Common Prayers

Gordon Atkinson, aka the Real Live Preacher has written yet another gem, this one posted over at The Christian Century:

A woman brought a small book to our church a couple of years ago. She put it on the wooden table in our worship room, right beside the guest book and the orders of worship. Inside the cover she wrote, "Prayers and Thoughts of Covenant People." She left a pencil beside the book but provided no instructions. She never mentioned the book publicly, so neither did I. Occasionally someone notices the book and is inspired to write in it, expressing whatever happens to be on her mind or in her heart. Over time it has become something like a cross between a diary and book of common prayers.

God be with my brother-in-law in this, his time of great sorrow.

(a child's handwriting) Thank you God for my life. Maddie

Bougainvillea update—cuttings rooted

Thank you, dear God, for all the small ways you make yourself known to small people like me.

Help me let go of the right things. Amen.

(a child's handwriting) Dear God, help the poor. Help others need you. Everybody is in pain. They need you. Please help us. p.s. Amen

Dear God, be with our grieving nation. We were searching for truth. Does that count as searching for you?

Trees Lay Down
Brown Earth Opens To The Sky
A Building Rises

Help me God. You know why I write this.

If it is dark, it really doesn't help to know that light is on the other side of the door. But it is a blessed relief if just one person opens the door a crack for you. Turn the knob.

All of it is worthy.  So go read the rest.  And then I'm asking readers to return and leave their own common prayers here in the comments to this post. 

You can be verbose.  You can be brief.  You can be poetic.  Or, like me, you can leave plain thoughts delivered roughly.

I'll go ahead and start:

We're told time and again that life has purpose and meaning.  It's something I believe though certainly not as faithfully as I think I could or more honestly, as I think I should.  Lord, you know I'm slow so would you mind throwing some strong hints my way as to my life's purpose and meaning?  Amen.

Comments

[mithglin]

Heavenly Father,
Please be with me and my family. Guide us and keep us from harm. Thank you for all of the blessings you have given us. Be especially with my children that they might become the kind of people you wish them to be.

Amen