Prayer for Health

Great Physician, who fills Paradise,
Praise Your Presence.
Let Your Essence fill us all.
Let Your mercy reach earth,
As it does all parts of Paradise.
Heal us this day.
Reprieve us from the ills we deserve for sin,
As we reprieve those who make us suffer.
Do not let us find the sickness of the soul
That we are so prone to do.
Minister to our wounds
And repair our souls as well as our bodies.
For you are the Great Physician,
The Healer of all,
The Doctor of Souls,
With all the skill of infinity
And no limits.

Photo by mckaysavage

Lend

"For as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them.

For if ye love them who love you, what thanks have ye?
For sinners also love those who love them.
And if ye do good to them that love you, what thanks have ye?
For sinners also do even the same.
And if ye lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what thanks have ye?
For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again;
And your reward shall be great,
And you shall be children of the Highest;
For he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil."




Why if you need money are you unworthy of help?
Since I have been needy,
I have found this to be true.
I tithed for many years without expectation of return,
Just as well for there has been none.
I know God's answer is that He will be with us,
Not that He will reward us.
Yet I need so little,
But even that is begrudged me.
I need to feel God's lovingkindness,
But it is absent from my life,
All I taste is my own tears.
Those who profess to be Christians do not lend;
They only admonish.
I will turn my attention to those outside the fold,
So that they do not feel alone.
God, be near.

Photo by Wonderlane

Looking for the Lost

"The Lord is my Shepherd..."

Those words echo in the soul of every Christian.

There at too many times when I feel

Like a sheep that has wandered astray:

Alone,

Lost,

Afraid.

Let me be a sheep in God's fold:

Warm,

Secure,

Surrounded by others.

If that cannot be,

Then let me remember

The parable of the lost sheep:

That the Shepherd will leave the ninety and nine

To look for the lost one.

Look for me, O Lord.

Photo by Fif"

Heaven

Where is heaven?

I have studied the grand emptiness of space.

I do not see the face of God,

But only the miracle of Creation.

Where does God dwell?

I know that question has many answers.

I seek only the answer that brings me closest to the Everlasting

For now, I must be satisfied with the words of God's Book,

And the knowledge that the Almighty is present everywhere,

In every moment of my life,

I must trust that death is the gateway to heaven,
The gateway to a dimension without time.

Someday as I cross that strange threshold
I will hear God say,

"Welcome home."

Photo by jimkster

Maternal Prayer

Mommy, Mommy!

Mother of the universe,
Into whose lap we wish to climb,
Praise your kind presence and love.
May your grace envelop the world
So that all will heed you
Just as your cherubs do.
Provide wholesome food each day
To nourish our bodies,
So we may seek you to nourish our souls.
Do not spank us when we stray.
Let us remember your forbearance
When others choose to stray
And make us stumble.
Take us by the hand,
Lift us away from danger.
Rock us in your arms
Because you are love, comfort, and nurture,
Eternity's Mother,
Forever God,
Amen.

Photo by David Paul Ohmer

Renewal

"This is the day which the Lord hath made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it."





Life moves on;
The wish for oblivion fades.
Life is bearable,
But still sad.
Each day must be faced alone.
Friends do not comprehend
That hope is fragile,
Too easily crushed.
The crisis gone,
Their lives engulf them.
I am alone.
God's presence is lost,
But his promise of renewal
Is still with me.
Each day
I recite this Psalm
And face the dawn.

Photo by austrini

One Last Thought

Loneliness can kill.
When God does not answer,
Hope dies.
So does life.

Photo by rocketjim54

Prayer for Endurance

Prince of Peace, who died for us,
Praise to you, Messiah.
May you come again soon.
While we wait,
Let us be your servants on earth,
Just as the saints serve you in heaven.
Give us endurance for the trials ahead.
Forgive our failures
So we can forgive the failures of others.
Keep us alive in times of despair,
And protect us from ourselves,
For you are the one true God.
Amen

Photo by busymommy

Embrace the Trinity

Why do we not see the suffering of others?
Why are we blind to the burdens others carry?
Too much is put on being the individual.
Too much is put on making it on your own.
Too much is put on self-sufficiency.
If we are one with God,
We are not alone.
If we have the Comforter with us,
We see the plight of others.
If we know the Son,
We know that death holds no fear.
Embrace the Trinity.

Photo by double.reed

Forgiveness

One miracle.
I need one miracle.
Do miracles happen today?
Not for me.
All I pray for is forgiveness.
Forgiveness for my weakness.
Forgiveness for my failures.
Forgiveness.

Photo by winterdoll

The Truth

Misery compounds misery.
Small are my problems in this world.
Enormous to me are my sufferings.
Is that not always the truth?
Jesus said,
"Ye shall know the truth,
And the truth shall make you free."
I believe I know the truth,
But I am not free.
Why?

Photo by *madalena-pestana*

The Word Within

I contemplate the Bible,
The record of God's deeds
In times far past;
The written record of the life of Jesus
And the commitment of the apostles.
Is there a record for today?
Does some lonely scribe
Now write words that will inspire
Those in the far future?
Perhaps now the record is written
On the heart of the believer.
Each carries the Word within.
Our duty is to be the book
The world can read
And know our God.

Photo by Paul Keller

Prayer for Tomorrow

Our Saviour, who died for us
And rose to show us
The promise of eternal life,
Praise your example of our future.
Let the Comforter dwell with us.
Let tomorrow be yours
Just as it was
Almost two thousand years ago.
Forgive us our fears of the future
As we forgive those who act out of fear.
Keep our thoughts on the promise of tomorrow,
Not tribulations to come.
Counselor share your wisdom
For you are the key to eternal life.
Amen

Photo by mysza831

Open Gates

Heaven's gates are open.
We forget that Christ's mission
Was to open the way to eternity.
His truth is that
The Prince of Peace is the mechanism
Through which we all enter.
He may have many different names
And many different aspects,
But in Him we reach God.
All we must do is seek the Almighty.

Photo by mind the goat

The Last First

Many that are first shall be last; and the last first.

These words of Jesus
Are ignored at our peril.
We are too concerned
With our position in society.
Do we have the best house?
Is our car the latest model?
We tithe
And make sure everyone knows.
People strive to be on television
For any reason.
What is really important?
How we treat the beggar at our door.
How we treat homeless under the bridge.
How we treat the convict in search of work.
How we treat the sick and weak.
How we treat the elderly in nursing homes.
We do not want to leave our comfort zone.
To follow in the Master's steps,
We must.

Pentecost

On Pentecost, Peter speaks
To those who have seen
The Holy Spirit come this day.
"Repent and be baptized,"
Peter tells the crowd
And three thousand obey.
Those same words are true today.
We must turn from our failure
To be all God desires us to be
And acknowledge our commitment
Before all.
The words make repentance
Sound easy.
True change is never easy.
Only with the help of the Comforter
Can we turn.
Ask now.

Photo by St.Mary's Episcopal...

The Pope at St.Patrick's

I am not Catholic, but I watched this morning's Mass at St. Patrick's cathedral.

An elderly man walks slowly
Down the aisle of a majestic cathedral,
Dressed in robes of white.
A miter on his head
Bears a golden cross
Like the one he carries in his hand.
He is stooped with age
Or perhaps responsibility.
He is Pope Benedict XVI.
There is mention of St. Peter.
Suddenly, without premonition,
Tears come
And emotion overwhelms me.
Whether I believe
All his church's doctrines
Or not,
His lineage traces back
Through almost two thousand years,
Back to a fisherman from Galilee
Who knew my Savior.
He is the living embodiment
Of my faith,
A connection to my Lord.
For the moment, he draws me closer
To God.

Photo by Beyond Forgetting

Fog

A soft, gray fog envelopes the morning.
Unhappiness and anxiety shroud my world,
Just as the fog shrouds the trees and flowers.
I wait.
Outside the sunlight breaks through.
Can the Comforter's light penetrate the gray worry of my soul?
Let me know the Deliverer's sunlight in my soul,
Let me share that sunlight with others.
Let me bask in the light of the world every day.
Praise comes with difficulty.
Yet, God is always supreme.
God is always in control.
Praise the peace of God
That passes all understanding.

Photo by spoon

A Prayer for Hope

Our Comforter, who surrounds us,
Praise for your existence,
Praise for your solace.
Let your presence be known to all.
Sustain us as the saints were sustained.
Give us hope.
Forgive our lack of faith.
Help us to forgive the shortcomings of others.
Do not burden us beyond endurance.
Deliver us from despair.
For you can give joy
And strength and everlasting life.
Amen

Photo by Jan Tik

Before We Ask

Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him."

Jesus spoke these words
Just before he gives his model prayer.
There is comfort in these words.
Comfort because if God bothers to know
Then God must care.
Today, I need to know that God cares.
Today, I need to feel God's presence.
Today, I need to believe God answers prayer.
Today, I need to keep my faith alive.
Today, I need to accept my life.
Only God can fulfill my needs
And make me whole.
Let it be so.

Photo by ButterflySha