Here are some suggestions for daily prayer, unashamedly based on many of my favourite Bible passages and modified to fit the pattern of the liturgy. I hope you find them helpful.
I have mainly focused on passages that explore the glory of God as seen in creation, to help encourage a sense of awe, but have also chosen passages that point us to ultimate hope.
Since there are fourteen separate sets of prayers, I have put them as individual tabs in the table below. You can also download them as a PDF for printing. Choose the ‘print as a booklet’ option in your pdf viewer.
Become aware of the presence of God, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that do not yet exist.
after Romans 4:17.
Silence
O LORD, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Bless the LORD, O my soul.
O LORD my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with honour and majesty,
wrapped in light as with a garment.
You stretch out the heavens like a tent,
You set the earth on its foundations,
so that it shall never be shaken.
You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills,
giving drink to every wild animal;
the wild asses quench their thirst.
By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation;
they sing among the branches.
From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.
O LORD, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Psalm 104:1,2,5,10-13,24
Bible reading and reflection
Loving God, I commit to you the tasks of this day.
The people I will meet,
The places I will go.
My thoughts,
My feelings,
My very being,
Knowing that you hold me in your loving arms.
Silence
Give me the grace to get through this day
Radiating love, joy and peace to others
And treading lightly on the earth.
In the name of Christ,
Amen
Prayer for others
Do not be afraid!
For the creation waits with eager longing
for the revealing of the children of God;
The sufferings of this present time
do not compare with the glory about to be revealed to us.
Romans 8:18-19
‘Surely I am coming soon.’
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Revelation 22:20
AMEN
Become aware of the presence of God, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that do not exist.
Romans 4:17
Silence
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Yonder is the sea, great and wide,
creeping things innumerable are there,
living things both small and great.
There go the ships,
and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.
These all look to you
to give them their food in due season;
when you give to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
when you take away their breath, they die
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created;
and you renew the face of the ground.
May the glory of the Lord endure for ever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works.
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Psalm 104:24-31
Loving God, I remember before you the events of the day.
The people I met,
The conversations I had,
The decisions that I made.
My thoughts,
My feelings,
My sense of distance or closeness to you.
Silence
I thank you for the glimpses of light,
The moments of connection.
For when I encountered you in another,
Or felt free to rest in you.
I leave behind the painful and problematic,
Trusting in Christ’s power to forgive and to heal.
Amen
Do not be afraid!
For the creation waits with eager longing
for the revealing of the children of God;
The sufferings of this present time
do not compare with the glory about to be revealed to us.
Romans 8:18-19
‘Surely I am coming soon.’
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Revelation 22:20
AMEN
Come to rest in the presence of the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
after Revelation 21:6
Silence
But where shall wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
Surely there is a mine for silver,
and a place for gold to be refined.
Iron is taken out of the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.
Miners put an end to darkness,
and search out to the farthest bound
the ore in gloom and deep darkness.
Its stones are the place of sapphires,
and its dust contains gold.
They put their hand to the flinty rock,
and overturn mountains by the roots.
The sources of the rivers they probe;
hidden things they bring to light.
But mortals do not know the way to wisdom,
and it is not found in the land of the living.
Truly, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
and to depart from evil is understanding.
But where shall wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
Job 28:1-3,6,9-13,28
Bible reading and reflection
Loving God, I commit to you the tasks of this day.
The people I will meet,
The places I will go.
My thoughts,
My feelings,
My very being,
Knowing that you hold me in your loving arms.
Silence
Give me the grace to get through this day
Radiating love, joy and peace to others
And treading lightly on the earth.
In the name of Christ,
Amen
Prayer for others
You don’t need to have all the answers!
Can you find out the deep things of God?
Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?
It is higher than heaven and deeper than Sheol
Its measure is longer than the earth,
and broader than the sea.
Job 11:7-9
I abandon myself into your hands. Let only your will be done in me and in all your creatures.
after Charles de Foucauld
AMEN
Come to rest in the presence of the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
after Revelation 21:6
Silence
Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone
when the morning stars sang together
and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?
Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
and caused the dawn to know its place,
Have you entered into the springs of the sea,
or walked in the recesses of the deep?
Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?
Declare, if you know all this.
Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
Job 38:4-7, 12, 16-18
Loving God, I remember before you the events of the day.
The people I met,
The conversations I had,
The decisions that I made.
My thoughts,
My feelings,
My sense of distance or closeness to you.
Silence
I thank you for the glimpses of light,
The moments of connection.
For when I encountered you in another,
Or felt free to rest in you.
I leave behind the painful and problematic,
Trusting in Christ’s power to forgive and to heal.
Amen
You don’t need to have all the answers!
Can you find out the deep things of God?
Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?
It is higher than heaven and deeper than Sheol
Its measure is longer than the earth,
and broader than the sea.
Job 11:7-9
I abandon myself into your hands. Let only your will be done in me and in all your creatures.
after Charles de Foucauld
AMEN
Come to a place of inner peace, where you are hidden with Christ in God.
after Colossians 3:3
Silence
Christ is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation;
For in him all things in heaven and on earth were created,
things visible and invisible,
Whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers
all things have been created through him and for him.
He himself is before all things,
and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
So that he might come to have first place in everything.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
And through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven,
by making peace through the blood of his cross.
Christ is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation.
Colossians 1:15-20
Bible reading and reflection
Loving God, I commit to you the tasks of this day.
The people I will meet,
The places I will go.
My thoughts,
My feelings,
My very being,
Knowing that you hold me in your loving arms.
Silence
Give me the grace to get through this day
Radiating love, joy and peace to others
And treading lightly on the earth.
In the name of Christ,
Amen
Prayer for others
We are never alone; the Spirit unites us with the heart of God!
For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within?
So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God.
Now we have received not the spirit of the world,
but the Spirit that is from God
after 1 Corinthians 2:10-12
You hem me in, behind and before and lay your hand upon me.
Psalm 139:5
AMEN
Come to a place of inner peace, where you are hidden with Christ in God.
after Colossians 3:3
Silence
‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’, says the Lord God,
who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
In the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man,
clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest.
His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow;
his eyes were like a flame of fire,
His feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace,
and his voice was like the sound of many waters.
In his right hand he held seven stars,
and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword,
and his face was like the sun shining with full force.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.
But he placed his right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid;
I am the first and the last, and the living one.
I was dead, and see, I am alive for ever and ever;
and I have the keys of Death and of Hades.
‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’, says the Lord God,
who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
Revelation 1:8, 13-18
Loving God, I remember before you the events of the day.
The people I met,
The conversations I had,
The decisions that I made.
My thoughts,
My feelings,
My sense of distance or closeness to you.
Silence
I thank you for the glimpses of light,
The moments of connection.
For when I encountered you in another,
Or felt free to rest in you.
I leave behind the painful and problematic,
Trusting in Christ’s power to forgive and to heal.
Amen
We are never alone; the Spirit unites us with the heart of God!
For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within?
So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God.
Now we have received not the spirit of the world,
but the Spirit that is from God.
after 1 Corinthians 2:10-12
You hem me in, behind and before and lay your hand upon me.
Psalm 139:5
AMEN
God’s justice is tempered with mercy, rest safely in the loving arms of your creator.
Silence
Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
And he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.
Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.
Matthew 25:31-36, 40
(For a helpful take on Matthew 25:31-40, I suggest you read Good Goats – healing our image of God.)
Bible reading and reflection
Loving God, I commit to you the tasks of this day.
The people I will meet,
The places I will go.
My thoughts,
My feelings,
My very being,
Knowing that you hold me in your loving arms.
Silence
Give me the grace to get through this day
Radiating love, joy and peace to others
And treading lightly on the earth.
In the name of Christ,
Amen
Prayer for others
Christ calls us to walk the path of justice.
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
so that you may be children of your Father in heaven;
for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good,
and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
Matthew 5:44-45
Listen! The wages of the labourers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
James 5:4
AMEN
God’s justice is tempered with mercy, rest safely in the loving arms of your creator.
Silence
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven,
for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 25:3-12
Loving God, I remember before you the events of the day.
The people I met,
The conversations I had,
The decisions that I made.
My thoughts,
My feelings,
My sense of distance or closeness to you.
Silence
I thank you for the glimpses of light,
The moments of connection.
For when I encountered you in another,
Or felt free to rest in you.
I leave behind the painful and problematic,
Trusting in Christ’s power to forgive and to heal.
Amen
Christ calls us to walk the path of justice.
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
so that you may be children of your Father in heaven;
for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good,
and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
Matthew 5:44-45
Listen! The wages of the labourers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
James 5:4
AMEN
As the Father has loved Christ, so Christ has loved you; abide in His love. after John 15:9
Silence
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end
To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth;
for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
‘See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’
And the one who was seated on the throne said,
‘See, I am making all things new.’
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.
Revelation 21:1-6
Bible reading and reflection
Loving God, I commit to you the tasks of this day.
The people I will meet,
The places I will go.
My thoughts,
My feelings,
My very being,
Knowing that you hold me in your loving arms.
Silence
Give me the grace to get through this day
Radiating love, joy and peace to others
And treading lightly on the earth.
In the name of Christ,
Amen
Prayer for others
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.
Being found in human form,
Christ humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death
even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name that is above every name.
Philippians 2:7-9
Do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.
after 2 Corinthians 4:16
AMEN
As the Father has loved Christ, so Christ has loved you; abide in His love. after John 15:9
Silence
They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.
For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.
I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy,
and its people as a delight
No more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,
or the cry of distress.
No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days,
or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;
They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
Before they call I will answer,
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.
Isaiah 65: 17-21, 24
Loving God, I remember before you the events of the day.
The people I met,
The conversations I had,
The decisions that I made.
My thoughts,
My feelings,
My sense of distance or closeness to you.
Silence
I thank you for the glimpses of light,
The moments of connection.
For when I encountered you in another,
Or felt free to rest in you.
I leave behind the painful and problematic,
Trusting in Christ’s power to forgive and to heal.
Amen
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.
Being found in human form,
Christ humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death
even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name that is above every name.
Philippians 2:7-9
Do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.
after 2 Corinthians 4:16
AMEN
Bring to mind a spacious place of great beauty and rest there for a while in Christ.
Silence
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
In them the birds build their nests;
the stork has its home in the fir trees.
The high mountains are for the wild goats;
the rocks are a refuge for the coneys.
You have made the moon to mark the seasons;
the sun knows its time for setting.
You make darkness, and it is night,
when all the animals of the forest come creeping out.
The young lions roar for their prey,
seeking their food from God.
When the sun rises, they withdraw
and lie down in their dens.
People go out to their work
and to their labour until the evening.
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Psalm 104:16-24
Bible reading and reflection
Loving God, I commit to you the tasks of this day.
The people I will meet,
The places I will go.
My thoughts,
My feelings,
My very being,
Knowing that you hold me in your loving arms.
Silence
Give me the grace to get through this day
Radiating love, joy and peace to others
And treading lightly on the earth.
In the name of Christ,
Amen
Prayer for others
Let the beauty of God revealed in nature inspire you to act.
With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves a year old?
He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:6, 8
The heavens tell the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Psalm 19:1
AMEN
Bring to mind a spacious place of great beauty and rest there for a while in Christ.
Silence
Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades,
or loose the cords of Orion?
Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you establish their rule on the earth?
Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
so that a flood of waters may cover you?
Can you send forth lightnings,
so that they may go and say to you, “Here we are”?
Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
or satisfy the appetite of the young lions?
Who provides for the raven its prey,
when its young ones cry to God,
and wander about for lack of food?
Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars,
and spreads its wings towards the south?
Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
and makes its nest on high?
Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades,
or loose the cords of Orion?
Job 38:31, 33-35, 39, 41 & 39:26-27
Loving God, I remember before you the events of the day.
The people I met,
The conversations I had,
The decisions that I made.
My thoughts,
My feelings,
My sense of distance or closeness to you.
Silence
I thank you for the glimpses of light,
The moments of connection.
For when I encountered you in another,
Or felt free to rest in you.
I leave behind the painful and problematic,
Trusting in Christ’s power to forgive and to heal.
Amen
Let the beauty of God revealed in nature inspire you to act.
With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves a year old?
He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:6, 8
The heavens tell the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Psalm 19:1
AMEN
Come and shelter under the tree of life, enjoy the cool shade and taste its fruit.
Silence
Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
But their delight is in the law of the Lord,
And on his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.
The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
They are like trees planted by streams of water.
Psalm 1
Bible reading and reflection
Loving God, I commit to you the tasks of this day.
The people I will meet,
The places I will go.
My thoughts,
My feelings,
My very being,
Knowing that you hold me in your loving arms.
Silence
Give me the grace to get through this day
Radiating love, joy and peace to others
And treading lightly on the earth.
In the name of Christ,
Amen
Prayer for others
Rest your body and soul on this sabbath day.
On the seventh day God rested from all the work that he had done.
The heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude.
God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it,
because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
after Genesis 2:1-3
And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new’.
Revelation 21.5
AMEN
Come and shelter under the tree of life, enjoy the cool shade and taste its fruit.
Silence
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city.
On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him;
They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign for ever and ever.
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.
Revelation 22:1-5, 14
Loving God, I remember before you the events of the day.
The people I met,
The conversations I had,
The decisions that I made.
My thoughts,
My feelings,
My sense of distance or closeness to you.
Silence
I thank you for the glimpses of light,
The moments of connection.
For when I encountered you in another,
Or felt free to rest in you.
I leave behind the painful and problematic,
Trusting in Christ’s power to forgive and to heal.
Amen
Rest your body and soul this sabbath night.
On the seventh day God rested from all the work that he had done.
The heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude.
God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it,
because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
after Genesis 2:1-3
And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new’.
Revelation 21.5
AMEN