This is something I actually wrote about a year ago and find myself coming back to quite often. In fact, it’s been so helpful to me, I’m coming back to it once again to help further spiritual discipline as I prepare for my journey on the world race. Every day from now until the end of my race in 2016, I plan on praying through this guide. What I’m inviting you to do is pray the same. That is if you want to.
As I’m asking people to partner with me in prayer for this trip, I thought it might be nice to show my partners what I’m going to be praying.
The influences I took from while writing this guide come from a few different Greek Orthodox prayer books, various specific Catholic prayers, The Book of Common Prayer, personal prayers I tend to repeat to the Lord, and various Biblical concepts. I think you’ll find a variety of styles if you pay attention, yet you’ll definitely be able to see a unique way of writing that is certainly my own. Pray it if you want, I just wanted the option to be there. Everything after this sentence is what I wrote a year or so ago.
As a person who is growing in business throughout my days, I find it increasingly more difficult to pray well. I don’t just mean a quick prayer at dinner time thanking God for food, or a, “Thanks for taking care of that,” prayer; I mean speaking and relating to the God-King! These are entirely different concepts. Because of this, I felt the need to write down prayers for different occasions throughout the day, that I may come back to them later, as needed, and actually speak meaningful words and knowledge with the King instead of shallow morality and Christian buzz-words.
In my studies, I have found much respect for the devotion to prayer of orthodox Muslims and how they find prayer as not something they do because they are religious, but rather, are religious because of their prayer (and obviously many other facets). This is a guide to prayer for my sake. Pray these words specifically if you wish, but if nothing else, use it as a gateway to get yourself in the mode of speaking to the King.
I would suggest first reading over whatever you are considering praying to see if you find it agreeable. The last thing we as Christians want to do is just be spouting words at Jesus because we think they are good and proper. This is heavily condemned by Jesus in the Gospels, and should be condemned now. Read the words, and if you see them to be true, actually say them to God, do not just read.
I hope you find this guide to be a blessing as I have and continue to.
Morning
(After you are fully dressed, splash some water on your face in remembrance of your baptism and to help heighten your senses.)
Lord, we pray:
My King, good morning! I would come before you now and give you thanks for the past night’s rest. Truly you are good, and I can rest in your goodness. So I give you my heartfelt thanks.
To all those of faith around me, may our spirits unite as one as I pray to you. Our father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. May thy Kingdom come, on this Earth, and may thy will be done, as it is in your dwelling in Heaven.
King, this day, as I go forth from this spot, I will need sustenance. Please, I humbly ask for your providence in that matter. Yes, in physical food and drink, but also in food for my spirit. If my spirit fails me, I am nothing. So I ask, out of your glorious and unlimited riches and graces, provide for me, for my spirit will fail without you.
As well, King, the day ahead is full of unseen temptations. The enemy is everywhere, and yet I do not see. Keep me from temptations and deliver me from the evil one. I am not a bird to be caught in a snare, but a Royal member of your house to thrive and to serve! I claim the protection of Christ on my body, over my mind and thoughts, and of my spirit.
I claim these things for thine is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Petition: I would now come before you, my King, for the sake of others. Do good to your church, holy and true. May we be united in love and truth, for your glory. Bless your missions around the world and see to them. May the Christians around the world, even in my own neighborhood, very truly myself as well, suffer well for your sake and your Gospel. Break us, that you might be glorified and we may proclaim your goodness in our suffering. May the slaves of the great master serve well.
Specifically, now, I would pray for . . .(add those on your mind and heart). I pray for their health, that you would do well to them, in accordance to your will, and I ask that you make known your character to them.
(At this point, add any specific request you have for any individual situation)
Confession: My King, against you and you only have I sinned in the past evening. Whether it be by thoughts, words, deeds, deeds left undone, laziness, a lack of love or patience, or any slew of other concepts, I have directly gone against your nature. As it it you dwell within me, I have taken you places you never wanted to go. I have done wrong.
I firmly propose amendment. Not that we were ever separated, for nothing can separate us, but that our relationship saw blight through my action. As your child, I often go against your teachings and orders. I apologize for that. Truly, hear me well, please O King; you have my deepest sorrow and repentance. I would point your attention to the cross, good sir. See there is my sin, dying. See there is my punishment, inflicted on your son. The debt is paid, the sin is dead, thus I ask for your forgiveness.
Help me as I go along to better my battling skill against the enemy and his tricks. I love you, and you alone, above all else. Let me slay myself in order for your great presence to shine through better.
Thank you for hearing my plea, and for that matter, for your forgiveness. Again, you are so incredible to me. I cannot thank you enough for how good it feels to just come to you and tell you that I’m sorry, knowing that I am embraced with love.
Closing: Dad, as I stop my prayer here, know that I will try my best to keep you on the forefront of my mind as I go about the day. There may be moments where I fixate on my work deeply, and thus I am not thinking about you. But you gave me the ability to work well, so let those moments be moments of glorification to you, through my actions.
I love you. I’ll talk with more in a bit. If you’ve got anything you’d like to say to me, I’ll be eagerly waiting to hear it. Thank you again, for all of your goodness to me.
I ask these things come to pass, and I thank thee only, through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Noonday
(A prayer at noon will help your spirit feel strengthened and refreshed, in order that you can continue on, giving glory to Jesus)
Good King! Hello again. Thank you for allowing me to come before you and just talk. My day has been going. I know that no matter what’s happened so far, you are on the throne as all the happenings of the day have unfolded, and that all things work to your glory. I am thankful for this.
In this brief moment, I ask that you continue to strengthen me. I need you so very much. Truly O King, I am in desperate need of your strength in me. My strength will fail, my mind will haze, but if you are my strength, if you are my thought, if you are within me, I will remain, strong, for your service.
I pray to you out of need for continued strength, I pray to you out of need for your relationship, and I pray to you out of love, for who you are.
Reveal to me your presence.
(Take a few moments here and simply behold the Lamb of God. Don’t just think about him, but picture him, be with him, but speak not. Just be)
Thank you again for who you are and your goodness. Thank you for Jesus and the act of the Cross, and what that means for me. I love you, truly I love you. Do good to your Church, and do good to me, according to your will alone. It is through the authority given me by the household of Jesus that I ask all these things come to be, and that I thank you. Amen.
Eventide
Glory to thee, my King. Glory only to thee. The day has passed and I am now winding down in the moments before sleep, but before I do rest for the night, I wanted to come before you one last time.
First of all, be praised my heavenly father. For all the blessings and graces of this past day, I cannot give you enough thanks. You are so very good to me. Help me, tomorrow, to yet again see all the graces you afford me throughout the day that I might not otherwise give you credit for.
Meditation and Self-examination: (In these next moments, as long or short as you feel you need, reflect on your day, that your mind might be calmed and that you won’t do so while trying to sleep. Ask God to show you your sins that you might own up to them. Examine moments of general unchristian like attitudes and stresses, that you might be aware of them and better yourself for such a moment later. After this, stop and rest in mind as you remember who God is; as you think on His presence, His love, His Justice, His goodness, and His mercy)
Confession: My father, as you dwell in the heavenly realm, and as it is you have given me recall of my sin this day, I humbly ask your forgiveness. Not a forgiveness of salvation, for you have already saved me, but a forgiveness of action and improper character. A forgiveness that says in a depth that I am very truly sorry.
You have given us access to your commonwealth of existence. That is, we have the proverbs to know how to live well, we have the stories of your word to teach well, we have Jesus to exemplify well, we have the Apostles teachings to learn well, and we have your revelation to expect well. Yet, with that bounty of personal and corporate wisdom, we still stumble. I still stumble. Truly King, hear me well when I proclaim my sorrow to you.
And if it is that I do not actually feel this sorrow, but simply am saying that I do, deceiving myself, please, discipline me. Grow me, give me the wisdom to see through your eyes that which holds me down.
And so I ask: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner. (repeat in fullness 12 times)
And so I proclaim: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, thank you for loving me, a royal.
In full understanding of what it means to be a redeemed believer of Jesus, I thank you with an incredible joy for your forgiveness! Thank you, King. Truly, thank you.
Petition: Inasmuch as you have my prayer for myself, please hear my cry for others, on their behalf.
(Here add the names of those specifically on your mind of who you wish to pray for)
For these, my King, I would come and bow before you. Hear your servant as I cry for them. I ask but three things for them. First, as it pleases you and fits within your will only, I would ask for their health. May you exercise dominion over their bodies and minds, fully healing any infirmities, illnesses, wounds, or other mishappenings of the body.
Secondly, my King, I would ask that as the night grows, no matter where they be, there would be a mighty protection over them. Guard them with angels, with soldiers of your realm, with the power and protection of Jesus Himself. I honestly don’t know what to ask for in this regard, I just know that I love them, I love you, and I want them to be kept safe, for their sake and for your glory.
Finally, I would ask of my King that you make yourself known to them. (If any of the people you are praying for are not saved through Christ, make a special petition for them and their salvation). For those unsaved, I would ask you to save them. I don’t know that it’s my place to meddle in such business, but I will not have it on myself that I never prayed for their salvation. May you save the lost, as only you can do. For those saved, keep their spirits in line with yours. Make their choices be run through the scope of the holy scriptures before they make them. May the Holy Spirit stir in their innermost being as the holy and aloof character of the Good Shepherd is renewed to their minds. May the King’s Children know Him well.
For the Holy Church at large, I ask your continued favor and guidance. These are the changers of the world, through your power alone. We can only do so if You are at the helm leading us. Bless your servants, ministers, Gospel-spreaders, preachers of the Word, deacons, bishops, and all those who follow the true teachings of the Christ.
May the Almighty hear me. May he bless me, and keep me.
Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ to my right, Christ to my left.
Christ as I slumber, Christ when I wake. Christ in my words, Christ in my thoughts.
Christ as I arise, Christ as I thrive, Christ as I suffer, Christ as I am.
Christ in me, Christ through me, and myself in Christ.
Be praised, my holy King. I love you. Grant me rest that I might arise tomorrow and glorify you yet still.
