Written Prayers

Here are several prayers, some of which you may recognise. Please use as you wish.

The Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer is the model of prayer that Jesus taught us, as recorded in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. It is presented here in traditional and modern language:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever and ever. Amen

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.

Your Kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours.
Now and for ever. Amen

The Lords prayer, or the "our Father prayer" is prayed daily by thousands of Christians, and can be seen both as a model for prayer, and as to be repeated as part of our daily prayer.
It starts by addressing God as our Father in heaven, that although His name is honoured, and above all other names, we are His children. As such, we occupy a place of privilege, and He wants us to spend time in prayer with Him.
The Lords prayer then moves on to pray that God's Kingdom, or rule, will become the norm on earth, replacing human rules and governments, which too often are driven by greed and power. Only then do we turn to our own needs, and ask our Father for our basic human needs to be satisfied, and that He would forgive the wrong things that we have done. We ask for God's guidance and protection as we journey through life. Finally we turn back to God, and acknowledge His supremacy and position as the Almighty ruler.

Pointers for Prayer : Pray the Lords Prayer through, and then take one of the phrases. Spend a few moments reflecting on that phrase, for example, imagining what it means for God's Kingdom to come, or how we forgive those who sin against us. Then use these thoughts for further prayer, finally coming back to pray through the Lord's Prayer again.

2 Samuel 7:18-29 David’s Prayer of thanks

NIV

¹⁸ Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said:

“Who am I, Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? ¹⁹ And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign LORD, is for a mere human!^[a]

²⁰ “What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign LORD. ²¹ For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.

²² “How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. ²³ And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?^[b] ²⁴ You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, LORD, have become their God.

²⁵ “And now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, ²⁶ so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The LORD Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.

²⁷ “LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. ²⁸ Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. ²⁹ Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”

The Message

^18-21 King David went in, took his place before God, and prayed: "Who am I, my Master God, and what is my family, that you have brought me to this place in life? But that's nothing compared to what's coming, for you've also spoken of my family far into the future, given me a glimpse into tomorrow, my Master God! What can I possibly say in the face of all this? You know me, Master God, just as I am. You've done all this not because of who I am but because of who you are—out of your very heart!—but you've let me in on it.

^22-24 "This is what makes you so great, Master God! There is none like you, no God but you, nothing to compare with what we've heard with our own ears. And who is like your people, like Israel, a nation unique in the earth, whom God set out to redeem for himself (and became most famous for it), performing great and fearsome acts, throwing out nations and their gods left and right as you saved your people from Egypt? You established for yourself a people—your very own Israel!—your people permanently. And you, God, became their God.

^25-27 "So now, great God, this word that you have spoken to me and my family, guarantee it permanently! Do exactly what you've promised! Then your reputation will flourish always as people exclaim, 'The God-of-the-Angel-Armies is God over Israel!' And the house of your servant David will remain sure and solid in your watchful presence. For you, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel's God, told me plainly, 'I will build you a house.' That's how I was able to find the courage to pray this prayer to you.

^28-29 "And now, Master God, being the God you are, speaking sure words as you do, and having just said this wonderful thing to me, please, just one more thing: Bless my family; keep your eye on them always. You've already as much as said that you would, Master God! Oh, may your blessing be on my family permanently!"

Prayer of St. Richard of Chichester

Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ,
For all the benefits thou hast won for me,
For all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me.

O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother,
May I know thee more clearly,
Love thee more dearly,
And follow thee more nearly:
For ever and ever.

--St. Richard Chichester (1197-1253)

My Loving Father, today I bring You my worry, fear, and guilt
to place into Your Hands of Light.

As you accept my burdens, I feel the weight lift, and know that I start
each day a renewed person in Your everlasting Love.

Teach me to forgive myself and all others.

Teach me to accept myself as You do.

Teach me to Love as You do, unconditionally with compassion for all people.

Thank You Father for Your gift of life and Love.

Thank You for holding me safe and secure.

Thank You for being there when I need You.

Amen.

Blessing the Community

I ask for God's blessing on our parish

I ask for God's blessing on our families

I ask for God's blessing on our children

I ask for God's blessing on our village/town/community

I ask for God's blessing on those who live alone

I ask for God's blessing on the schools

I ask for God's blessing on the strong

I ask for God's blessing on the shops

I ask for God's blessing on the farms

I ask for God's blessing, on the poor

I ask for God's blessing on the weak

I ask for God's blessing on the rich

I pray for the blessing of the Father who loves me

I pray for the blessing of the Son who died for me

I pray for the blessing of the Spirit who comforts and leads me

I pray for the blessing of God to be on my community

This day andalways. Amen

You spoke

And a universe

Burst into existence.

You breathed

And an ocean

Broke against shore.

You laughed

And a wild goose

Flew across the horizon.

You sang

And a love song

Was played for the world.

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Light of light,

Lord of Lords,

God of this world

and the next,

We give you thanks

for the promise of this day,

We give you thanks

for the challenge of this day,

We give you thanks

for the blessings of this day.

Light of light,

Lord of Lords,

God of this world

and the next,

We give you thanks

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Creator of all,

Sustainer of all,

Saviour of all,

Your glory and majesty

are beyond our understanding,

Your power too awesome to behold.

And yet your love enfolds us as a gentle breeze.

Saviour of all ,

Sustainer of all,

Creator of all,

We bless your holy name

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