Prayers for Spirit-filled Living
Today, I want to share some centuries old prayers for spirit-filled living. May these prayers bless you today to seek God with everything you’ve got.
Lord Jesus, as God’s Spirit, came down and rested upon you,
may the same Spirit rest upon us, bestowing his sevenfold gifts.
First, grant us the gift of understanding,
by which your precepts may enlighten our minds.
Second, grant us counsel, by which we may follow in your foot-steps on the path of righteousness.
Third, grant us courage, by which we may ward off the Enemy’s attacks.
Fourth, grant us knowledge, by which we can distinguish good from evil.
Fifth, grant us piety, by which we may acquire compassionate hearts.
Sixth, grant us fear, my which we may draw back from evil and submit to what is good.
Seventh, grant us wisdom, that we may taste fully the life-giving sweetness of your love.
(Bonaventure, 1217-74)
Light eternal, shine in my heart:
Power eternal, deliver me from evil:
Wisdom eternal, scatter the darkness of my ignorance:
Might eternal, pity me.
Grant that I may ever seek thy face, with all my heart and soul and strength;
and, in thine infinite mercy, bring me at last to thy holy presence,
where I shall behold thy glory and possess thy promised joy.
(Alcuin, 735-804)O Lord, who hast mercy upon all,
take away from me my sins,
and mercifully kindle in me the fire of thy Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone,
and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore thee,
a heart to delight in thee,
to follow and to enjoy thee,
for Christ’s sake.
(Ambrose, c. 339-397)Make me, O my God,
humble without pretence,
cheerful without levity,
serious without dejection;
grave without moroseness,
active without frivolity,
truthful without duplicity,
fearful of thee without despair,
trustful of thee without presumption,
chaste without depravity,
able to correct my neighbor without angry feeling;
and by word and example to edify him without pride,
obedient without gainsaying,
patient without murmuring.
(Thomas Aquinas, 1225-74)O Lord God,
grant us always, whatever the world may say,
to content ourselves with what you say,
and to care only for your approval,
which will outweigh all worlds;
for Jesus Christ’s sake.
(Charles Gordon, 1833-85)Behold, Lord,
an empty vessel that needs to be filled.
My Lord, fill it.
I am weak in the faith, strengthen me.
I am cold in love;
warm me and make me fervent
that my love may go out to my neighbor.
O Lord, help me.
Strengthen my faith and trust in you.
With me, there is an abundance of sin;
in you is the fullness of righteousness.
Therefore I will remain with you,
from whom I can receive,
but to whom I may not give.
(Martin Luther, 1483-1546)
Dear God,
Thank you for the saints gone before us.
Thank you for inspiring us through them.
Come, Lord, and fill us with your Spirit.
May your love, your grace, your peace
permeate every inch of our hearts and minds.
Give us everything we need for spirit-filled living.
Show us how to live according to your will and plan for us.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Q4U: Which one of these prayers was your favorite today?
Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you lean on Christ for Spirit-filled!
Image courtesy of ochristian.com, design by Mari-Anna Stålnacke. Linking up today with Looking up, Sharing His Beauty, Small Wonders.
4 thoughts on “Prayers for Spirit-filled Living”
I really liked Luther’s prayer. It resonated with me this morning. I’m feeling particularly vulnerable this morning. There’s so much rich material out there from the past centuries. There is a website where you can view a lot of this. Address is: http://www.ccel.org/ Have a great day!
Thanks for sharing, Debbie! Both the website (it really is a great library!) and the prayer that resonated with you. Yes, we are blessed to have centuries of great prayers to lift us up. May God bless you today, Debbie. May He meet all your needs and shine on you in special ways!
We are SO blessed to have such easy access to wonderful prayers and wisdom from saints past. AND from saints present. Thank you for your faithfulness in praying and sharing those prayers, Mari-Anna. You bless many, including me!
Indeed! Well said, sis. And humble thanks. Always eager to read what you have to say as well! Stay blessed, Lisa!