Daily prayers for spiritual renewal

(1)
Grant to me, O Lord, to know what is worth knowing,
To love what is worth loving,
To praise what delights you most,
To value what is precious to you,
And to reject whatever is evil in your eyes.
Give me true discernment,
So that I may judge rightly between things that differ.
Above all, may I search out and do what is pleasing to you;
Through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

Thomas A Kempis, c. 1389-1471

 

(2)
My dearest Lord,
be a bright flame before me,
be my guiding star above me,
be the smooth path beneath me,
be a kindly shepherd behind me,
today and evermore.

St. Columba, c.521-597

 

(3)
Lord, we offer you all we are,
All we have,
All we do,
And all whom we shall meet this day
That you will be given glory.
We offer you our homes and work,
our schools and leisure,
and everyone in our community today;
may all be done as unto you.
We offer you the broken and hungry . . .
May the wealth and work of the world be available to all and for the exploitation of none,
May your presence be known to all.

Morning Prayer, the community of St. Aidan and St. Hilda, Lindisfarne, UK

 

(4)
O thou who camest from above,
The pure celestial fire to impart,
Kindle a flame of sacred love
On the mean altar of my heart.
There let it for thy glory burn
With inextinguishable blaze,
And trembling to its source return
In humble prayer and fervent praise.

Charles Wesley, c. 1707-1788

 

(5)
Give me grace, O my Father, to be utterly ashamed of my own reluctance.
Rouse me from sloth and coldness, and make me desire you with my whole heart.
Teach me to love meditation, sacred reading, and prayer.
Teach me to love that which must engage my mind for all eternity.

John Henry Newman, 1801-1890

 

(6)
Today, Lord, I come to you
Like that sick woman who touched the hem of your garment.
I draw near to you
Knowing that you draw near to me with your precious gift of healing and forgiveness.
Fill me with the energy and power of your Spirit.
Make me whole
That I may serve you to the end,
My Master and my Friend.

Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, UK

 

(7)
Christ, you have gone before me
to prepare a place for me,
that where you are
there I may be also.
Teach me to wait with patience,
to watch with alertness,
to trust that you are with me
in the unknown future
and to know your presence.

Jane Williams, professor, St. Mellitus College, UK

 

These and other prayers for spiritual renewal can be found on the Season of Spiritual Renewal web page, www.toronto.anglican.ca/spiritualrenewal.