http://www.christianphotos.net
Dear Lord, holy spring of life and light of divine love, thank you for all the people who have prayed for me along the years and for those who are still praying, for those who are close and for those who are far away, for those whom I’ve met and for those whom I haven’t met, for those without whom my path would have sunken into darkness so many times. Thank you for in the moments of spiritual crisis, they lifted me up and gave me strength to go on. Don’t leave any of their prayers unrewarded, nor any of their kind acts unpaid. Touch them with your rich mercy and fill their life with blessings. Surround them with love and people who are willing to pray for them with an honest heart, just like they prayed for me. Never leave them alone in times of trial, nor without help in danger. Never leave them without comfort in times of suffering. Give them a healthy body and a peaceful mind. Guide them with your right hand and when the way seems too long and too hard, carry them in your arms like a kind loving father. Don’t let a single day pass without them being in somebody’s thoughts and prayers, without them getting a sign of love and kindness from someone. And no matter how far they were, don’t let me ever forget what they have done for me. Let me stand by their side whenever they need my help and share their sadness and joy until the end of time.
AMEN
For Those Who Have Prayed for Me
A fresh start...
Dear Lord,
This day is a new page in the book of our lives. We thank you for giving us the chance to write yet another page in it; a page of joy, gratitude, compassion and love for all those who desire to read it. Give us the fortitude and wisdom that we need to live this day according to your perfect teachings; purify our spirits and fill our hearts with your presence, so that we can be light among the darkness. Once again, Lord, we thank you. Amen.
An Exercise for the Imagination
www.christianphotos.net
“I am the last creature on Earth. A pathetic animal who can’t find its place in this world. I’m fed up with living in fear. Fear. Always fear. With every step I take. With every breath of air I take. A life based on fear, from A to Z. I’m scared that my mother will die and I’ll be left alone in this world. I’m scared that men will break my heart. I’m scared that no one will love me for what I am. I’m scared that I’ll grow old and sere like a flower without water. I’m scared of the monotony of life. Of the agony of death. Of the life after death. And so on and so forth. I’ve got to stop this. And the only way I can stop the fear of death is by facing it.”
At the same time, at the other side of the world, in the corner of an old country side a spider was weaving his web. The light filtered through the blinds made the small particles of dust become visible in certain areas, like a rain of twinkling stars. The young man looked at them with a strange smile and thought of the Himalayan snows and of the Milky Way.
“My God”, he said, staring through the blinds at the clear summer sky. “I know I’m not worthy to ask for a miracle, but today, the 25th of July, 2005, at…” – he looked at his watch – “7:56 AM, I, your humble servant, am asking you, the eternal father of all things, to make a miracle, to save a life, to pull a soul out of the claws of death and despair.”
A few days later the young girl wrote a good bye letter to her parents and went to drown herself into the sea. As she approached the shore, she saw something coming towards her on the clear surface of the water. She came closer. It was a bottle. A bottle with a message in it. She got it, opened it and read the message. Then she folded it well, put it back in the bottle and launched it on the water again. She went home and never thought about committing suicide again.
The question is: What do you think the message was?
Make Us Worthy to Serve
"Make us worthy, Lord,
To serve our fellow-men
Throughout the world
Who live and die in poverty and hunger.
Give them, through our hands,
This day their daily bread;
And by our understanding love,
Give peace and joy."
Mother Teresa
Show Me the Meaning of Suffering
My Lord, my Redeemer, help me find a meaning in my suffering, in the hardships and the humiliations I’m facing. Make my life and my being part of your divine plan. Give me the strength to see beyond this “here” and “now”. Show me a glimpse of what we cannot know, let me find the answers I’m looking for. Speak to me like you spoke to Job at the end of his suffering. Reach out to me and scatter the darkness that surrounds me. Open my eyes, so that I can see your love in everything. Open my ears, so that I can hear your voice in everything. Teach me to be strong in times of weakness. To carry forward the message of faith, hope and love. When my heart is breaking, touch it with your healing touch and make it whole again. Your mercy is endless. Your greatness is beyond compare. You can turn wrong into right and darkness into light. You can make me strong by the very things that make me weak. Change my heart. Let me be a messenger of your love here on Earth. Where there is bitterness, pour your sweet love, where there is illness and death, pour your living water. Where there is despair, pour your hope. There are so many times when I feel like a prisoner in my own body, in a world that defies my understanding. Teach me that there is more than eyes can see, that the truth is comforting and redeeming. Set me free by your truth. Let my heart see your glory, so that I can never feel like a prisoner again.
The Poem of the Orphan Child
"My feet they are sore, and my limbs they are weary;
Long is the way, and the mountains are wild;
Soon will the twilight close moonless and dreary
Over the path of the poor orphan child.
Why did they send me so far and so lonely,
Up where the moors spread and grey rocks are piled?
Men are hard-hearted, and kind angels only
Watch o'er the steps of a poor orphan child.
Yet distant and soft the night breeze is blowing,
Clouds there are none, and clear stars beam mild,
God, in His mercy, protection is showing,
Comfort and hope to the poor orphan child.
Ev'n should I fall o'er the broken bridge passing,
Or stray in the marshes, by false lights beguiled,
Still will my Father, with promise and blessing,
Take to His bosom the poor orphan child.
There is a thought that for strength should avail me,
Though both of shelter and kindred despoiled;
Heaven is a home, and a rest will not fail me;
God is a friend to the poor orphan child."
From Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
Words About Prayer
"Prayer does not and cannot change the purpose of [...] God. For every right and good thing we might ask for He has already planned to give us. But prayer does change the action of God. Because He cannot give against our wills, and our willingness as expressed by our asking gives Him the opportunity to do as He has already planned."
S. D. (Samuel Dickey) Gordon
Let me be a prayer
Lord God,
Let my every word be a prayer.
Let my every thought be a prayer.
Let my every action be a prayer.
Let all I’ve got
and all I am
be a prayer
Forever and ever.
AMEN
The Two Parts of Prayer
"In its simplest analysis prayer--all prayer--has, must have, two parts. First, a God to give. "Yes," you say, "certainly, a God wealthy, willing, all of that." And, just as certainly, there must be a second factor, a man to receive. Man's willingness is God's channel to the earth. God never crowds nor coerces. Everything God does for man and through man He does with man's consent, always. With due reverence, but very plainly, let it be said that God can do nothing for the man with shut hand and shut life. There must be an open hand and heart and life through which God can give what He longs to. An open life, an open hand, open upward, is the pipe line of communication between the heart of God and this poor befooled old world. Our prayer is God's opportunity to get into the world that would shut Him out."
S. D. Gordon
Words about prayer
Prayer is one of the ways of communicating with God, perhaps the most important one. That’s why it is essential that we pray regularly. There were periods in my life when I neglected prayer. Sometimes out of laziness or because I was caught up with other things. Other times because words seemed dry and my heart had nothing to say. It always felt like breaking a relationship, like turning my back on God. Then a time came when I felt like starting over. Let me tell you this, it wasn’t easy. I could feel the gap I’d created, it was as real as you and me. The words wouldn’t come without a struggle. It would take a while to reach the spiritual level I had reached before. Lack of exercise or practice in any area leads to lack of performance. So a good relationship with God requires a lot of prayer exercise. It’s so easy to say: “I’ll take a break today.” But then tomorrow it gets worse, and the day after tomorrow worse, and so on and so forth. By the time you want to pray again you might realize you have drifted away further than you thought. So even when you don’t feel like praying, make an effort. It is as important as brushing your teeth in the morning. Your effort won’t pass unrewarded. You might realize that by the end of the prayer, your heart will be burning with faith and devotion again.
A Prayer for Purity
A Prayer for Purity
By Trudy (a daughter of Christ)
Lord God Father, Son and Holy Spirit please give me a grace of purity in all manner.
Purity of heart
Purity of soul
Purity of mind
Purity of body
Purity of spirit
Purity in my senses
Purity in my speech
Purity in my thoughts
Purity in my words
Purity in my deeds
Purity in my dress
Purity in my actions
Purity in my conduct
Purity in my attitude
Purity in love
Help me each morning to arise
and be conscious that I am
Your daughter/son
Therefore I can no longer be
a child of the world,
I must be different
Help me to have
a conduct of deep desire
to be pleasing to You
Pour Your Holy Spirit onto
and within me,
in a new way today
I want to be set apart
from this world
and belong to You entirely
Please Lord God,
give me the gift of purity
in all manner of self and living
Place Your garment of holiness
on me and make me Christlike
Thank You amen
www.allforyourglorylord.com
Trudy (a daughter of Christ) is a transformed woman by the Word of God made flesh Lord Jesus Christ. Her desire is to give hope to all, for the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are alive. She is an encourager and a powerful testimony that God can reach and touch a life; then set it on FIRE for HIS GLORY
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com
Save me from myself
So many times I was on the point of falling. So many times I stood on the edge of the abyss, ready to take the next step. You saved me every time. I am nothing but dust. The most insignificant creature who has ever lived. And yet you saved me. You restored me. Now I’m scared of all the times that will come when I get there again. Are you going to save me every time? I’m so out of control sometimes. So helpless. I can’t pray. I can’t love. I can’t see the light ahead. Everything around seems to sink into darkness. An ocean of blackness. Will you rescue me from that pit over and over again? Will you rescue me from the darkness inside? My life is in your hands. Don’t let go of it. Not even for a second. Cause sometimes a second is all it takes for the bridge to be crossed.
To Our Heavenly Father
Lord God of love, our comforter and our friend, our light in the dark, let our hearts find a refuge in you from all the worries and the troubles of the day. Let us bring our burdens to the feet of the cross and renew us over and over again with the living water of your presence in our lives. Make us strong in our everyday struggles. Help us distinguish between right and wrong and choose the things that can make us grow. Help us make a difference in the lives of the people around us and in our own lives. Rather than ask for miracles all the time, let us be a miracle. You created us according to your own image, help us live that way. Let us prove ourselves worthy of the gift of life you gave to us and of all the love you invested in us. Let us feel the magic of every moment and give thanks for all the things in our life. Let us see the rainbow glistening behind every tear. Teach us that the great crisis can be overcome. That there are answers to the big questions of humanity. That we are not just a bunch of evoluated animals aborted in the middle of the jungle. We are your children. We are precious in your eyes. Watch over our bodies and our souls, so that none of us is lost. We lose so much in this life. Our friends and loved ones. Our health and youth. Our earthly possessions. Our memories. Let us not lose the most important thing we have, the one that can make up for all the other things we lose, because it’s stronger in the balance than all of them put together. Let us never lose our faith.
AMEN
My psalm, my prayer
Lord God,
You are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. It is safe to place my heart in your hands. In a restless and troubled world, you are a realm of peace and comfort. In a sea of doubts, you are the certainty. In an ocean of darkness, you are the light. Guide us through the night. Your mercy is endless. Your grace is eternal. Your love has no boundaries. Without you, we would be lost and alone. With you, we are saved and loved, we have a purpose and a meaning. Teach us to love and to forgive, the way you love and forgive us. Teach us to find our joy in you. Teach us to find our strength in your name. Make us a candle for others' steps, so that they can see where they are going and do not stumble on the way.
Make us a light for the blind, a song for the deaf, a hope for the lost and the lonely. Give us the passion and the courage of the first Christians. Give us the power you gave to your apostles. Teach us to say the right word at the right time, to choose the right thing every time we have to make a choice. For you have the power to build up hearts and minds, to restore and to heal. Glorified be your name forever and ever.
AMEN
Prayer Resembles a Flower
Prayer Resembles a Flower
By Vanessa Ferris
First one plants the seed, inquiring God's very existence. One must believe, even slightly, or he would not have questioned the fact by any means.
Once questions multiply, they gradually become words converting into a prayer. The more one prays, the more water will develop his flower.
One's maturity through spiritual walk will elevate the flower connecting him with Christ.
Once the flower flourishes, one may dwell in God's mercy and peace as they too embark on their journey in ministry assisting others to create a flower of their own.
I am Vanessa Ferris an eighteen year old from Toledo, Ohio. I have been writing poetry and short stories since I was in 7th grade. My words is basically my soul on paper. I write about how I feel at the time. I am not afraid to write what I think. I believe in God as my Savior; I am not ashamed
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com
What they have said...
Emily Dickinson:
"If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain."
How to pray
Approach God with confidence.
If you think you don't have enough, don't worry. Ask for it.
Approach God with faith.
If you think you don't have enough, don't worry. Faith is the only thing you can ask for without having faith.
Approach God with tears.
If your eyes are dry, don't worry. Keep on praying. The tears will come as God melts the ice around your heart.
Approach God with thanks.
If you think you have nothing to thank for, don't worry. At the end of your prayer you'll realize you have more than you think.
Approach God with an honest heart.
If you think your heart is not honest, don't worry. The very fact that you thought about it proves the contrary.
Approach God with all you've got.
If you think you've got nothing, don't worry. Take your nothing in front of God. After all, he created the world out of nothing.
Approach God full stop.
What they have said...
Charlotte Bronte:
"Biblical promises, heard first in health, but then unheeded, come whispering to the couch of sickness: it is felt that a pitying God watches what all mankind have forsaken; the tender compassion of Jesus is recalled and relied on: the faded eye, gazing beyond Time, sees a Home, a Friend, a Refuge in Eternity."
What they have said
Victor Hugo:
"To place the infinity here below in contact, by the medium of thought, with the infinity on high, is called praying."
"With regard to the modes of prayer, all are good, provided that they are sincere."
"Certain thoughts are prayers. There are moments when, whatever the attitude of the body may be, the soul is on its knees."
"To give thanks in solitude is enough. Thanksgiving has wings and goes where it must go. Your prayer knows much more about it than you do."
"We never love or pray too much."
Prayer for the Lost
I pray for all those who bear the burden of low self-esteem. For them who haven’t learned to love themselves yet because they’ve never learned to love you. For them who are still groping for a meaning and for them who have come to the conclusion that life has no meaning. For them who engage in immoral and destructive activities because of their lack of purpose and direction. For them who perceive life as a never-ending string of problems and constant struggles. For them who are facing mental problems, depression, drug-addiction and all the other things on the black list.
For them we usually point the finger at. For them we regard as the “sinners” of this world. For them we despise or pity, or judge, or simply ignore.
Let them come to know you. Be kind to them. Don’t give up on them because of their ways, but, just like the good shepherd, seek and find them and bring them home. Show them the power of the light. Break the chains that keep them prisoners and set them free. You know each and every one of them. You know that some have got incredible resources for the good. Touch them with your mercy. Change them with your love. Let them work for you. Turn their weakness into strength. Don’t let any of them be lost. For you came into this world to heal and to save, to bring hope where there was no hope and love where there was no love.
I also pray for those who feel they have the right to judge others. Show them how wrong they are. Show them that by doing that they prove worse than the ones they judge. Teach them to be humble. To follow your example. To comfort rather than throw the stone, to build rather than destroy. To see the good rather than the evil in every human being.
AMEN
This morning...
Thank you, Lord, for this new day that begins for us. We thank You and honor You for Your eternal love and for reminding us, with every breath we take, that we are Your beloved children. May Your grace and compassion fill the hearts and spirits of everybody who have decided to surrender themselves at the foot of the Cross; and provide a sign of hope and strength for those who are still looking for you.
In the Name of Jesus we pray,
Amen
Lord God,
Right this moment you can be here, with every one of us, sharing our lonely journey. You designed us to be only one place at a time, but you can be everywhere. To you the past and the future are like an open book. You can see what’s going on inside our bodies and inside our minds. You can read our thoughts and listen to our silent prayers. You know the beginning and the end, the cause and the effect. You can influence the course of the events and change our lives forever. You can lead us to the path you have chosen for us. You have the power to heal, to restore, to renew. To find the lost and save them. None of these things is impossible or too difficult for you.
Search our hearts, our minds and our bodies. We all need to be healed. We all have illnesses and weaknesses, we all have doubts, we all need a push once in a while and a lot of encouragement to go on. I pray for this moment. For this “here” and “now” and for all those who have the privilege of sharing them. Make a miracle. Bring comfort. Bring a touch of hope, a whisper of faith, a glimpse of love. Plant the seed and help it grow. Here and now. For each and every one of us. Make me one with all the people who are praying right now, so that we all can become a great force piercing the sky and making its way to your throne of glory. I pray for everyone who’s reading this and decides to join me in prayer. Let us all pray together.
Lord God, you are our father. Don’t leave your children alone in the dark. Change our lives. Change our hearts. Save us from the troubles and torments this life brings about. Save us from getting drowned in trivial things. Save us from our demons, from our own weaknesses. From our instincts and our selfishness. Fill our hearts with honesty and our eyes with humble tears of repentance, so that our soul can be renewed and we can become people after your own heart. Bring the lost sheep home. Let us share the privilege of joining you at the last supper. Let us be transformed by the bread and the wine. Without you we are prisoners in a world we don’t understand, in a body that keeps betraying us. Set us free. Show us the meaning and give us a purpose in life. Here and now. Forever and ever.
AMEN
The Final Frontier
I turn to the west,
see the twilight is near,
the world's in a quest
for the final frontier.
The dream that we're dreaming
seems close to an end.
Though we reach for a meaning
we don't understand.
For beyond what we see,
for beyond what we hear,
there is comfort and peace,
there's a world without fear.
I can feel there's a voice
like an echo inside,
There's a candle that burns
in the deep frosty night.
When the world's going crazy,
when nothing's the same
do not look for a "something"
or a "someone" to blame.
For beyond what I am,
for beyond what you are,
there are things going on,
there are places so far.
When you turn to the west
and the twilight is near,
when the world's in a quest
for the final frontier,
do not fear, do not hide,
face the storm and be strong,
watch the candle tonight
for it won't take so long.
For beyond what is now,
for beyond what is here,
there's eternity there
past the final frontier.
Do not fear, do not hide,
keep the candle alive
It will see you
through the final frontier.
Thanks Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for helping us to keep the fire of faith alive in this world of trouble and change. Thank you for giving us something to cling to when everything else seems to fall apart. For giving us a meaning in a world that’s constantly looking for a meaning. Our fragility as human beings makes us ask questions and make suppositions that sometimes seem absurd and ridiculous. There are people who doubt the very fact that we exist. There are questions constantly arising: are we a body? Are we a soul? Are we an evolved animal with conscience? Are we our brain, our memories? What’s the beginning and what’s the end? We have come so far. The human race has reached incredible realms of intelligence and power. But we are still small and frightened… and so breakable. The history of mankind is a deep night where people are struggling to find a light. Thank you for giving us a light. For being our light. For helping us discover our own inner strength.
Once I heard a psychiatrist saying that the essential and predominant feature of our race, the very engine that makes us do all the things we do is fear. All our acts are based on fear. Fear of getting old. Fear of becoming ill. Fear of being alone. Fear of losing the ones we love. Fear of dying. Thank you for showing us a love beyond fear. The love that conquers all fear cause it is perfect in itself. Thank you for giving us the chance to rise above fear and bring forth what’s the best in us. And yes, we are frightened, we do feel lonely and fragile and vulnerable sometimes, but we know we have a father and a friend. We are not orphans in this world. We can always come to you for help and comfort.
There are people who say faith is a sign of weakness. That it is all about relying on somebody else. About ignoring the truth. I would answer them with a quote from Dostoyevsky’s Brothers Karamazov: “If any one could prove to me that Christ is outside the truth, and if the truth really did exclude Christ, I should prefer to stay with Christ and not with the truth.”
Thank you for being the truth. And may your name be praised for all eternity.
AMEN
I don't want to be a moaner. I don't want to upset you all the time with trivial things, yet that's exactly what I do. I seems like I'm never satisfied with what I've got. When I didn't have a soul mate, I asked you for a soul mate and you gave me one. Now I'm asking you for a job. I left my job, my country and all my friends and relatives to be with the man you've chosen for me. But your will for my life can't be just that I sit at home in front of the computer all day long or do the wifely duties. It's got to be more than that. Give me the opportunity to use the gifts you've given me for the benefit of other people and for my own benefit, so that I can gain a little financial independence. Don't let me waste my years and my inner resources with nothing to do, with no real meaning and no direction. Show me a way out of this lack of perspective and give me the chance to make myself useful. My life is in your hands and I know that whatever you decide is for my own good. Help me trust in you completely and surrender to you once more.
AMEN
Prayer For Protection
AMEN
I've been a stranger
I’ve been a stranger for so long,
I’ve kept so many feelings locked inside,
I guess the words will never be that strong
To share the secrets that I used to hide.
I’ve been a stranger for so long
And no one told me not to cry,
And no one taught me how to live,
And no one showed me how to die.
The world was nothing but a cage,
The body – nothing but a shell,
They say we’re actors on a stage,
We take and give, we buy and sell.
And then you touched me with your love
When no one else was there for me,
You taught me how to live and die.
And now I know you're all I need.
Written by Eliza
A verse a day to light your way
“You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you make the Most High your dwelling—even the LORD, who is my refuge- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.”
(Psalms 91:5-10)
My Lord, here I am, in front of you again, with all my heart and my soul. Teach me to be honest with myself and with you. Teach me not to hide behind words, behind polished phrases. Here I am, my soul all naked, ready to let you in. I have so many things to repent for. So many things I should have done and I haven’t. So many things I shouldn’t have done and I have. So many dark corners inside my heart where your light hasn’t reached yet. Forgive me for all those things and for many others that can’t be said here and now. You know each and every one of them. Purify my soul of all the rubbish, so that you can turn me into an instrument of your love. Clean all the places that need to be cleaned. Heal all the wounds that need to be healed. Light all the corners that are still in the dark. Hold my hand and guide my steps on the right path. Help me keep the candle burning. Show me the meaning of my life and your will for it. Let me find my strength in you, even when I feel that all in me is weakness and that all around me is crumbling to pieces. Be my comforter and my friend. Listen to my prayers and help me cry when the burden of restrained tears becomes too heavy within me. Cry with me. Let me feel your tears like a rain inside me, setting me free from all the tension, from all the negative energy. Let me feel your love touching my soul like a soft summer breeze, your tender care like a warm coat on a chilly day, your sweet presence like a long-wanted gift on a magic Christmas Eve. Teach me how to live and how to die. How to pray and how to forgive. All the things that could help my faith grow. Teach me all the little things no one has ever taught me. All that my soul longs to know. And don’t leave me. Stay with me forever and ever. Especially in the moments when I’m down and there’s no one else to lift me up. Especially in the moment of my death. Share it with me to make it easier. Make me feel then - like I felt all throughout my life - that everywhere is home, since home is wherever you are and you are everywhere.
AMEN
