Morning Prayer

ALMIGHTY GOD, Who art ever present in
the world without me, in my spirit within me,
and in the unseen world above me, let me car-
ry with me through this day's life a most real
sense of Thy power and Thy glory.

O God without me, forbid that I should look
today upon the work of Thy hands and give
no thought to Thee the Maker. Let the heav-
ens declare Thy glory to me and the hills Thy
majesty. Let every fleeting loveliness I see
speak to me of a loveliness that does not fade.
Let the beauty of earth be to me a sacrament
of the beauty of holiness made manifest in
Jesus Christ my Lord.

O God within me, give me grace today to
recognize the stirrings of Thy Spirit within
my soul and to listen most attentively to all
that Thou hast to say to me. Let not the noises
of the world ever so confuse me that I cannot
hear Thee speak. . .

O God above me, God Who dwellest in light
unapproachable, teach me, I beseech Thee,
that even my highest thoughts of Thee are but
dim and distant shadowings of Thy transcend-
ent glory. Teach me that if Thou art in nature,
still more art Thou greater than nature. Teach
me that if Thou art in my heart, still more art
Thou greater than my heart. Let my soul re-
joice in Thy mysterious greatness. Let me take
refuge in the thought that Thou art utterly be-
yond me, beyond the sweep of my imagination,
beyond the comprehension of my mind; Thy
judgments being unsearchable and Thy ways
past finding out.

O Lord, hallowed be Thy name. Amen

                       ~ A Diary of Private Prayer
                          John Baillie, D.D., D.Litt.

Lord of Power and Love

   Lord of Power and Love! I come, trusting in
Thine almighty strength, and Thine infinite
goodness, to beg from Thee what is wanting in
myself; even that grace which shall help me
such to be, and such to do, as Thou wouldst
have me.

   I will trust Thee, in Whom is everlasting
strength. Be Thou my Helper, to carry me on
beyond my own strength, and to make all that
I think, and speak, and do, acceptable in Thy
sight, through Jesus Christ.  Amen.

   ~ F.B. Meyer, Our Daily Walk; Prayer

A Morning Prayer

Another day has come;
   O! help me, God, I pray,
To full forget the bitter things
   That happened yesterday.

And give me strength, Oh Lord,
   Each issue so to meet,
That I may face Thee unashamed
   Before the Judgment seat.

Help me to rule myself
   And kindly let me live,
To all my work, to all mankind,
   My very best to give.

And should, in Thy great plan,
   This day my labors end,
Forgive my sins, my soul receive,
   For Jesus' sake, Amen.

                     ~ Dr. P.B. Hill

A Prayer

God grant me kindly thought
   And patience through the day,
And in the things I've wrought,
   Let no man living say
That hate's grim mark has stained
What little joy I've gained.

God keep my nature sweet,
   Teach me to bear a blow,
Disaster and defeat,
   And no resentment show.
If failure must be mine,
Sustain this soul of mine.

God grant me strength to face
   Undaunted day or night;
To stoop to no disgrace
   To win my little fight;
Let me be, when it is o'er,
As manly as before.

           ~ Edgar A. Guest

The Larger Prayer

At first I prayed for Light:
   Could I but see the way,
How gladly, swiftly would I walk
   To everlasting day!

And next I prayed for Strength:
   That I might tread the road
With firm, unfaltering feet, and win
   The heaven's serene abode.

And then I asked for Faith:
   Could I but trust my God,
I'd live enfolded in His peace,
   Though foes were all abroad.

But now I pray for Love:
   Deep love to God and man,
A living love that will not fail,
   However dark His plan.

And Light and Strength and Faith
   Are opening everywhere;
God only waited for me, till
   I prayed the larger prayer.

                ~ Edna D. Cheney

A Morning Prayer

Let me today do something that will take
   A little sadness from the world's vast store
And may I be so favored as to make
   Of joy's too scanty sum a little more.

Let me not hurt, by any selfish deed
   Or thoughtless word, the heart of foe or
      friend;
Nor would I pass, unseeing, worthy need,
   Or sin by silence when I should defend.

However meager be my worldly wealth,
   Let me give something that shall aid my
      kind --
A word of courage, or a thought of health
   Dropped as I pass for troubled hearts to
      find.

Let me tonight look back across the span
   'Twixt dawn and dark, and to my
      conscience say --
Because of some good act to beast or man --
   "The world is better that I lived today."

                        ~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox

In the Quiet of the Morning

In the quiet of the morning,
   Oh, how sweet it is to come
Just to talk a bit with Jesus
   Ere the crowding duties come.

Just to kneel there for a moment
   With your head upon His breast,
All your problems laid before Him,
   Every human need confessed.

Oh, the loving strength that surges
   From His heart to yours all day;
Like a bright and shining armour,
   Just because you knelt to pray!

     ~ Alice Hansche Mortenson

Unity Is Strength

One little prayer ascending
   From a man bowed low in prayer
Can pierce the highest heavens
   And bring down blessings rare.

Where two or three are gathered
   (We have it on God's word)
There God is in the midst of them,
   Their prayer is surely heard.

Then let us pray together
   The greatest prayer, God's own--
Father, who art in heaven,
   We cry in suppliant tone.

Forgive us all our trespasses,
   Thy holy will be done,
Thy name we'll spread in every clime
   Till all the fold is one.

Give us this day our daily bread,
   Temptations keep at bay--
And strength will come with unity,
   When all together pray.

               ~ Rev. Thomas Foy

A Steadfast Heart

               Give me, O Lord, a steadfast heart,
 which no unworthy affection may drag downwards;
                 give me an unconquered heart,
              which no tribulation can wear out;
                      give me an upright heart,
      which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside.
             Bestow on me also, O Lord my God,
                    understanding to know you,
                         diligence to seek you,
                          wisdom to find you,
    and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you,
            through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

                ~ Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

I Asked God "Why"?

I asked God "Why did you send this cross,
The hurt and the pain and the bitter loss"?
And I found it hard not to complain,
As I sought for peace of soul again.
I asked God "Why did you destine me
For such a special misery"?
And it seemed somehow that I heard Him say,
"Man does not walk an easy way.

"It's the ones I love the most that I
Send crosses to and sorely try,
Remember this and know that there
Will come no grief you cannot bear.
Behold, I stand beside you in
Each sorrow 'till the very end,
Dear little lamb stay close beside
Your Shepherd 'till the eventide".

What blessed joy it was to find
His footprints ever close to mine.
He made the sadness disappear,
With words of comfort in my ear.
The pain of which I was afraid,
Was lifted from me as I prayed,
Leaving such a light that I
Need never doubt or question why.

               --Grace E. Easley

Talk It Over With God

You're worried and troubled
   about everything,
Wondering and fearing
   what tomorrow will bring--
You long to tell someone
   for you feel so alone,
But your friends are all burdened
   with cares of their own--
There is only one place
   and only one friend
Who is never too busy
   and you can always depend
That He will be waiting
   with arms open wide
To hear all your troubles
   that you came to confide--
For the heavenly Father
   will always be there
When you seek Him and find Him
   at the Altar of Prayer.

        --Helen Steiner Rice

A Morning Prayer

Let me today do something that will take
 A little sadness from the world's vast store,
And may I be so favored as to make
 Of joy's too scanty sum a little more.

Let me not hurt, by any selfish deed
 Or thoughtless word, the heart of foe or friend.
Nor would I pass unseeing worthy need,
 Or sin by silence when I should defend.

However meager be my worldly wealth,
 Let me give something that shall aid my kind--
A word of courage, or a thought of health
 Dropped as I pass for troubled hearts to find.

Let me tonight look back across the span
 'Twixt dawn and dark, and to my conscience say--
Because of some good act to beast or man--
 "The world is better that I lived today."

--Ella Wheeler Wilcox