Praying With Those Who've Prayed Over The Centuries

On this first Sunday of Lent 2021 as we focus on prayer – which in fact is one of the 3 spiritual disciplines we are encouraged to consider during these 40 days as we seek to draw closer to Jesus – fasting, prayer, and giving.

One writer on prayer I’ve been looking at these days was talking about 10 prayers that he had memorized and which he prays often – almost like prayers that surround the things he prays from day to day.  I don’t think I have 10 but I do have a few that come back to me often – and if you watch this blog often you’ll know what some of them are.

Today, however, we will pray with some of the saints from previous centuries – there are prayers here it would be good for me to memorize.  I was put in touch recently with a couple of prayer collections put together by someone who is with the organization that puts out the monthly “Upper Room” devotional and these are prayers organized by century from the time of the early church.  I’ve bumped into some of them at previous times over the years but many are new and we’ll borrow some of them from time to time as we pray together – particularly on Sundays. 

Let’s get to it then.  Let’s come before God with hearts open ready to pour out our love and devotion to Him, and ready to be filled up with all the love and wisdom He so willingly makes available to us.

We begin with a prayer of confession and request for reconciliation.

O Lord, who has mercy upon all, take away from me my sins, and mercifully kindle in me the fire of Your Holy Spirit.  Take away from me the heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore You, a heart to delight in You, to follow and enjoy You, for Christ’s sake.  Amen  (Ambrose)

And then we acknowledge that we know some things and need faith to trust God’s goodness and His presence with us while we wait for what we don’t yet understand to be revealed.

Merciful Lord, the Comforter and Teacher of Your faithful people, increase in Your church the desires which You have given, and confirm the hearts of those who put their hope in You by enabling them to understand the depth of Your promises, that all Your adopted daughters and sons may even now behold, with the eyes of faith, and patiently wait for, the light which as yet You have not made clear to us, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen  (Ambrose)

So many thoughts and memories run around in our heads and hearts and it is good to have these sifted and sorted out.  Remember what Philippians tells us about our thoughts:

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Philippians 4:8

So let’s get rid of anything that doesn’t fit in those categories.

O God of love, who has given a new commandment through Your only begotten son, that we should love one another, even as You love us, the unworthy and the wandering, and gave Your beloved son for our life and salvation;  we ask You Lord, to give us, your servants, throughout all of our life on the earth, a mind forgetful of past ill-will, a pure conscience and sincere thoughts, and a heart to love one another, for the sake of Jesus Christ Your Son, our Lord and only Saviour Amen.

(Coptic Liturgy of St. Cyril)

I was introduced to the next prayer back in the 1970’s and it sounded radical to me than and continues to really make me stop and assess who I am, what I have, what I’m holding onto, and what I need to offer up to God.

Take Lord and receive, all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all I have and call my own.  You have given all to me.  To You, Lord, I return it.  Everything is Yours, do with it what You will.  Give me only Your love and Your grace; that is enough for me.  (Ignatius of Loyola)

We end today with the familiar blessing that I never tire of praying over myself or on behalf of others.  Receive this blessing:

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.  Numbers 6:22-27