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
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
Prayer of Hope
O Lord, in Whom is our hope, remove far from
us, we pray Thee, empty hopes and presumptuous confidence. Make our hearts so
right with Thy most holy and loving heart, that hoping in Thee we may do good;
until that day when faith and hope shall be abolished by sight and possession,
and love shall be all in all.
--- Christina G. Rossetti (1830-1895)
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
Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace
Lord, make me an instrument
of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love, Where there is
injury, pardon Where there is doubt, faith, Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light, Where there is sadness, joy. O Divine
Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console,
not so much to be understood as to understand, not so much to be loved, as
to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that
we are pardoned, it is in dying that we awake to eternal life.
---
St. Francis of Assisi
Do Not Lose Heart
Therefore we
do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly
we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles
are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So
we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is
seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
--- 2 Corinthians
4:16-18
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.
Books About Prayer and/or Meditation
Current and best selling books about prayer, meditation or spirituality that you might want to add to your library
Charles Henderson
You are invited to join our Forum
and discuss any issues
pertaining to faith or the search for it.
Your comments are published here instantly.
CrossCurrents
Forum
(To see the current list of
topics your browser must allow Active Content)
CrossCurrents
Recent Discussions
Please take a moment to let us know you
were here!
Just send us an email to subscribe to our free newsletter.
If you want to talk with someone in person, please feel free to call 212-864-5436
The Rev. Charles P. Henderson is a Presbyterian minister and
Executive Director of CrossCurrents.
He is the author of God and Science (John Knox Press, 1986).
A revised and expanded version of the book is appearing here. God and Science (Hypertext Edition,
2005).
He is also editor of a new book, featuring articles by world class scientists and theologians, and illustrating the leading views on the relationship between science and religion: Faith, Science and the Future (CrossCurrents Press, 2007).
Charles also tracks the boundry between the virtual and the real at his blog: Next World Design, focusing on the mediation of art, science and spirituality in the metaverse.