Do you have a favorite prayer?

[wvfarrier]

Mine is St Patricks Breastplate:

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In the predictions of prophets,
In the preaching of apostles,
In the faith of confessors,
In the innocence of holy virgins,
In the deeds of righteous men.

I arise today, through
The strength of heaven,
The light of the sun,
The radiance of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of the earth,
The firmness of rock.

I arise today, through
God's strength to pilot me,
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.

I summon today
All these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel and merciless power
that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul;
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me an abundance of reward.

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.

[Grizz]

That reminds me of "Be Thou My Vision" which is very old. And very loving.

My favorite is " YHWY, be merciful to me, a sinner " which has Jesus' personal seal of approval.

Luke 18:13,14a
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified...

[Scott Tschirhart]

The Lord’s Prayer is the only one I say regularly (praying with my Wife every night) other than that I sort of keep up a one sided conversation going all day

[Blaine]

Pretty much "Thank you for what I have", "Please forgive my sins", and "Thank you God for another day".....

[Bill in Oregon]

I am with both Scott and Blaine. Say the Lord's Prayer when I think of it, and keep the running conversation and constant request for forgiveness going in the background. (You see, I require forgiveness many, many times each day. )
Things I see prompt prayer as well. Alamogordo has been the home of the New Mexico School for the Blind since 1906, and I find myself very moved when I see a young person being taught how to use the red-tipped white cane along the streets and sidewalks here. I often ask God for a special dispensation for those who go through this life with a serious handicap. So if you see some old fool choked up and mumbling to himself at a stoplight in Alamogordo, it might be me talking to God.

[vancelw]

Mine is mister Nightlinger's prayer.

https://youtu.be/LEcjWPkok7s

[AJMD429]

James Whitcomb Riley's "Prayer Perfect" is the staple of our family get-togethers. I remember well the time I became the 'family elder' at a Thanksgiving dinner so it was my turn to do the honors. Not an honor I was happy to shoulder, since the honor was a result of the deaths of those parents, aunt's, and uncles sufficient to put me in the position of the oldest one present...


The Prayer Perfect
by James Whitcomb Riley

Dear Lord! kind Lord!
Gracious Lord! I pray
Thou wilt look on all we love,
Tenderly to-day!
Weed their hearts of weariness;
Scatter every care,
Down a wake of angel wings
Winnowing the air.

Bring unto the sorrowing
All release from pain;
Let the lips of laughter
Overflow again;
And with all the needy
O divide, I pray,
This vast treasure of content
That is ours to-day!

[Pisgah]

One of my favorites -- my grandfather's blessing, said befoe every meal at his table.

"Our Father in heaven, we thank you for this food and for this association one with the other. We pray that You will feed us with the bread of lfe, of which a man eat he shall never hunger, and beautify us with Thy salvation. Amen."

[JimT]

Not necessarily my favorite, I do like THE WAR PRAYER by Mark Twain.

[fatboy]

Not necessarily my favorite, I do like THE WAR PRAYER by Mark Twain.

The Major I worked for at Ft. Lewis gifted me a copy before I flew west to be an Adviser, I passed it along when I returned. In my emergency gear is a copy of St. Patrick's Breastplate and my computer houses Be Thou My Savior. Yes, I am a bit Irish!
And lest I forget: https://youtu.be/zJx_Lu4PymE
Being a sinner and the least of men I need all the help I can summon.
Bob

[horsesoldier03]

Kind of ironic that Mark Twain might make it into this post. One of his quotes regarding religion was that "Religion was invented when the first Con Man met the first Fool!"

[piller]

Just my opinion, and it is worth whatever value you choose to place on it. Belief in GOD, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is not always the same as organized religion. When it becomes more about the Human up at the Pulpit, and less about the belief in an all powerful and loving Creator, then Con-Men and Fools take over.
I have seen Preachers who needed to step down and get right with GOD. One did. He got up one Sunday Morning to preach. Or, so we thought. He informed us that he was not worthy to be in that position and that he resigned. Turned out that a young family in the Church had recently lost the Father/Husband to cancer. He had been comforting the Widow when being human got in the way. They ended up in a sexual affair. God and his Wife gained his attention. I never did hear how, and it makes no difference to me at all. He did go back into Preaching, and I heard he was a better Minister for having learned that he could fall. He and his Wife repaired their marriage. I have more respect for him due to his having gotten right with GOD.

All this is just to say, I rarely ever pray the same words twice in a row. I pray about what is on my heart and in my mind at the time. If you talk to GOD, you should do it in the way that helps you to get closest to Him. When we all get to Heaven, we can shake hands and participate in the feast for the believers and followers. There is only one path there, but we all see it from our own eyes.

[Grizz]

yup. prayer is talking with YHWH, (which is God's actual personal name), the rest is talking to yourself.

Or, as Jesus said,

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. Luke 18:11

[mickbr]

I believe in god, not so much established religion. That said in times of high stress or danger I have said the lords prayer and hail mary's , and it works to calm the mind. I guess that makes me a hypocrite

[wvfarrier]

"Wherever two or more are gathered in my name, I will be there."

I see the face of GOD everytime I look at my children, for they are proof of the love of GOD.

[JimT]

I believe in god, not so much established religion. That said in times of high stress or danger I have said the lords prayer and hail mary's , and it works to calm the mind. I guess that makes me a hypocrite

No sir. "Hypocrite" means one who is pretending... I doubt "pretense" in times of danger or high stress.

[Scott Tschirhart]

I believe in god, not so much established religion. That said in times of high stress or danger I have said the lords prayer and hail mary's , and it works to calm the mind. I guess that makes me a hypocrite

On some level we are all hypocrites.

I don't have much use for most organized religion, though I am saved and I know that nothing I do can take me out of His hand. So, I don't generally go to church on Sunday....but no day passes that I am not in the Bible because I need to stay in the Word, if nothing else to remind me of what I am.

That said, it isn't my place to judge anyone else regarding their relationship with God. That's above my pay grade.

[Grizz]

Amen Scott, that's good preaching right there

[cas]

Always kind of fond of "Shepard's Prayer".

Dear Lord, please don't let me...