The Benefice of Barlings, Diocese of Lincoln : Parishes of Sudbrooke, Stainton by Langworth, and Barlings with Langworth

Preparing for Prayer
The Mystery and Presence of God

 

 

All you need is	… a quiet place
	… a quiet hour
	… a quiet heart

 

Jesus said : “When you pray … and when you fast … do it to God alone”	(Matthew 6:6,16)
“When I pray,coincidences happen; when I don’t,they don’t”	William Temple
“Give me a parish that prays”	Bishop J.C.Ryle
“There is but one road that reaches God,and that is prayer.”	St.Theresa
“More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.”	Alfred,Lord Tennyson
“Grant us grace,Almighty Father,so to pray as to deserve to be heard.”	Jane Austen
“The more one loves,the more one prays.”	Charles de Foucault
“Prayer is the energy of action.”	Madeleine Delbrel
“We are what we pray”	Carlo Carretto

 

Come now,little man, 
Turn aside for a while from your daily employment, 
Escape for a moment from the tumult of your thoughts. 
Put aside your weighty cares,let your burdensome distractions wait, 
Free yourself awhile for God and rest awhile in him. 
Enter the inner chamber of your soul,shut out everything except God .
and that which can help you in seeking him, 
and,when you have shut the door,seek him.
Now,my whole heart,say to God,
‘I seek your face, Lord, it is your face I seek’.         St.Anselm

 

O Lord my God, 
most merciful,most secret, 
most present,most constant, 
Yet changing all things;
Never new and never old, 
Ever in action,yet ever quiet, 
Creating,upholding,and perfecting all, 
Who has anything but your gift? 
Or what can anyone say when he speaks about you ? 
Yet have mercy on us,O Lord,that we may speak to you, 
and praise your name.                                      Jeremy Taylor

 

He prayeth well who loveth well 
Both man and bird and beast;
He prayeth best who loveth best
All things both great and small,
For the dear God who loveth us
He made and loveth all.                                   William Blake

Let nothing disturb you
Let nothing dismay you;
All things pass;
God never changes
Patience attains
All it strives for.
He who has God
Finds he lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.                                      Teresa of Avila

 

Father,
Grant that I may always turn to you in prayer for every need
- for my needs,for the needs of your Church,and for the needs of the world.

Jesus,
Grant that I may always meditate on your love
- manifest within my heart,manifest in your Church,and manifest throughout your world.

Spirit,
Grant that I may always be a channel of your grace
- grace within my own thought and emotions,grace within your Church,and grace within your world.

Holy Trinity,
Grant that I may glorify you in all my actions
- privately in my home,and publicly in your Church and your world.      John Sergieff

 

Almighty and everlasting God,
who art always more ready to hear than we to pray,
And art wont to give more than either we desire,or deserve;
Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy;
Forgiving us those whereof our conscience is afraid,
And giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask,
But through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ,thy Son our Lord.        BCP

 

 

Silence

O Lord,the Scripture says
“there is a time for silence and a time for speech.”
Saviour,teach me
the silence of humility,
the silence of wisdom,
the silence of love,
the silence of perfection,
the silence that speaks without words,
the silence of faith.
Lord,teach me to silence my own heart that I may listen to the
gentle movements of the Holy Spirit within me
and sense the depths which are of God.                     Frankfurt Prayer

 

“PACTS” – an order for Prayer
Praise
Adoration
Contrition / Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication

 

Take the Bible into your Prayers
Take the Day into your Prayers
Take Yourself into your Prayers

 

Five ways to look in prayer :-
Look UP - Praise God
Look IN - Confess
Look AROUND - Pray for others needs
Look BACK - Say thank you
Look FORWARD - Things that lie ahead of you

When to pray :-
- every morning and evening
- before making important decisions
- when concerned about others
- when facing difficult situations
- when tempted
- when in pain : physical or emotional

 

The way to learn about prayer is to pray.

Use the Lord’s Prayer as a Model.