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Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

The Morning “Lorica” (Prayer) of Saint Patrick

I  arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In preachings of the apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today through the strength of Heaven
the rays of the sun,
the radiance of the moon,
the splendor of fire,
the speed of lightening,
the swiftness of the wind,
the depth of the sea,
the stability of the earth
the firmness of rock.

I arise today through the power of God:
God’s might to comfort me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to lead me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s Heavenly Host to save me
from the snares of the devil,
from temptations to sin,
from all who wish me ill,
from near and afar,
alone and with others.

May Christ shield me today
against poison and fire,
against drowning and wounding,
so that I may fulfill my mission
and bear fruit in abundance.
Christ behind and before me,
Christ behind and above me,
Christ with me and in me,
Christ around and about me,
Christ on my right and on my left,
Christ when I lie down at night,
Christ when I rise in the morning,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone that speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

Benediction

Finally, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, let me think about these things. What I have learned and received, let me do; and the God of peace be with us all.

Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.

Travel Light

Colossians 1:1-4, 9-12 (TNIV)

Prayer + Faith = Life!

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all his people — For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you.

We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his people in the kingdom of light.

Notes on the Scripture

Our Commentary today was submitted by Linda A. Richard.

I am learning to appreciate “Facebook” more and more each day. As time goes by, I lose contact with friends and family members. Now many of us are separated by more than one thousand miles. But since I have begun contacting folks on Facebook, I have relocated some very special people and we are able to exchange messages on a regular basis. One of the most important benefits of reconnecting has been our ability to pray for one another whenever a crisis or special joy or other circumstance arises.

In this passage from Colossians 1, the Apostle Paul highlights the importance of Prayers on behalf of our brothers an sisters in Christ. In this instance, Paul specifically prays with thankfulness for the faithfulness and love demonstrated by the Christians in Colossae. He assures his audience that he never stops praying for them. Paul’s prayers are for spiritual knowledge, wisdom and understanding. He states the specific end goal of his prayers that they “may live a life worthy of the Lord”, “ pleasing the Lord in every way”, and “bearing fruit in every good work.”

Reading this scripture reminds me of our prayers for our three sons, the youngest is a teenager and the older two are in there early twenties. Sometimes I am tempted to pray that they would do or say certain things which seem best by my measures. It takes a leap of faith on my part to pray for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding; and then let God determine exactly what that means for each of them! And ultimately my hope for them is that they live faithful lives doing good things which allow them to be in the closest possible relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Tender Mercies by Annie Henrie, ca. 2006.

Daily Inspiration

“Pray For Your Enemies”

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