PROTESTANT HOPE PRAYERS

Prayer for God's Grace



May the grace of Christ our Saviour,
And the Father's boundless love,
With the Holy Spirit's favor,
Rest upon us from above.

Thus may we abide in union
With each other and the Lord,
And possess, in sweet communion,
Joys which earth cannot afford.
Amen.


Rev. John Newton

Salvation Prayer



God, I recognize that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been living for myself and that is wrong. I need You in my life; I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross at Calvary, and I long to receive the forgiveness you have made freely available to me through this sacrifice. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. From this day forward, I will no longer be controlled by sin, or the desire to please myself, but I will follow You all the days of my life. Those days are in Your hands. I ask this in Jesus' precious and holy name. Amen.



Prayer for Dissapointment



Father, I pray for (name one or more) and others in my circle of family and friends who are struggling with challenges...

When they're disappointed that You haven't answered their prayers or haven't seemed to make any move to change things yet, forgive their impatience. Help them to live like the prophets of old, who were patient even when they had to suffer, and who didn't quit though they must have felt like it sometimes. Help these I'm praying for not to quit either.(James 5:10–11a)

Help them to trust You and believe that You care, that You haven't forgotten them—and You won't! When trouble comes their way, when they're facing tests and challenges, help them be willing to thank You in all circumstances, difficult as that is.(Nahum 1:7a; Isaiah 49:15b; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; Ephesians 5:20)

Help them to love You with all their hearts, souls, and minds, for You cause all things to work together for our good when we love You and are called according to Your purpose. Help them realize that somehow You're fitting them into Your plans. Help their love for You to be as steadfast and unchanging as Your love for them.(Matthew 22:37; Romans 8:28, 38–39)

May they never question Your love, knowing it was settled once and forever at the cross. (1 John 4:10)

In Jesus' name, amen.


Jim & Kaye Johns | Source: "Prayers for the Moment: One-Minute Scripture Prayers" Copyright September 2006. Reprinted with permission of B&H Publishing Group

Keep My Mind Focused on Good Health



O Lord, I find it hard to remember what it was like
to be healthy.
Help me keep my mind focused on good health
and strength.
Let me be positive about the course of treatment
I am undergoing.
And let me always have faith, great faith,
in your presence in my life
and your glory in my health.


Maureen Pratt | Source: Copyright (c) 2005 by Maureen Pratt. From "Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain and Illness" by Maureen Pratt, published by Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. Reprinted with permission.

Save the Afflicted



We beseech thee, Master, to be our helper and protector.
Save the afflicted among us; have mercy on the lowly;
raise up the fallen; appear to the needy; heal the ungodly;
restore the wanderers of thy people;
feed the hungry; ransom our prisoners;
raise up the sick; comfort the faint-hearted.


Clement of Rome (1st Century)

The Eternity of God's Love



O Lord, you have made us very small, and we bring our years to an end like a tale that is told. Help us to remember that beyond our brief day is the eternity of your love.


Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)

The Lord's Prayer



Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen.


Source: The Book of Common Prayer 1979

Prayer in Honor of Mary's Courage



Mary,
you heard a voice.
You answered, "Yes,"
risking shame and disgrace,
ridicule and rejection.
Still, you said, "Yes."
Yes, to the promise
you received from God.
Yes, to the birth
of a firstborn son.
Let your trust be our inspiration,
your faith
be our guide,
your hope
our course for courage.
This we ask
in the name of the child
you bore,
the Savior of the world,
who came
through God's abiding love
and your spoken word.
Yes.
So be it.
Amen.


Vienna Cobb Anderson | Source: Adapted from "Prayers of Our Hearts" © 1991 Vienna Cobb Anderson. Reprinted with the permission of the author.

Twenty-Third Psalm



The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff--they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.


Psalms 23: 1-6 | Source: The Bible (New Revised Standard Version); read a Jewish translation
Click here for a guided devotional

Make Me Brave for Life



God, make me brave for life: oh, braver than this.
Let me straighten after pain, as a tree straightens after the rain,
Shining and lovely again.
God, make me brave for life; much braver than this.
As the blown grass lifts, let me rise
From sorrow with quiet eyes,
Knowing Thy way is wise.
God, make me brave, life brings
Such blinding things.
Help me to keep my sight;
Help me to see aright
That out of dark comes light.


Author Unknown

Give Us Grace



Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his body to be whipped and his face to be spit upon: Give us grace to accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ our Lord.


Source: The Book of Common Prayer 1979

The Great Invocation



From the point of Light within the Mind of God
Let light stream forth into the minds of men.
Let Light descend on Earth.

From the point of Love within the Heart of God
Let love stream forth into the hearts of men.
May Christ return to Earth.

From the centre where the Will of God is known
Let purpose guide the little wills of men --
The purpose which the Masters know and serve.

From the centre which we call the race of men
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out
And may it seal the door where evil dwells.

Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.



An Evening Family Prayer



Lord, behold our family here assembled.
We thank you for this place in which we dwell,
for the love that unites us,
for the peace accorded to us this day,
for the hope with which we expect the morrow;
for the health, the work, the food and the bright skies
that make our lives delightful;
for our friends in all parts of the earth. Amen.


Robert Louis Stevenson

Prayer for Those in Need



Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings.


Psalms 61: 1-4 | Source: The Bible (King James Version); read a Jewish translation

September 11th Prayer



Lord, help us to use this tragedy to see beyond our divisions of religion, race, and nationality and to embrace our common humanity. May we learn to see that of you in our neighbors, and even in our enemies. May love overcome hate, peace overcome violence, and faith overcome despair. Amen


Beliefnet member Ed | Source: Beliefnet prayer circle

God Is Our Hope



God is our hope and strength,
a very present help in trouble.

Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be moved,
and though the hills be carried into the midst of the sea;

Though the waters thereof rage and swell,
and though the mountains shake at the tempest of the same.

There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God,
the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.


Psalms 46: 1-4 | Source: Book of Common Prayer 1979; read a Jewish translation

Guide Me Through These Dark Days



O Lord, I am torn up with grief.
I know you are there, but I cannot see past
my sorrow and tears.
Be with me, Lord, and do not take
my unhappiness to heart.
Rather, work within me to guide me through
these dark days
and bring your light to my life,
so that I may see your goodness, even in my mourning.


Maureen Pratt | Source: Copyright (c) 2005 by Maureen Pratt. From "Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain and Illness" by Maureen Pratt, published by Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. Reprinted with permission.

Prayer for Times of Fear



Almighty God, the Refuge of all that are distressed, grant unto us that, in all trouble of this our mortal life, we may flee to the knowledge of Thy lovingkindness and tender mercy; that so, sheltering ourselves therein, the storms of life may pass over us, and not shake the peace of God that is within us. Whatsoever this life may bring us, grant that it may never take from us the full faith that Thou art our Father. Grant us Thy light, that we may have life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


George Dawson

I Cannot Do This Alone



O God, early in the morning I cry to you.
Help me to pray
And to concentrate my thoughts on you:
I cannot do this alone.
In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;
I do not understand your ways,
But you know the way for me…
Restore me to liberty,
And enable me to live now
That I may answer before you and before me.
Lord, whatever this day may bring,
Your name be praised.


Dietrich Bonhoeffer

In the Way of the Cross



Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.


Source: The Book of Common Prayer 1979

Prayer When Words Won't Come



O My Father, I have moments of deep unrest -- moments when I know not what to ask by reason of the very excess of my wants. I have in these hours no words for Thee, no conscious prayers for Thee. My cry seems purely worldly; I want only the wings of a dove that I may flee away. Yet all the time Thou has accepted my unrest as a prayer. Thou has interpreted its cry for a dove's wings as a cry for Thee, Thou has received the nameless longings of my heart as the intercessions of Thy Spirit. They are not yet the intercessions of my spirit; I know not what to ask. But Thou knowest what I ask, O my God. Thou knowest the name of that need which lies beneath my speechless groan. Thou knowest that, because I am made in Thine image, I can find rest only in what gives rest to Thee; therefore Thou hast counted my unrest unto me for righteousness, and has called my groaning Thy Spirit's prayer. Amen.


Rev. George Matheson (1842-1906)

By the Passion of Your Blessed Son



O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.


Source: The Book of Common Prayer 1979

Walking in the Way of Jesus



Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.


Source: The Book of Common Prayer 1979

My Soul Waits for the Lord



Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem.
It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.


Psalms 130: 1-8 | Source: The Bible (New Revised Standard Version)

Thank You for My Life



Dear God, thank you for my life on this earth, however challenging or not.

Thank you for giving me free will to love and be loved, to make my own decisions, to learn from my mistakes, to laugh when I am happy, to cry when I am sad.

Thank you for my family, my friends, my pets, my colleagues, and for every other living creature I meet along my journey.

Thank you for giving me strength to overcome adversity, to do what's right for the benefit of the greater good, to rise above negativity.

Thank you for giving me hope for an end to world suffering, pain, and war, for a beginning of a world filled with light and everlasting love.


Debbie Gisonni | Source: Excerpted from "Vita's Will" by permission of the author. Visit Debbie Gisonni's website.

Thank You for This Earth



O God,

We thank you for this earth, our home; for the wide sky and the blessed sun, for the ocean and streams, for the towering hills and the whispering wind, for the trees and green grass.

We thank you for our senses by which we hear the songs of birds, and see the splendor of fields of golden wheat, and taste autumn's fruit, rejoice in the feel of snow, and smell the breath of spring flowers.

Grant us a heart opened wide to all this beauty; and save us from being so blind that we pass unseeing when even the common thornbush is aflame with your glory.

For each new dawn is filled with infinite possibilities for new beginnings and new discoveries. Life is constantly changing and renewing itself. In this new day of new beginnings with God, all things are possible. We are restored and renewed in a joyous awakening to the wonder that our lives are and, yet, can be.

Amen.


Source: Appleseeds.org

The Blessing of Unanswered Prayers



I asked for strength that I might achieve;
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy;
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I had asked for,
but eveything that I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered;
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.


Unknown Confederate soldier

Surround Me With Your Light



Surround me with your light, Jesus, and penetrate the very depths of my being with that light. Let there remain no areas of darkness in me or in my family members, but transform our whole being with the healing light of your love. Open me completely to receive your love, Jesus. Thank you for being our family healer and my personal healer.


Author Unknown