If you click on the photo of the hands folded in prayer, you will go to the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations Prayer Shield Page.
In the above passage from 1 Peter, the word "cast" is translated from a Greek word which means to load up a beast of burden. God seems to be telling us that we can think of Him as the Almighty Ruler and Creator of the Universe or a friend or brother or father or even someone to unload on; as long as we don't think we can go through life without Him. I think when people ignore God, that breaks His heart worse than when we blame Him for everything that's ever gone wrong in the world.
Are there some rules to pray by? Not that I know of, but here are some suggestions.
1. Pray regularly. If one begins each day and night with God, he takes a better perspective with him as he goes into each. People are different; some think they need Him more at night, some think they need Him more in the day. What do you think?
2. Pray thoughtfully. If you have memorized a prayer that you like to say, then I praise God, but don't stop with that. Think about what's going on in your life and the lives of those around you. Cast ALL your burdens on Him. Pray for your pastor, spouse, boss, state, grandchildren, enemy, friend, president, that guy you read about in the newspaper. In the Bible, we are told to pray for;
3. Pray sincerely. You're not just talking to yourself. If you're not wholehearted about your prayer, then aren't you just wasting time? If you don't really want what you're praying for, then don't pray for it, lest you get it.
4. Pray according to the Will of God. Keep in mind who you're talking to. Ask your Father for those things that He takes delight in handing out; faith, joy, kindness, patience, gentleness, self control, and willingness to turn away from selfservingness and toward serving Him.
5. Pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus said that no one comes to the Father except by Him, and this is usually taken to mean that no one comes to eternal life in heaven except through faith in Him. Amen. It is also written that through Jesus, we are reconciled to God. We should recognize that reconciliation in our prayers.
6. Pray with confidence. Jesus said it in Matthew 21: 22, ask, believe, and it will happen.
Blessed are You, O Lord.
Blessed are You, for You are the Creator of all things, and great in deed because all things are Your works. You alone possess Righteousness.
I find the proper reply, prostating myself, begging forgiveness for my rebellion, seeking a spirit of a broken heart, encouraging myself by Your Holy Spirit, clinging to the Truth of Your Holy Covenent.
You are the Lord of The Truth which You established.
You continue for ever and ever.
The spirit of flesh cannot understand these things or obtain insight into Your Great Wonders. A man is just an edifice of dust, kneaded with water. His foundation is obscene shame, a perverted spirit rules him.
My heart melts as wax over a fire and my knees become as water when I remember my guilt. But when I remember the power of Your hand and the abundance of Your mercies, my spirit grows strong.
Only by Your Goodness and abundant Lovingkindness shall we be justified and granted eternal Peace, for You have spoken and Your Word will not depart.
I rest in Your mercy and compassion. For You atone for iniquity and purify man from guilt by Your righteousness. You are the Truth and all Your works are righteous.
Fulfill Your mercy with Your servant forever, cleanse me by Your Holy Spirit and bring me near by Your Grace.
Amen.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.
In Proverbs 15: 8 we read;
"The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases Him."
In James 5: 16 We read, "A good man can do much by praying vigorously".
Indeed. We read in Exodus 32: 14 about how when Israel was in the wilderness and had worshipped the golden calf (yes, they were worshiping gold!), God informed Moses that He would destroy them all and fulfill His promise to Abraham through Moses. Moses then prayed to God that He would change His mind and spare the people, and God did change His mind (or, He repented , if you prefer the King James Version).
That's one bold prayer. Is it too presumptous on our part to pray that God alter His judgements? We read in Ezekiel 22: 30-31 what happened when God looked for someone to stand in the gap before Him in behalf of the country and He couldn't find anyone. They got what they deserved.
If you're not the good, upright, standin' in the gap type, don't worry about it: Jonah cried out to God from the belly of hell, and God saved him.
Therefore you should say: My prayer is as precious, holy, and pleasing to God as that of Saint Paul or of the most holy saints. This is the reason: For I will gladly grant that he is holier in his person, but not on account of the commandment; since God does not regard prayer on account of the person, but on account of His word and obedience thereto.
For on the commandment on which all the saints rest their prayer I, too, rest mine. Moreover I pray for the same thing for which they all pray and ever have prayed; besides, I have just as great a need of it as those great saints, yea, even a greater one than they.
My Heavenly Father, I thank You, through Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, that You have protected me, by Your grace. Forgive, I pray, all my sins and the evil I have done. Protect me, by Your grace, tonight. I put myself in your care, body and soul and all that I have. Let Your holy angels be with me, so that the evil enemy will not gain power over me. Amen.
One of the best examples of prayer to be found in the Bible is in Mark 9-
Just as poignant is the prayer of the thief on the cross recorded in verse 42 of Luke 23;
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where this is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to 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
A Collect or Prayer for all Conditions of Men, to be used at such times when the Litany is not appointed to be said.
O GOD, the Creator and Preserver of all mankind, we humbly beseech thee for all sorts and conditions of men: that thou wouldest be pleased to make thy ways known unto them, thy saving health unto all nations. More especially, we pray for the good estate of the Catholick Church; that it may be so guided and governed by thy good Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life.
Finally, we commend to thy fatherly goodness all those, who are any ways afflicted, or distressed, in mind, body, or estate; [*especially those for whom our prayers are desired;] that it may please thee to comfort and relieve them, according to their several necessitites, giving them patience under their sufferings, and a happy issue out of all their afflictions. And this we beg for Jesus Christ his sake. Amen.
* This to be said when any desire the Prayers of the Congregation.
Prayer of Saint John Chrysostom
According to the Hours of the Day and Night
1. O Lord, deprive me not of Thy heavenly blessings;
2. O Lord, deliver me from eternal torment;
3. O Lord, if I have sinned in my mind or thought, in word deed, forgive me.
4. O Lord, deliver me from every ignorance and heedlessness, from pettiness of the soul and stony hardness of heart;
5. O Lord, deliver me from every temptation;
6. O Lord, enlighten my heart darkened by evil desires;
7. O Lord, I, being a human being, have sinned; do Thou, being God, forgive me in Thy lovingkindness, for Thou knowest the weakness of my soul.
8. O Lord, send down Thy grace to help me, that I may glorify Thy holy Name;
9. O Lord Jesus Christ, inscribe me, Thy servant, in the Book of Life, and grant me a blessed end;
10. O Lord my God, even if I have done nothing good in Thy sight, yet grant me, according to Thy grace, that I may make a start in doing good.
11. O Lord, sprinkle on my heart the dew of Thy grace;
12. O Lord of heaven and earth, remember me, Thy sinful servant, cold of heart and impure, in Thy Kingdom.
13. O Lord, receive me in repentance;
14. O Lord, leave me not;
15. O Lord, save me from temptation;
16. O Lord, grant me pure thoughts;
17. O Lord, grant me tears of repentance, remembrance of death, and the sense of peace;
18. O Lord, grant me mindfulness to confess my sins;
19. O Lord, grant me humility, charity, and obedience;
20. O Lord, grant me tolerance, magnanimity, and gentleness;
21. O Lord, implant in me the root of all blessings: the fear of Thee in my heart;
22. O Lord, vouchsafe that I may love Thee with all my heart and soul, and that I may obey in all things Thy will;
23. O Lord, shield me from evil persons and devils and passions and all other lawless matters;
24. O Lord, Who knowest Thy creation and that which Thou hast willed for it; may Thy will also be fulfilled in me, a sinner, for Thou art blessed forevermore. Amen.
While perhaps not strictly a prayer, this poem was written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer shortly before he was put to death in a Nazi prison.
Who am I? They often tell me
I stepped from my cell's confinement
calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
like a Squire from his country house.
Who am I? They often tell me
I used to speak to my warders
freely and friendly and clearly,
as though it were mine to command.
Who am I? They also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
equably, smilingly, proudly
like one accustomed to win.
Am I then really that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
struggling for breath, as though hands were compressing my throat,
yearning for colours, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
tossing in expectation of great events,
powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
faint, and ready to say farewell to it all.
Who am I? This or the Other?
Am I one person to-day and to-morrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
and before myself a contemptible woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army
fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am thine!
Speaking of Bonhoeffer, there is a story about a man who was a roofer by trade. While working on a steep roof one day, he leaned back too far and fell and began to slide down the roof on his back headfirst. As he slid, he looked up into the sky and hollered, "Please God, if you save me, I promise I'll never again...", but just then, his pants cuff caught on a protruding nail and he came to a stop: so he murmured, "Mmmm, never mind."
That's all of the story I know, but it reminds me of what Bonhoeffer had to say about the proper place of God in one's life. He is writing from his cell in April of 1944 to a friend stationed in Italy;
"... Religious people speak of God when human perception is (often just from laziness) at an end, or human resources fail: it is in fact always the Deus ex machina they call to their aid, either for the so-called solving of insoluble problems or as a support in human failure - always, that is to say, helping out human weakness or on the borders of human existence. ...
I have come to be doubtful even about talking of "borders of human existence". Is even death today, since men are scarcely afraid of it any more, and sin, which they scarcely understand any more, still a genuine borderline? It always seems to me that in talking thus we are only seeking frantically to make room for God. I should like to speak of God not on the borders of life but at its centre, not in weakness but in strength, not, therefore, in man's suffering and death but in his life and prosperity.
On the borders it seems to me better to hold our peace and leave the problem unsolved. Belief in the Resurrection is not the solution of the problem of death. The "beyond" of God is not the beyond of our perceptive facilities. ... God is the "beyond" in the midst of our life."
Of course one will cry out to God if he's sliding on his back headfirst to his death, even if he is an atheist (or perhaps, especially if he is), but He is also pleased when we praise Him for our blessings absent any tragedy-related prompting.
This Gaelic prayer is from the Carmina homepage.
In the eye of the Father who created me,
In the eye of the Son who purchased me,
In the eye of the Spirit who cleansed me,
In friendship and affection.
Through Thine own Anointed One, O God,
Bestow upon us fullness in our need,
Love towards God,
The affection of God,
The smile of God,
The wisdom of God.
The grace of God,
The fear of God,
And the will of God
To do on the world of the Three,
As angels and saints
Do in heaven;
Each shade and light,
Each day and night,
Each time in kindness,
Give Thou us Thy Spirit.
Here is a poem by Henry F. Lyte, written in 1847 and set to music by William Monk in 1861;
Abide with me: fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide:
When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, Oh, abide with me.
Swift to it's close ebbs out life's little day;
Earth's joys grow dim, it's glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou, Who changest not, abide with me.
I need Thy Presense every passing hour:
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter's power?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Oh abide with me.
I fear no foe with Thee at hand to bless:
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness:
Where is death's sting? Where grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.
Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies;
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, Lord, abide with me.
Harry S. Truman (1884-1972), the 33rd President and one of the last truly great Americans, said in 1950;
"...all of us are within the reach of God's love and power. We all can pray. We all should pray. We should ask the fulfillment of God's will. We should ask for courage, wisdom, for the quietness of soul which comes alone to them who place their lives in His hands."
Amen, Harry.
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