A List of Favorite Prayers

In the Morning
This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely. If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently. And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly. Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen.

- Book of Common Prayer (BCP), p. 46

 

 

 

 

 

Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

- Reinhold Niebuhr

St. Francis
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

- BCP, p, 833

For Guidance
Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

- BCP, p.100

For Self-Dedication
Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated to you; and then use us, we pray you, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

- BCP, p.832

Before a Meal
Bless, O Lord, your gifts to our use and us to your service; and make us mindful of the needs of others; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

- BCP, p. 833

God is great, God is good, and we thank God for our food. By God’s hands we are fed; thank you God for daily bread. Amen.

After a meal
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, and bless God’s holy Name. Amen. (Psalm 103:1)

- BCP, p. 733

For Sleep
O heavenly Father, you give your children sleep for the refreshing of soul and body: Grant me this gift, I pray; keep me in that perfect peace which you have promised to those whose minds are fixed on you; and give me such a sense of your presence, that in the hours of silence I may enjoy the blessed assurance of your love; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

- BCP, p. 461

At Bedtime
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love’s sake. Amen.

- BCP, p.71

For a Birthday
Watch over thy child, O Lord, as her days increase; bless and guide her wherever she may be. Strengthen her when she stands; comfort her when discouraged or sorrowful; raise her up if she fall; and in her heart may thy peace which passes understanding abide all the days of her life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

- BCP, p.830

For a Sick Child
Heavenly Father, watch with us over your child (name of child), relieve his pain, guard him from all danger, restore to him your gifts of gladness and strength, raise him up to a life of service to you, and grant that he may be restored to that perfect health which it is yours alone to give; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

- BCP, p. 458

For Strength and Confidence
Heavenly Father, giver of life and health: Comfort and relieve your sick servant (name of person), and give your power of healing to those who minister to her needs, that she may be strengthened in her weakness and have confidence in your loving care; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

- BCP p. 459

For a Pregnant Woman
O Lord and giver of life, receive our prayer for (name of pregnant woman) and for the child she has conceived, that they may happily come to the time of birth, and serving you in all things may rejoice in your loving providence. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

- Changes: Prayers and Services Honoring Rites of Passage,
Church Publishing Corp., 2007

Moving from Crib to Bed
The new bed may be made up with the child's help. Members of the household including the child may "process” from the crib to the bed with pillows, blankets, and sleep companions (stuffed animals).
Good and loving God, you never slumber in your watchful love and you give gifts to your children even as they sleep. Thank you for bringing us all to this day into which (name of child) has grown in safety. Give to her the blessedness of rest, wherever she lays her head. Keep her well and fill her dreams with hope. Awaken her every morning to the sureness of your love, and with joy and courage for the day at hand; through Jesus, our Savior and Friend. Amen.

- Changes: Prayers and Services Honoring Rites of Passage,
Church Publishing Corp., 2007

Becoming a Big Brother or Sister
You call us your children, O God, and through grace and adoption, you make us your own. Through the birth/adoption of a baby to his mother and father, (name of child) has become a big brother. Help him to be patient and gentle with himself and the baby as he learns to share his home, his parents, and his toys. Keep this new relationship in your watchful care, that these children may become lifelong companions in friendship and faith; through Jesus, our Brother and Lord, we pray. Amen.

- Changes: Prayers and Services Honoring Rites of Passage,
Church Publishing Corp., 2007

Beginning the School Year
Dear God, today is (name of child)'s first day of school. We feel happy, excited and scared. We pray for her teacher to be generous, wise, and strong. We pray for her classmates, that true friendships may be found for all. Especially we pray for (name of child). Keep her safe and well. Open her heart and mind to a world of learning, and may this be the first of thousands of days in which she knows the depth of your love and the constancy of your care. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

- Changes: Prayers and Services Honoring Rites of Passage,
Church Publishing Corp., 2007

Becoming a Reader
Dear God, (name of child), has learned to read and enters now the enchanted world of books. Let his imagination and joy increase and his perception of truth grow strong as he delights in words, traveling through stories. Remind him to read your word in the Bible, and to write its instruction into his heart. May he learn to read, as well, the sorrows and needs of others, and all the signs of your loving presence in this world that you created. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

- Changes: Prayers and Services Honoring Rites of Passage,
Church Publishing Corp., 2007

Learning to Ride a Bike
You move through our lives, O God, like the wind. pushing and pulling us into the joys of growth. (Name of child)has learned to ride a bicycle, conquering fear, enlarging her world, and tasting new freedom and speed. May the learning of this skill remind her to risk and to trust, to hold on and to let go, as life demands from day to day. And may she be kept always safe. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

- Changes: Prayers and Services Honoring Rites of Passage,
Church Publishing Corp., 2007

Going Away to Camp
In the beauty of your world, O God, you show us how great is your love. Be with (name of child)as he goes away to camp. Open his eyes to the wonder of creation and, in it, let him draw nearer to you. In his play, may there be joy. In his learning, may there be surprise. In his rest and sleep, may there be peace. Keep (name of child)well and safe, in the knowledge that he is deeply loved by you and by us, who hold him dear in our hearts forever. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

- Changes: Prayers and Services Honoring Rites of Passage,
Church Publishing Corp., 2007

When a Friend Moves Away
There is no place in all the world, O God. where you do not hold us in love. (name of child)'s friend is moving away and this has left us sad. But as your love can stretch from house to house, from nation to nation, and from heart to heart, so it can keep our friendships strong wherever we may be. Help (name of child) and her friend, (name of friend), as they say goodbye. May the joy they have known with each other last forever, and ever be found in new friends. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

- Changes: Prayers and Services Honoring Rites of Passage,
Church Publishing Corp., 2007

Moving From the Parents' Home
Your Spirit, O God, keeps us ever moving forward in faith. We are always called out and away to new places, new loves, and new minds. Your servant (name of young adult)is leaving the home of his childhood and into a home of his own. We give thanks for his newindependence and his courage to care for himself. May the place he is leaving remain full with those who stay. May the home he is creating become a place of shelter and peace. And may we all come to know our true and eternal home in your heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

- Changes: Prayers and Services Honoring Rites of Passage,
Church Publishing Corp., 2007