do you have a favourite prayer?

[cacian]

I find prayers fascinating and so wondered if you had a favourite to share :)

[cafolini]

We all pray all day long with or without words. Those who don't see themselves as such either have one stupid favorite prayer like the favorite quote they carry around, or think they don't pray.

[Darcy88]

I'm not religious, but I like the Serenity Prayer a lot.

[Calidore]

I'm not religious, but I like the Serenity Prayer a lot.

Me either, and me too. It's good advice regardless.

I'm also fond of this Irish prayer:

May those that love us love us
And those who do not, may the Lord turn their hearts
And if He will not turn their hearts, may He turn their ankles, that we may know them by their limp

[Silas Thorne]

I rather like:

Sredni Vashtar went forth,
His thoughts were red thoughts and his teeth were white.
His enemies called for peace, but he brought them death.
Sredni Vashtar the Beautiful.

Followed by:

Do one thing for me, Sredni Vashtar.

[YesNo]

There's the Gayatri Mantra that I find myself saying. Here's an example of it being chanted: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDnamSM3Z3s

A few years ago, I tried to figure out what it meant, but I don't think it matters as long as it is in one's head.

Others such as "Om Aim Sarasvatye Namah", I also find myself saying. Laura Di Giorgio has 6 youtube lessons in Sanskrit that center around learning various mantras or prayers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrVhzSHeKj4 She has a very hypnotic voice.

Then there is also the ending verses of chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita that Eknath Easwaran recommended. I know his translation, but have looked at others as well.

There is the Prayer of Saint Francis that Wikipedia claims was originally written in the early 20th century anonymously in French. Here is a rendition of this prayer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8bOkScxXDY

It is hard for me to separate prayer from song.

[Lokasenna]

I always thought the 'Now I Lay Me Down' prayer was ridiculously creepy:

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I shall die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen.

As for myself, I have faith but no religion. I do pray, but not with words. They are, for once, a barrier to understanding.

[hannah_arendt]

I agree with Lokaseena. I have faith but I am not very religious. I don`t pray .

[cacian]

I'm not religious, but I like the Serenity Prayer a lot.

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; (line 11)
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.


this is intriguing because it starts off with encouragement it seems to stumble at line 11.
the other negative thing about it is that it is seems to lable the world as ''being sinful''. would you say that is a prejudice in itself? not all is sinful as one knows.


Me either, and me too. It's good advice regardless.

I'm also fond of this Irish prayer:

May those that love us love us
And those who do not, may the Lord turn their hearts
And if He will not turn their hearts, may He turn their ankles, that we may know them by their limp

Ouch that feels a little bit painful at the ankles haha ;)

[hypatia_]

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; (line 11)
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.


this is intriguing because it starts off with encouragement it seems to stumble at line 11.
the other negative thing about it is that it is seems to lable the world as ''being sinful''. would you say that is a prejudice in itself? not all is sinful as one knows.

i think if you change "His Will" to "myself" it is alright :)

[cacian]

i think if you change "His Will" to "myself" it is alright :)

hehe that is more like it ;)

[Ecurb]

O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the Earth! who has set thy glory above the heavens.
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands: thou hast put all
things under his feet:
All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the Earth.

One of the Psalms.

[usman.khawar]

O my lord, hide my errors and turn my fears into peace.

[YesNo]

Instead of "hide my errors", "forgive and fix my errors" might be better, but regardless, that's a nice prayer, usman.khawar, especially the part about turning fears into peace.

[usman.khawar]

Forgiveness is good as well. i wrote in a sense that all errors cannot be fix as no one is perfect so its better to hide here and here after and i experienced it as well :)

O my Lord turn the end of my all doings in good and beneficial.

[cacian]

Forgiveness is good as well. i wrote in a sense that all errors cannot be fix as no one is perfect so its better to hide here and here after and i experienced it as well :)

i do not agree about hiding. if one hides then one is saying they are guilty.


I rather like:

Sredni Vashtar went forth,
His thoughts were red thoughts and his teeth were white.
His enemies called for peace, but he brought them death.
Sredni Vashtar the Beautiful.

Followed by:

Do one thing for me, Sredni Vashtar.

never heard of Sredni Vashtar. He sounds rather scary.


There's the Gayatri Mantra that I find myself saying. Here's an example of it being chanted: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDnamSM3Z3s

A few years ago, I tried to figure out what it meant, but I don't think it matters as long as it is in one's head.

Others such as "Om Aim Sarasvatye Namah", I also find myself saying. Laura Di Giorgio has 6 youtube lessons in Sanskrit that center around learning various mantras or prayers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrVhzSHeKj4 She has a very hypnotic voice.

Then there is also the ending verses of chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita that Eknath Easwaran recommended. I know his translation, but have looked at others as well.

There is the Prayer of Saint Francis that Wikipedia claims was originally written in the early 20th century anonymously in French. Here is a rendition of this prayer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8bOkScxXDY

It is hard for me to separate prayer from song.

Sorry YesNo i have no sound on my computer so i cannot watch Youtube.
interesting that you do not separate song from prayer. I would have thought there is a slight difference.

[Silas Thorne]

never heard of Sredni Vashtar. He sounds rather scary.

This is a joke. Shredni Vashtar is from a story by Saki. He is a ferret.

[cacian]

This is a joke. Shredni Vashtar is from a story by Saki. He is a ferret.

LOL a ferret. Oh my. I saw and He and i thought it was person. I will check out the story i do not know it.
I am on it now. very interesting i am loving the names and the new words. EFFETE is an interesting one too :)

[Melanie]

Kris Kristofferson tells a short story of how he came about this prayer
and then sings the prayer with Willie Nelson scroll down for words:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tA7E7pbUws

why me lord?
what have i ever done,
to deserve even one,
of the pleasures i've known,
tell me lord,
what did i ever do,
that was worth lovin' you,
for the kindness you've shown,

lord help me Jesus,
i've wasted it so help me Jesus,
i know what i am,
but now that i know,
that i needed you so help me Jesus,
my souls in your hand,

try me lord,
if you think there's a way,
i can try to repay,
all i've takin' from you,
maybe lord,
i can show someone else,
what i've been through myself,
on my way back to you.

[cafolini]

Excellent pick, Melanie. God be with you.

[Jackson Richardson]

I rather like:

Sredni Vashtar went forth,
His thoughts were red thoughts and his teeth were white.
His enemies called for peace, but he brought them death.
Sredni Vashtar the Beautiful.

Followed by:

Do one thing for me, Sredni Vashtar.

That is the most wonderful short story in the English language to my mind. Absolutely love it.

On the other hand I do pray quite a lot. I recite the psalms for the day in the context of prayer for the day - Benedictus in the morning, Magnificat in the evening. I'm not into articulate prayers for specific persons (dear father God, please look after Tracey that she may find the right man and have lots of nauseatingly sentimental children). I just name the names at mass or light a candle for them and know that God and his mother know better than I what Tracey needs. For protestants prayer means words. For ordinary Christians, it can be action and silence as well.

[Melanie]

Prayer of Praise

Carrie Underwood with Vince Gill sing
"How Great Thou Art" (the end is amazing!):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLLMzr3PFgk

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

[YesNo]

Sorry YesNo i have no sound on my computer so i cannot watch Youtube.
interesting that you do not separate song from prayer. I would have thought there is a slight difference.

There might be a difference that I'm overlooking. I enjoyed the songs/prayers that Melanie posted. Sandra Ingerman wrote in "How to Heal Toxic Thoughts", page 53:


When you really sing a song with gusto, you will find that your energy moves from your head into your heart. The oxygen moving through your song also awakens the rest of your body.

That may sound obvious, but her point later was that we don't sing enough because we think we can't sing (which I can't).

Ruggerlad's Benedictus and Magnificat (although I don't know what they are), are ways to get sound and words (intentions) active in our consciousness rather than the drivel that might be there otherwise. A non-believer might see these practices as simply healthy living. The believer would likely see them also as ways to become open to the truth.

Saki's story about Shredni Vashtar was amazing. The way the cousin was portrayed was perfect.

[YALASH]

Peace be on every one.

Holy Quran Chapter 2 Verse 202 partly: alislamDOTorg

Transliteration:

"RABBANA AATENAA FI-DDUNYA HASANATAN WA FIL AKHERATEY HASANATAN WA QANA AZABAN NAAR"


Words-Meanings

RABBANA (our Lord, Sustainer)
AATENAA (grant us)
FI-DDUNYA (in world)
HASANATAN (good)
WA (and)
FIL-AKHERATEY (in the Hereafter)
HASANATAN (good)
WA (and)
QANA (save us)
AZABAN (torment of)
NAAR(fire)


Translation:
Our Lord, Sustainer! grant us, good in this world and good in the Hereafter and save us from the torment of fire (troubles).

[Nicoletta]

My teacher taught me a song in third grade that I still remember, "Hee-nay matov hoo-ma-nai-im. Shev-it-a-chim gum-ya-had." I had no idea what it meant for the longest while except that it was catchy because it's sung in rounds. Then I found this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHNQIsZxDKo. (Skip to 1:51 to hear it sung). I had been singing Psalm 133 which translates to: "Behold how good and how pleasing if brothers could sit together in unity."

[Heaven'sflower]

much more but now a days that one is :thumbs_up
O Lord!
"The Directer Of Hearts __ Direct my heart To Your Obedience "
Aameen

[Melanie]

"The Prayer" sung by 7 yr old Rhema Marvanne
click on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRvcW1T3e-s

~~~~ OR ~~~~

"The Prayer" sung by Celine Dion and Josh Groban
click on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT1kO8mxbUE

The Prayer
I pray you’ll be our eyes
And watch us where we go
And help us to be wise
In times when we don’t know

Let this be our prayer
As we go our way
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace
To a place where we’ll be safe
La luce che to dai

I pray we’ll find your light
Nel cuore restero
And hold it in our hearts
A ricordarchi che
When stars go out each night
L’eterna stella sei
Nella mia preghiera
Let this be our prayer
Quanta fede c’e
When shadows fill our day
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace

Give us faith so we’ll be safe.
Sognamo un mondo senza piu violenza

Un mondo di giustizia e di speranza
Ognuno dia la mano al suo vicino
Simbolo di pace e di fraternita

La forza che ci dai
We ask that life be kind
E’il desiderio che
And watch us from above
Ognuno trovi amore
We hope each soul will find
Intorno e dentro a se
Another soul to love

Let this be our prayer
Let this be our prayer
Just like every child
Just like every child

Needs to find a place,
Guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe
E la fede che
Hai acceso in noi
Sento che ci salvera

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

A simple, beautiful phrase uttered quite often and best heard in a Chant...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aah_ITLw3R8

[ZTay]

Psalm43:3

[cacian]

Psalm43:3

ZTay I do not know this one :)

[ZTay]

I always like to send people to their bibles whenever I can with the hope that once they are there they might tarry! But here it is:

"O send out your light and your truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto your holy hill, and to your tabernacles."

[papillondemai]

I like the following one that we used to say for Grace. It goes something like this:

Thanks for the bread
Thanks for the meat
Good God
Let's eat.

[cacian]

I like the following one that we used to say for Grace. It goes something like this:

Thanks for the bread
Thanks for the meat
Good God
Let's eat.

interesting it makes me think and what if you are a vegetarian ;)

[Bonsai Ent]

I'm fond of this one by Thomas Merton


Dear God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself...
and the fact that I think I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But, I believe this: I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You.
I hope I have that desire in everything I do.
I hope I never do anything apart from that desire.
And, I know that if I do this You will lead me by the right road...
though I may know nothing about it at the time.
Therefore, I will trust You always for though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death, I will not be afraid because
I know You will never leave me to face my troubles all alone. Amen

[Nick Capozzoli]

The Lord's Prayer (Matt 6:13). This is the answer Jesus gave when He was asked how we should pray.

It is a beautifully simple prayer. Very few words, all significant.

This may seem like an all-comforting "feel good" prayer, but it has a rather hard edge in the lines:

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

We should think about what this sentence means. It seems to mean that God will forgive our sins against Him, but
as a condition requires that we forgive the sins of others against us, or perhaps that He will forgive us only in
proportion to our forgiveness towards others.

Many of us say this prayer without thinking about this as we forgive those who trespass against us qualifier...
I certainly did that for many years.

[cacian]

The Lord's Prayer (Matt 6:13). This is the answer Jesus gave when He was asked how we should pray.

It is a beautifully simple prayer. Very few words, all significant.

This may seem like an all-comforting "feel good" prayer, but it has a rather hard edge in the lines:

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

We should think about what this sentence means. It seems to mean that God will forgive our sins against Him, but
as a condition requires that we forgive the sins of others against us, or perhaps that He will forgive us only in
proportion to our forgiveness towards others.

Many of us say this prayer without thinking about this as we forgive those who trespass against us qualifier...
I certainly did that for many years.

interesting quote this because to me it should say:
if you trespass then someone will trespass back on you which means no need for forgiveness.

the idea that one can trespass then ask for forgiveness because someone else has trespassed on them is a double edge sword in other word hypocrisy.

in other words:
don't do and I won't be done to you and god is left out of it.

[Gladys]

From Soren Kierkegaard the intimate prayer:



Thou loving Father, everything goes wrong for me and yet Thou art love. I have even failed in holding fast to this--that Thou art love, and yet Thou art love. Wherever I turn, the only thing that I cannot do without is that Thou art love, and that is why, even when I have not held fast to the faith that Thou art love, I believe that Thou dost permit through love that it should be so, O Infinite Love.

[Melanie]

Winonna sings the prayer, "I Can Only Imagine":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Klrc0YuikM


"I Can Only Imagine"

I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your side

I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me
I can only imagine

[Chorus:]
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine

I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the Son

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine

[Chorus]

I can only imagine [x2]

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever, forever worship you

[cafolini]

Clues are not dues. I can only imagine. An imagination without knowledge is like a toilet without water. The Grace of God be with you in this genuine mystery.

[cacian]

Clues are not dues. I can only imagine. An imagination without knowledge is like a toilet without water. The Grace of God be with you in this genuine mystery.

funnily enough imagination is not taught it is free given. it is up to imagine the way we want to. no need of education when it comes to imagination and that is the beauty of it.

[cafolini]

funnily enough imagination is not taught it is free given. it is up to imagine the way we want to. no need of education when it comes to imagination and that is the beauty of it.

Still a toilet without water. That's the ugliness.

[Melanie]

“Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess:

Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from becoming too talkative, and especially from the unfortunate habit of thinking that I must say something on every subject and at every opportunity.

Release me from the idea that I must straighten out other peoples' affairs. With my immense treasure of experience and wisdom, it seems a pity not to let everybody partake of it. But thou knowest, Lord, that in the end I will need a few friends.

Keep me from the recital of endless details; give me wings to get to the point.

Grant me the patience to listen to the complaints of others; help me to endure them with charity. But seal my lips on my own aches and pains -- they increase with the increasing years and my inclination to recount them is also increasing.

I will not ask thee for improved memory, only for a little more humility and less self-assurance when my own memory doesn't agree with that of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be wrong.

Keep me reasonably gentle. I do not have the ambition to become a saint -- it is so hard to live with some of them -- but a harsh old person is one of the devil's masterpieces.

Make me sympathetic without being sentimental, helpful but not bossy. Let me discover merits where I had not expected them, and talents in people whom I had not thought to possess any. And, Lord, give me the grace to tell them so.

Amen”
― Margot Benary-Isbert

[Calidore]

“Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess:

...

― Margot Benary-Isbert


Whoops.

[Melanie]

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean living."
I'm whispering "I was lost,"
Now I'm found and forgiven.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
and need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
but, God believes I'm worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain,
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
who received God's good grace, somehow.

[YesNo]

Last week I was reading Pam Grout's E-Squared, 2013, which contained experiments one could do to show that "your thoughts create your reality." Some of the experiments I tried actually worked.

Anyway, she had this to say about prayer, page 84:


People often tell me, "I dont pray. It's a waste of time. It's like believing in Santa Claus or the tooth fairy." My response? It's impossible to stop praying. Can't be done.

I think her point was that our thoughts are prayers, no matter how foolish or profound. So for each of us our favorite prayer would be what we think about the most.

[SentimentalSlop]

interesting quote this because to me it should say:
if you trespass then someone will trespass back on you which means no need for forgiveness.

the idea that one can trespass then ask for forgiveness because someone else has trespassed on them is a double edge sword in other word hypocrisy.

in other words:
don't do and I won't be done to you and god is left out of it.
I don't know if that is what you want it to say, or you're saying that is how you interpret it. Nick Cappozoli was right. In order to ask for mercy from God, we must show mercy to others like Christ did. Christ (according to the story) forgave sins the Jews thought people would be damned for. Because Christians believe that Christ is God, we must follow his example and make an honest effort to be like Him in our daily conduct. Thus, we must forgive, even those who hate and offend us, whether they are sorry or not for what they have done.

It sounds like I am making Christians out to be doormats, but that is not the case. Christians are called to love everyone (not necessarily like them because some people are just not likable). To a Christian, love means "willing the good of another." If we see someone doing something contrary to Christ's teachings, we must admonish them, but do it with great love and patience. If they don't like what we have to say and despise us, we can, by all means--like the apostles--seek out friends who will.

[Melanie]

Last week I was reading Pam Grout....People often tell me, "I dont pray. It's a waste of time. It's like believing in Santa Claus or the tooth fairy." My response? It's impossible to stop praying. Can't be done.

I think her point was that our thoughts are prayers, no matter how foolish or profound. So for each of us our favorite prayer would be what we think about the most.
I agree, YesNo. Where our thoughts are, our heart is. Scripture says, God knows our hearts.

[Melanie]

The Lord's Prayer (Matt 6:13)...."Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

We should think about what this sentence means. It seems to mean that God will forgive our sins against Him, but
as a condition requires that we forgive the sins of others against us, or perhaps that He will forgive us only in
proportion to our forgiveness towards others.

Many of us say this prayer without thinking about this as we forgive those who trespass against us qualifier...
I certainly did that for many years.
The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) was for teaching the 12 disciples how to pray before Christ's death/resurrection. After Christ's death/resurrection, everything changed because Christ's sacrifice forgave our sins. So, by grace, we were unconditionally forgiven. That was the purpose of Christ's suffering.

Before Christ's sacrifice for our sins, it was "Forgiveness Under the Law" - a system of command and penalty, conditional blessing and cursing.

After, it was "Forgiveness Under Grace" - a system of unconditional blessing.

Before Christ's sacrifice for our sins, scripture pens it this way: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us"(Matthew 6:12)

After, scripture pens it this way: "Forgive others just as God, in Christ, has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:32).

[Amarynow]

Be it unto me Lord, according to Thy will