints who have gone before us emerged from their hearts not some desire to have others recite them for years to come. The Bible is filled with powerful prayers, many I now use in whole or in part when praying. What prayer, indeed, could be more in tune with the will of God in my life or in the lives of those I pray for than the Word of God.
This discovery of written prayer as a comfort, as a help when they express exactly the needs of my heart, as a guide as to how to pray, has expanded my prayer life rather than narrowed it to an action of meer repetition of words. Now I find myself writing prayers myself as I pray. As I did this, I began to respond to prayer requests on Facebook with whatever tumbled out of my heart and into the post. I did not do this without fear, for words once written cannot be easily amended. What if my words offended or fell short of the need? What if? What if? What if?
Then it hit me. WHO was the audience to whom I was writing? The one who requested the prayers? The others who would respond or read the comments? OR, was I writing a letter to God Almighty on behalf of another? Once I considered these questions, the realization became clearer, first I had to get my motivation for intercession in line with God. So, I pray, Lord, let the words of my mouth, the words I write, and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in YOUR SIGHT.
Second, I have learned writing prayers of intercession fills me with even more awe at how God is transforming my prayer life by showing me how praying in the moment a request comes through keeps me faithful. Although, I still respond with ‘praying’ or ‘prayers’, writing a prayer right then makes sure I follow through with my promise.
So I am thankful to the saints before me who have written their prayers for me to pray. I am exploring the power of prayer that might come if I write more prayers down as I come to my quiet time with God. So in keeping with that, Today I pray:
Lord, the rain is falling and I am clearly aware that we are only getting a smidgen of the rain that been dumped on South Texas this week by Hurricane Harvey. I lift those people who have lost so much, even loved ones and pets to you. Hold them close and bring them through this stronger than before. For those who serve these refugees of the storm, I pray strength, courage, and provisions. For my grandson in FTX, his squad, his platoon, the three other platoons, I pray the power of your Holy Spirit to be alive in them as they press onward to the goal before them.. Let those of us who wait to hear from them ‘light the way’ with our candles and porch lights and mostly with our prayers. Lord, for those we know who are recovering from surgery, dealing with infection and illness, for those old folks like us who are weary today after work yesterday I pray that you would renew our strength, heal our bodies, and let us rise up to serve each other with Love. I praise you for the rain! I praise you for the blessing of this new day! Forgive me my sins for they are many and I am trusting that you will. Set me on the right path and give me the wisdom I need for this day. Through Christ our Lord, Amen. And Lord, please protect the momma cat and her kittens who are hiding under our shed….just asking…Amen
This beautiful prayer comes from the Episcopal Church Facebook Page…a favorite site of mine for prayers.
My Seventh Decade...The Years Beyond 