Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do no pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.
~ Phillips Brooks.
In Scripture we are instructed to pray without ceasing; that is, to maintain a constant attitude of thankfulness and to vigilantly practice the presence of Christ. However, care must be taken lest this familiarity result in a failure to acknowledge God’s majesty and glory — that taking pleasure in his immanence we fail to acknowledge His transcendence.
Consider this story from the Talmud (Tanhuma Buber, Miketz, 11) which entails a similar message;
It is said that Antoninus once asked Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi: “What is yoru opinion with respect to prayer at every hour?”
“It is forbidden,” was the reply, “lest a man become accustomed to calling upon the Almighty falsely.”
Antoninus did not appreciate the force of the answer until the Rabbi presented himself once every hour, beginning int he early morning, and greeted him with nonchalent familiarity: “Good morning, O Emperor; your good health, O King!”
The Emperor indignantly exclaimed: “How dare you treat royalty with such disrespect?”
“If you, a mere mortal King, object to being saluted every hour, how much more the Sovereign King!”
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“Jesus, Lamb of God:
have mercy on us.
Jesus, bearer of our sins:
have mercy on us.
Jesus, redeemer of the world:
give us your peace. Amen.”
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“Be gracious, O Instructor, to us Thy children, Father, Charioteer of Israel, Son and Father, both in One, O Lord. Grant to us who obey Thy precepts, that we may perfect the likeness of the image, and with all our power know Him who is the good God and not a harsh judge. And do Thou Thyself cause that all of us who have our conversation in Thy peace, who have been translated into Thy commonwealth, having sailed tranquilly over the billows of sin, may be wafted in calm by Thy Holy Spirit, by the ineffable wisdom, by night and day to the perfect day; and giving thanks may praise, and praising thank the Father and Son, Son and Father, the Son, Instructor and Teacher, with the Holy Spirit, all in One, in whom is all, for whom all is One, for whom is eternity, whose members we all are, whose glory the heavens are; for the all-good, all-lovely, all-wise, all-just One. To whom be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”
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“Shepherd of tender youth, guiding in love and truth
Through devious ways: Christ, our triumphant King,
We come Thy Name to sing;
Hither our children bring, to shout Thy praise.”
“Thou art our holy Lord, the all-subduing Word,
Healer of strife: Thou didst thyself abase,
That from sin’s deep disgrace,
Thou mightest save our race, and give us life.”
“So now and till we die, sound we Thy praises high,
And joyful sing: infants, and the glad throng,
Who to Thy church belong,
Unite to swell the song to Christ our King. Amen.”
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“Thou God and Father of Thy beloved and blessed Son our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have
received knowledge of Thee, O God of the angels and of all creation and of all just men who live in Thy
presence, I thank Thee that Thou hast graciously granted me a portion among Thy people, among the
people of Christ. Unto the resurrection of everlasting life may I be received in Thy sight as a fruitful and
acceptable sacrifice. Wherefore, for all this I praise Thee, I bless Thee, I glorify Thee through the
eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ Thy beloved Son to whom with Thee and the Holy Spirit be all glory,
world without end. Amen.”
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“Grant unto us, Lord, that we may set our hope on Thy name…and open the eyes of our hearts, that we may know Thee.”
“We beseech Thee, Lord and Master, to be our help and succour. Save those among us who are in tribulation; have mercy on the lowly; lift up the fallen; show Thyself to those in need; heal the sick; turn again the wanderers of Thy people; feed the hungry; ransom our prisoners; raise up the weak; comfort the faint-hearted. Let all nations know that Thou art God alone, and that Jesus Christ is Thy Son, and that we are Thy people and the sheep of Thy pasture.”
“We praise Thee who art able to do these and better things than these, through Jesus Christ the High Priest and Guardian of our souls, through whom be glory and majesty to Thee, both now and
throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.”
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“O Father, we have not always been faithful to Thy Word;
We have not always taken up our cross to follow Thy Son;
And too often we have forgotten the church we are called to serve.
Renew in our hearts and in our minds
The faith that was in Peter and Paul,
The faith that strengthened the ancient martyrs,
The faith that moved the pens and lips of the fathers,
The faith that built cathedrals and universities,
The faith that moved the Reformers to renew the church in their time.
O Father, teach us how to impart that faith to Thy people.
These petitions we lay before Thy presence in the name of Thy Son our Lord. Amen.”
