Almighty God, release me from the anxieties of this world. Help me to turn my cares over to you. You've said in your Word that we should not be anxious about anything, but in everything, through prayer and supplication, make our requests known to you. Thank you for the provision of a means of escape from the tensions that are overwhelming me. Help me to sense your presence and refreshing love. Amen

—Stephen L. Shanklin contemporary prayer leader for Promise Keepers movement

Lord, thou has taught us
that all who come our way
are our neighbors.
But hear our prayer for those
with whom we come in daily contact
because they live close to us.
Help us to be good neighbors to them.
Give us grace to ignore petty annoyances
and to build on all that is positive
in our relationship,
that we may love them
as we love ourselves,
with genuine forbearance and kindness.

—B. F. Westcott Anglican Bishop and New Testament scholar 1825-1901

My God,
I give you this day.
I offer you, now,
all the good that I shall do
and I promise to accept,
for love of you,
all of the difficulty
that I shall meet.
Help me to conduct myself
during this day
in a way that pleases you.

—Francis de Sales church leader and theologian 1567-1622

O Lord, who is the fountain
of all wisdom and learning,
you have given me the years
of my youth to learn
the arts and skills necessary
for an honest and holy life.
Enlighten my mind,
that I may acquire knowledge.
Strengthen my memory
that I may retain what
I have learnt.
Govern my heart,
that I may always
be eager and diligent in my studies.
And let your Spirit of truth,
judgment and prudence
guide my understanding,
that I may perceive how everything
I learn fits into your holy plan
for the world.

—John Calvin French theologian 1509-1564

O Lord Jesus,
Please abide with me.
Dispel my deep loneliness!
No one can be my companion forever,
but you are the Lord who is everywhere,
present at all times.
Only you are my dear
companion and Savior.
In the long dark night,
along the silent shadowy pathways,
I beg you to grasp my hand.
When others have forgotten me,
please remember me…

—Andrew Song contemporary writer of prayers in The Complete Book of Christian Prayer

Good Lord,
you have refreshed our souls
with the streams of knowledge;
lead us at last to yourself,
the source and spring of knowledge.

—Alcuin of York early Christian scholar 735-804

Resources for these prayers included The Complete Book of Christian Prayer (Continuum), The Book of Prayers (St. Martin's Press), The Doubleday Prayer Collection (Doubleday), The HarperCollins Book of Prayers (HarperCollins), and 2000 Years of Classic Christian Prayers (Orbis).

2002 by the author or Christianity Today International/Campus Life magazine.
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