Prayer Resources 

We hope that you will find these resources helpful in your personal prayer: 

Trusting in God - From Psalm 62

For God Alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
Trust in him at all times,
O people; pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.

Be Still and Know That I Am God - A Meditation

Settle yourself as comfortably as you can and gently bring your attention to the different parts of your body. Allow any tightness to be released.  Allow your jaw to let go. Now, bring your attention to focus on your breath.  Simply, notice it.  Do not change it or force it into any pattern.
 
Our breath is closer to us than any sight or sound.  It is our first and last possession.  In Jesus’s language, Aramaic, and in the language of the Old Testament scriptures, Hebrew, the words for breath, “ruhau” and “ruach”, also had the meaning “spirit”.  
 
As you sit quietly watching your breath, at the same time, you might cup one hand lightly near your heart and imagine your hand listening to the heartbeat and the pulse of your blood through your veins.  Feel and visualise the blood bringing to the lungs everything that wants to be released in this moment, so that it can be breathed out.  With each in-breath, new life enters and pulses out to every cell of the body.  So, each moment, God gives us the opportunity of new beginning!
 
Now, quietly say to yourself “Be still and know that I am God”.  Begin by breathing in silently the words “Be still” and again, silently, breath out “and know”.  Gradually, as your breathing deepens and lengthens extend your outbreath to include a longer sequence of words, perhaps to include the whole sentence.  Practice this for as long as seems appropriate.  Remember!  Do not force any of this.  Watch your breath and allow it to flow in and out in its own rhythm and its own pace with the phrase.  Be still.
 
Amen

Prayer is Being Open to God

Look at your hands
Sit with your palms faced down
As a sign of emptying your concerns
Sit with your palms faced up
As a sign of openness to God –
Like Mary
Open to receive
Open to wait on God
In God’s good time.
Do not be afraid
The Lord is with you.

Prayer for Open Hands

Jesus the Christ, Your open hands transform the pain of the world.
Hold and transform all in me that needs to be made good.
Jesus the Christ, Your open hands bring generous life to all peoples.
Help me to be open-handed, sharing your life with those around me.
Jesus the Christ, Your open hands carry the blessing of God the Father.
By your Holy Spirit help me to share Your blessing with my hands today.
Amen.      

Lord, Help Me

To live this day quietly and easily
To lean upon your great strength, trustfully and restfully,
To wait for the unfolding of Your will patiently and serenely,
To meet others peacefully and joyously,
And to face tomorrow confidently and courageously.
Amen.

Always be Joyful

"Always be joyful.
Keep on praying.
No matter what happens, always be thankful,
for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus".
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
 

My Dearest Lord

You are a bright flame before me,
A guiding star above me,
A smooth path beneath me,
A kindly shepherd behind me
Today and evermore.
St Columba
 

Trust in God

Let nothing disturb you
Let nothing frighten you
All things pass.
God never changes
Patience achieves
All it strives for
Whoever has God lacks nothing
God alone suffices.
Teresa of Avila
 

A Prayer For Someone You Are Holding Close In Your Thoughts

To a dear one about whom I have been concerned...
“I behold the Christ in you
I place you lovingly in the care of the All Caring One
I release you from my anxiety and concern.
I let go of my possessive hold on you
I am willing to free you to follow the dictates of the indwelling spirit.
I am willing to free you to live your life
According to your best light and understanding.
 
Husband, wife, child, friend,
I no longer try to force my ideas on you, my ways on you,
I see you as God sees you, a spiritual being, created in God’s image,
And endowed with qualities and abilities that make you needed and important –
Not only to me but to God and God’s larger perspective.
I do not bind you
I no longer believe that you do not have
The understanding you need in order to meet life.
I bless you.    I have faith in you.    I behold Jesus in you.    
Amen.
 

A Daily Blessing

May the light of your soul guide you.
May the light of your soul bless the work
you do with the secret love and warmth of your heart.
May you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul.
May the sacredness of your work bring healing, light and renewal to those
who work with you and to those who see and receive your work.
May your work never weary you.
May it release within you wellsprings of refreshment, inspiration and excitement.
May you be present in what you do.
May you never become lost in the bland absences.
May the day never burden you.
May dawn find you awake and alert, approaching your new day with dreams,
possibilities and promises.
May evening find you gracious and fulfilled.
May you go into the night blessed, sheltered and protected.
May your soul calm, console and renew you.
John O’Donohue
 

Another Daily Blessing

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing that you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.
Teresa of Avila