A prayer of thanksgiving
Copyright by Bob Rogers.
O Giver of good gifts, I am overwhelmed with thanksgiving for Your abundant blessings. I thank You that You opened my eyes this morning, You filled my lungs with air, and kept my heart beating. I thank You that You have given me sufficient food to eat, clothes to wear and a roof over my head. I thank You that You loved me so much that you sent Your only Son to die for my sins. I thank You that You filled my life with Your Holy Spirit. I thank You that You breathed upon Your word, the Bible, and gave it to me as a lamp to guide my way this day. I thank You for giving me a family who love me, and brothers and sisters in Christ in the church who encourage me. I thank You most of all, that because You opened my spiritual eyes to faith in Jesus Christ Your Son, I know that there is a morning coming, when I will open my eyes in heaven, and I will see You face to face. Until that day, may I live a life of gratitude, by serving others in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord.
Guest blog: Prayer when life is not all sunshine and cotton candy
Copyright by Rodger Moore. (The following prayer is shared, with his permission, from the coordinator of the pastoral care department at the hospital where we both serve as chaplains.)
Lord, sunshine, cotton candy, joy and happiness are not always the paths of life. There are also those moments of shadows, sorrow, grief and indecision. Regardless of the path which my journey may be taking in these moments may I be reminded of your presence and words:
• Be still,
• Slow down,
• Listen,
• Peace Be Still,
• You are not alone,
• I am with you,
• Come to me,
• Joy comes in the morning
As the Shepherd, protect, look out over me and provide for me;
As the Light of the World illumine my path and bring guidance to my heart;
As the Comforter envelop me in your arms and warm my heart;
As the Physician reach out to touch my mind, body and spirit bringing wholeness and healing.
In all moments of life bring your peace, calmness, serenity and trust. Amen.
Prayer of hope in time of suffering
Copyright by Bob Rogers.
Lord, we despair under the dark clouds of suffering. We cannot see You or feel Your presence. Yet, we believe there is a light behind those clouds, because we have seen it before. Give us faith to hold on and trust You in the dark, until the day that the clouds part and Your light shines through again. In the name of Jesus, the light of the world, I pray. Amen.
Personal prayer for healing
Copyright by Bob Rogers.
Oh, Lord God in heaven, please see my tears and hear my cry 1. Be gracious to me, for I are weak. Heal me on the bed where I lie2. Lord Jesus, I know divine power is in You to heal me 3. Please have compassion on me, Jesus! 4. Just say the word, Lord, and I will be healed 5.
Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me, Lord, and I will be saved, for You are my praise 6.
Scriptural basis for the prayer:
- 2 Kings 20:5
- Psalm 6:2; 41:3
- Luke 5:17
- Matthew 14:14
- Matthew 8:8
- Jeremiah 17:14
Prayer for spiritual healing
Copyright by Bob Rogers.
Lord, be gracious to us, and heal us of our sin1. We have been unfaithful to You; heal us of our unfaithfulness2. We have wandered away from You, heal us as we return3. We have hidden our sins from You; heal us as we confess our sins4. You have wounded us and broken us; now bind up our wounds and heal our broken hearts. By Your wounds, Jesus, our sins are healed5. Lord, hear from heaven, forgive our sin, and heal our land6.
Scriptural allusions:
- Psalm 41:4
- Jeremiah 3:22
- Hosea 6:1
- James 5:16
- Isaiah 53:5
- 2 Chronicles 7:14
A prayer for my family
Copyright by Bob Rogers.
O God, teach me to love my family as fully and faithfully as the Heavenly Father loves Christ the Son, and as the Son loves the Father. May I honor my parents (Exodus 20:12), and may I delight in my children and grandchildren (Proverbs 23:24). Heavenly Father, please build a hedge of protection around my family, and bless the work of our hands. (Job 1:10). May we be united in love, blameless in character and wise in our decisions. May we learn to depend on You in prayer, and pass on the faith of Jesus Christ to our children, generation after generation, to the glory of God.
A prayer in the pandemic
Copyright by Bob Rogers.
Oh, Lord, how we need Your presence in this pandemic.
For those who are sick, we ask for Your mercy and healing.
For those who are caring for the sick, we ask for Your compassion and strength.
For those who are afraid of the sickness, we ask for Your peace and protection.
For those who make policies about the sickness, we ask for Your wisdom and courage to do the right thing.
Heavenly Father, unite all of us, as Your children, by the bonds of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Prayer to love difficult people
Copyright by Bob Rogers.
Heavenly Father, You tell me to love my neighbor as myself (Leviticus 19:18). Jesus, You even tell me to love my enemies (Matthew 5:44). I must confess that this command is hard to obey. It’s hard to love people who are hateful, obnoxious, arrogant, lazy, and immoral. I simply cannot do it—on my own strength. Yet I know that You love them. Help me to love them because You love them, even when I don’t feel that way myself. Remind me that You loved me first, despite my sin. Remind me that I myself might be that difficult person that somebody else finds hard to love. So Lord, I ask that You do through me what I cannot do myself: love my neighbor through me; love even my enemies through me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Prayer of forgiveness for oneself
Copyright by Bob Rogers.
Oh, Lord Jesus, You died upon the cross to redeem me from sin, but I struggle to forgive myself. The tax collector prayed, “Have mercy on me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13). Yet I tend to say, “Woe is me, a sinner!” Since I have repented of my sin and renounced it with all my heart, help me now to have mercy on myself. You said that “if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than all our hearts, and knows all things” (1 John 3:20). So Lord, since You know that I am forgiven, help me to know it, too—not only in my mind, but in my heart.
The parable of the bear and the rabbits
Copyright by Bob Rogers.
Once there was a colony of rabbits who lived by a forest. Although there were some dangers, such as a bear named Covey in the woods and a snake in the Vax River, most of the time they lived peaceful, happy lives. The forest was overflowing with fresh grass, weeds and wildflowers to eat.
One day, just as the herd was grazing together along the Vax River, Covey, the big bear appeared from behind the trees, snatched up some rabbits in his paw, and ate them. The terrified rabbits ran, but they were trapped by the river behind them, and a fence to the sides, made by the Man. As they darted back and forth, the bear continued to grab rabbits and eat them. One rabbit shouted, “Jump into Vax River!” Others shouted back, “We can’t! The snake may be in the river! God will rescue us!” Many jumped into the river, and swam away, but many others stayed in the nest. Soon, a large part of the colony had escaped to the other side of the river, but the bear continued to gobble up those left behind. The rabbits on the other side of the river called to the others, pleading with tears, “Please jump in the river and swim over!” But the rabbits who remained in the nest shouted back, “Don’t tell us what to do! The snake may be in the river!” The rabbits on the other side called back, “The snake didn’t bite us! We tested the river, and it’s safe!” But the rabbits in the nest said, “The Vax River hasn’t been tested long enough! Maybe you were bitten and just don’t realize it yet. The venom may yet kill you.” The rabbits on the other side said, “No, we were not bitten. We trust the river.” The rabbits in the nest said, “We trust in God. God will protect us.” The rabbits on the other side said, “God protected us when we crossed the river.” But it was no use. Despite the pleading of the rabbits on the other side of the Vax, the rabbits who remained in the nest were more afraid of the Vax than Covey.
The rabbits on the other side of the River Vax ran to another field, far, far away. The rest of the colony continued to flee Covey, and the bear grabbed them and ate them, one by one. Then Covey went off in search of other rabbits.
Prayer for wisdom
Copyright by Bob Rogers.
Father, how we need Your wisdom. One person says to do this, and another says to do that, and both seem to give good reasons. We don’t know what to do. You say in James 1:5-6 that if we ask for wisdom in faith, You will give it, so we ask with confidence that you will direct us. Show us what is good and right, according to Your Word. Show us what will honor Your name and further Your kingdom. May we humbly make decisions that serve the interests of others more than our own interests, and please give us peace as we act on the wisdom that You give. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
A prayer for personal peace
Copyright by Bob Rogers.
Oh Jesus, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), I ask You to calm my heart and still my soul. In the quietness of this moment,
I focus my thoughts upon You. You are the God of peace (Philippians 4:9), You are the living water (John 4:10, 14), so like a pond receiving water from a river, I look to You as my upstream source of restoration.
As I abide in You, and Your words abide in me, may Your presence overflow me and make me as calm as pond water.
Prayer of joyful celebration
Copyright by Bob Rogers.
Hallelujah! Celebrate! Rejoice!
God, I am amazed at what You have done. I sit here stunned.
Just when I thought You had forgotten me, You arrive in time to rescue me.
All about me I see creation in celebration. The birds are singing and soaring, the flowers are bursting with red, yellow and white, the pine trees are standing up straight and pointing to the heavens.
I see smiles on every face and I am receiving hugs from every heart. With tears of joy, I trade in my weeping for rejoicing. Hallelujah!
Prayer when distracted
Copyright by Bob Rogers.
Lord, I am surrounded by so many distractions, that it is hard to hear You.
I can hear the voices of men and women, the blather of a television, the beeping of an IV pump, the blaring of a car horn, but I cannot hear Your voice.
I can feel the summer sun beating down on my head, and the cold winter wind blowing in my face, but I don’t feel the fire of Your Spirit in my soul.
Lord, remind me that You are always here, even in the distractions. Help me to hear Your voice in the voices of people, the music playing in the streets, the thunder in the sky. Help me to feel You in the sun and rain and wind. But beyond this, help me squeeze in slithers of silence to concentrate on Your voice, and help me pause in periods of prayer to feel Your presence.
Prayer to hear God’s voice
Copyright by Bob Rogers.
Then the LORD came and stood, and called as at the other times: “Samuel! Samuel! And Samuel said, “Speak for Your servant is listening.” – 1 Samuel 3:10, NASB
Lord, Your servant is listeniing. Speak to me.
Speak to me through Your scriptures. Uplift me when I feel downcast, correct me when I wander from Your way.
Speak to me when I am quiet, alone in prayer and speak to me when I loudly sing Your praises with Your people.
Speak to me in the gentle voice of wind blowing the grass, the majestic voice of a tall pine tree, the thundering voice of a rainstorm.
Speak to me through the advice of a friend, complaint of a co-worker, and rebuke of an enemy.
Attune my ear to hear quickly and lull my lips to speak slowly, that I may be more like You.
Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening.
Bob Rogers 