Morning and Evening Prayer 2 March 2022 || Wednesday Prayers
Morning Prayer
May You teach us the lesson of cheerfulness, O God. We are too easily irritated and cast down. We let little troubles and difficulties discourage us. Our joy is too easily overclouded. Our song of gladness, too easily turns into a dirge. We fret ourselves needlessly, and fail to rejoice always. Sorrows come over us like a flood, and bury us away beneath their dark waves. Our gladness is too easily turned to sadness, as life’s cares and trials come upon us.
We hear You bidding us be of good cheer, because You have overcome the world — telling us that though we have tribulations we may have peace in You. But the lesson is not easy. It is hard for us to keep the song always in our heart, and the sunshine always in our face — when there are so many cares.
We come to You, pleading that You will teach us how always to be cheerful. Help us to such a strong, quiet, firm faith in Jesus — that no matter what may come into our life, we may ever rejoice. Rescue us from disheartenment, no matter how great its cause may appear to be. Help us to cast every burden on You — sure that You will sustain us in carrying it. Help us to learn to rejoice even in disappointments, knowing that if we could see all as You see — we would find beauty and good in everything which seems to us painful and dark.
We desire to be ministers of cheer to others. Forbid that we should go out with sadness in our faces, which shall cast a shadow on other lives. May we be sunshine to others. May we show to all the world what grace can do in making us messengers of gladness. We ask this in the name of Him who overcame the world and can give us peace. Amen.
Morning and Evening Prayer 2 March 2022 || Wednesday Prayers
Evening Prayer
We asked You this morning for grace to be cheerful, and messengers of good cheer to others. We thank You for whatever we were enabled to do in learning this lesson. Bless to others every cheerful word we spoke, and may the influence of our lives be a blessing to many. Wherein we failed to practice the lesson — may You forgive us. We ask that You will continue to teach us, and may we grow in this grace of cheerfulness until our daily lives shall be daily blessings.
We have tried to carry comfort and strength to others. There are some of those about us in trouble, in which we cannot do much to help them. The trouble is beyond our reach. May You be their comforter. If it is not Your will to take away the trial — may You give them grace to endure it with patience, and may You cause it to work for their good, so that they shall grow in grace and be brought nearer to You.
We make special prayer, O God, tonight, for the children. We thank You for childhood and for all it means to homes and to this world. We thank You for children’s voices which put so much music into life. We thank You for the simplicity and the humility of the children.
Bless the children to this world. May they be means of grace in every home where their voices ring. May You bless homes to the children. May all parents be so like Jesus to the little ones who cluster about them, that the young and tender lives shall be beautiful and blessed, and that they may grow up into strong men and women, fearing You, loving and living the truth, and making the world holier. And to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we will give praise, honor, and worship, for evermore. Amen.
Morning and Evening Prayer 2 March 2022 || Wednesday Prayers