Even if you don't believe in God, these prayers still hold some truth. Replace the word "God" with "the universe" or "karma." This entry is inspired by Allie today. ;-) Prayers aren't just words sent to God, they're also an inner dialogue with ourselves. When we learn to listen to ourselves during a moment of calm, we often get the answers we've been looking for, solutions to problems that don't ever seem to go away. Those solutions and answers come to us from our subconscious, or from God, depending on your perspective. Trust what comes to you after a quiet moment in prayer. Don't be afraid to ask God, or The Universe, for help in soothing your soul and looking for answers.
Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,
Unuttered or expressed;
The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast.
Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear
The upward glancing of an eye,
When none but God is near.
Prayer is the simplest form of speech
That infant lips can try;
Prayer the sublimest strains that reach
The Majesty on high.
Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice,
Returning from his ways,
While angels in their songs rejoice
And cry, "Behold, he prays!"
Prayer is the Christian's vital breath,
The Christian's native air,
Our watchword at the gates of death;
We enter heaven with prayer.
The saints in prayer appear as one
In word and deed and mind,
While with the Father and the Son
Sweet fellowship they find.
Nor prayer is made by man alone,
The Holy Spirit pleads,
And Jesus on the eternal throne
For sinners intercedes.
O Thou, by Whom we come to God,
The Life, the Truth, the Way;
The path of prayer Thyself hast trod:
Lord, teach us how to pray!
--James Montgomery, 1818
May all I do today
begin with you, O Lord.
Plant dreams and hopes
within my soul,
revive my tired spirit:
be with me today.
May all I do today
continue with your help, O Lord.
Be at my side
and walk with me:
Be my support today.
May all I do today
reach far and wide, O Lord.
My thoughts, my work, my life:
make them blessings
for your kingdom;
let them go beyond today,
O God.
Today is new,
unlike any other day,
for God makes each day different.
Today God's everyday grace
falls on my soul like abundant seed,
though I may hardly see it.
Today is one of those days
Jesus promised to be with me,
a companion on my journey,
And my life today, if I trust him,
has consequences unseen.
My life has a purpose.
The Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will direct your paths.
Proverbs 3, 5-6
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