A prayer? Or a patriotic song?

695 My Country 'Tis of Thee

1 My country, 'tis of thee,
   Sweet land of liberty,
   Of thee I sing;
   Land where my fathers died,
   Land of the pilgrims' pride,
   From ev'ry mountainside
   Let freedom ring!

2 My native country, thee,
   Land of the noble free,
   Thy name I love;
   I love thy rocks and rills,
   Thy woods and templed hills;
   My heart with rapture thrills,
   Like that above.

3 Let music swell the breeze,
   And ring from all the trees
   Sweet freedom's song;
   Let mortal tongues awake;
   Let all that breathe partake;
   Let rocks their silence break,
   The sound prolong.

4 Our fathers' God, to thee,
   Author of liberty,
   To thee we sing;
   Long may our land be bright
   With freedom's holy light;
   Protect us by thy might,
   Great God, our King.
                         Samuel F. Smith
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
OK, some sing this as a patriotic song of victory, but if you look at the words, it's really a prayer—especially after verse 1. Of course, most people don't know any verse except the first one, so I guess it makes sense to see it as a country-praising call to arms. I'll take it as a prayer, though. And we certainly need it to be answered in today's world!

That's the final hymn in this hymnbook. And this is the final hymnbook currently in my collection (I've owned many more in the past), so any future hymns I post will be ones I come across in other books. I hope you've enjoyed the three-plus years as I've wandered through three Methodist hymnals and one generic evangelical one.
</idle musing>

A (belated) prayer for an election

689 Before an Election

Lord Jesus, we ask Thee to guide the people of this nation as they exercise their dearly bought privilege of franchise. May it neither be ignored unthinkingly nor undertaken lightyly. As citizens all over this land go to the ballot boxes, give them a sense of high privilege and joyous responsibility.

Help those who are about to be elected to public office to come to understand the real source of their mandate—a mandate given by no party machine, received at no polling booth, but given by God; a mandate to represent God and truth at the heart of the nation; a mandate to do good in the name of Him under whom this country was established.

We ask Thee to lead our country in the paths where Thou wouldst have her walk, to do the tasks which Thou hast laid before her. So may we together seek happiness for all our citizens in the name of Him who created us all equal in His sight, and therefore brothers. Amen.
Peter Marshall
Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Sure, there's some questionable stuff in there, but I'll agree w/his prayer for doing good and seeking the happiness of all the people! We could use some of that right about now…

Just an
</idle musing>

Tozer for Tuesday

When God promises to hear your prayers, it does not mean He makes an unconditional promise to answer them the way you want them answered. Other passages of Scripture tell you He will answer your prayer if you will meet the terms and pray in His will. So we get the truth not by riding one passage, but by taking all the Scriptures and putting them together.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 183

A prayer from St. Patrick

643 Christ Be with Me

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 way to lie before me,
God ’s shield to protect me.

Christ be 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 every one who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
—St. Patrick
Hymns for the Family of God

A Prayer

610 Prayer

Give us
A pure heart
That we may see Thee,
A humble heart
That we may hear Thee,
A heart of love
That we may serve Thee,
A heart of faith
That we may live Thee.
—Dag Hammarskjøld Hymns for the Family of God

A Prayer for Unity

549 Prayer for Unity

Our Father, we thank You for the privilege of being together at this time and in this place.

As Your people, we pray that Your love will unite us into a fellowship of discovery.

Cleanse us of everything that would sap our strength for togetherness.

Unravel the knots in our spirits,
Cleanse the error of our minds.
Free as from the bondage of our negative imaginations.
Break down the barriers that sometimes keep us apart and cause us to drift along without a dream.

As we go from here-
Explode in us new possibilities for service.
Kindle within us the fires of Your compassion so that we may not wait too long to learn to love.

May we be a people with loving purposes-
Reaching out. . .
Breaking walls. . .
Building bridges. . .
Let us be Your alleluia in a joyless, fragmented world.

In the name of our Lord, we pray.
Amen
—Champ Taylor
Hymns for the Family of God

The world needs men

. . . who cannot be bought;
. . . whose word is their bond;
. . . who put character above wealth;
. . . who are larger than their vocations;
. . . who do not hesitate to take chances;
. . . who will not lose their identity in a crowd;
. . . who will be as honest in small things as in great things;
. . . who will make no compromise with wrong;
. . . whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires;
. . . who will not say they do it “because everybody else does it;”
. . . who are true to their friends through good report and evil report, in adversity as well as in prosperity;
. . . who do not believe that shrewdness and cunning are the best qualities for winning success;
. . . who are not ashamed to stand for the truth when it is unpopular;
. . . who can say “no” with emphasis, although the rest of the world says “yes.”

God, make me this kind of man.
                         —Leonard Wagner
                         Hymns for the Family of God, #531

<idle musing>
Sadly, those kind of men have always been in short supply. And it seems they are in even shorter supply today than ever...

Just an
</idle musing>

A prayer for the Fourth

527 Answered Prayer

I asked God for strength,
     that I might achieve,
I was made weak,
     that I might learn humbly to obey . . .

I asked for health,
     that I might do greater things,
I was given infirmity,
     that I might do better things . . .

I asked for riches,
     that I might be happy,
I was given poverty,
     that I might be wise . . .

I asked for power,
     that I might have the praise of men,
I was given weakness,
     that I might feel the need of God . . .

I asked for all things,
     that I might enjoy life,
I was given life,
     that I might enjoy all things . . .

I got nothing that I asked for-
but everything I had hoped for;
     Almost despite myself,
      my unspoken prayers were answered.
         I am among all men most richly blessed.
—Unknown Confederate Soldier
Hymns for the Family of God

An ancient prayer

521 Ancient Prayer

God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in mine eyes and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at mine end, and at my departing. Amen.
—Ancient Prayer
Hymns for the Family of God

Real Prayer

484 Real Prayer

The prayer preceding all prayer is,
"May it be the real I who speaks.
May it be the real Thou
that I speak to."
   C. S. Lewis
   Hymns for the Family of God

A Teacher's Prayer

471 The Teacher

Lord, who am I to teach the way
To little children day by day,
So prone myself to go astray?

I teach them knowledge, but I know
How faint they flicker,and how low
The candles of my knowledge glow.

I teach them power to will and do,
But only now to learn anew
My own great weakness through and through.

I teach them love for all mankind
And all God’s creatures, but I find
My love comes lagging far behind.

Lord, if their guide I still must be,
O let the little children see
The teacher leaning hard on Thee.
                         Leslie Pinckney Hill
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Liberation from Materialism (prayer)

464 Liberation from Materialism

Forbid it, Lord, that our roots become too firmly attached to this earth, that we should fall in love with things.

Help us to understand that the pilgrimage of this life is but an introduction, a preface a training school for what is to come.

Then shall we see all of life in its true perspective. Then shall we not fall in love with the things of time, but come to love the things that endure. Then shall we be saved from the tyranny of possessions which we have no leisure to enjoy, of property whose care becomes a burden. Give us, we pray, the courage to simplify our lives.

So may we be mature in our faith, childlike but never childish, humble but never cringing, understanding but never conceited.

So help us, O God, to live and not merely to exist, that we may have joy in our work. In Thy name, who alone can give us moderation and balance and zest for living, we pray. Amen.
                         Peter Marshall
                         Hymns for the Family of God

A poetic prayer

441 Prayer

More things are wrought by prayer
Than this world dreams of Wherefore, let thy voice
Rise like a fountain for me night and day,
For what are men better than sheep or goats
That nourish a blind life within the brain,
If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer
Both for themselves and those who call them friends,
For so the whole round earth is every way
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.
                        —Alfred Lord Tennyson
                         Hymns for the Family of God

A General Thanksgiving

396 A General Thanksgiving

Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks
for all Your goodness and loving-kindness to us
and to all men.

We bless You for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for Your incomparable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.

And, we pray, give us such an awareness of Your mercies,
that with truly thankful hearts
we may make known Your praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up ourselves to Your service,
and by walking before You in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with You and the Holy Spirit,
be all honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

—Standard Book of Common Prayer
Hymns for the Family of God

A Prayer for the world

113 A Prayer for Our World

ALMIGHTY GOD: You have called us together, and by Your Holy Spirit, make us one with Your Son our Lord. We thank You for the church, for the power of Your word, and for our life together in Christ. Give us a heart to love the loveless, the lonely, the hungry, and the hurt, without pride or a calculating spirit, so that we may serve You with integrity and joy.

GOD OF GRACE: In Your world there are fields to seed and harvest. We thank You for men and women who farm the land, and for workers who prepare and distribute food. While we struggle with the problem of overweight, millions are dying from hunger. Help us to find the wisdom and the commitment to bring hope and health to our brothers and sisters throughout the world. May no one starve because of our greed or neglect, and may we all hunger and thirst for righteousness alone; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Gary W. Demarest
Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Even more relevant now than when he penned it 1976!
</idle musing>

We're Hungry, Lord (prayer)

106 We’re Hungry, Lord

We ’re hungry for something, Lord.
We have so much rich food and cake and candy for ourselves, but we’re hungry.
People around us are so stiff and tight and hard to reach.
And they make us that way.
But we’re hungry for something more.
People we know keep talking about great ideas, brilliant questions, and the problem of God’s existence.
But we’re hungry for You, not ideas or theories.
We want You to touch us, to reach inside us and turn us on.
There are so many people who will counsel us to death.
But we’re hungry for someone who really knows You and has You, someone who can get so close to us that we can see You there.
We have so many things, but we’re hungry for You.
Deep, deep down inside we ’re hungry, even if we appear to be silly, lazy, or unconcerned at times.
We ’re hungry for Your kind of power and love and joy.
Feed us, Lord, feed us with Your rich food.
— Anonymous

A Morning Prayer

103 Morning Prayer

O God,
Early in the morning do I cry unto Thee
Help me to pray,
And to think only of Thee
I cannot pray alone

In me there is darkness,
But with Thee there is light.
I am lonely, but Thou leavest me not.
I am feeble in heart, but Thou leavest me not.
I am restless, but with Thee there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with Thee there is patience;
Thy ways are past understanding, but
Thou knowest the way for me.

O heavenly Father,
I praise and thank Thee
For the peace of the night.
I praise and thank Thee for this new day.
I praise and thank Thee for all Thy goodness
and faithfulness throughout my life.
Thou hast granted me many blessings:
Now let me accept tribulation
from Thy hand.
Thou wilt not lay on me more than I can bear.
Thou makest all things work together for good
for Thy children.
—Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Hymns for the Family of God

Prayer for Strength

55 Prayer for Strength

O God, You have given us life through Your Son, Jesus Christ. You have given us the security of faith in a world that longs for something on which to rely. We thank You for Your gifts to us.

Teach us to stand strong for Your Kingdom: to be free in this world in order to be Christ’s men and women.

Help us to know Your love and the love of each other. Set us free to become our true selves because we are loved, and to free others because we love.

Give us enough tests to make us strong;
enough vision and endurance to follow Your way;
enough patience to persist when the going is difficult;
enough of reality to know our weaknesses;
and enough humility to know these gifts come from You.

Go before us to prepare the way;
walk behind us to be our protection;
and walk beside us to be our companion,

through Christ our Lord, Amen.
—Richard Langfold
Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
The portion of the hymnal I'm reading through right now is entitle Comfort. Seems appropriate in light of the wholesale destruction of everything that going on right now. Perhaps it's time to pull out Augustine's City of God to get a bit of perspective!
</idle musing>

A prayer for those whose loved one has died

45 For Loneliness in Bereavement

Father, I am only human. I need the touch of human companionship. Sorely I miss those I love who are with Thee. I pray, O Jesus, that Thou wilt reveal to me unseen presences. Help me to know how close my loved ones are. For if they are with Thee, and Thou art with me, I know that they cannot be far away.

Make real for me that contact of spirit with spirit that will re-establish the lost fellowship for which my heart yearns. Give to me faith shining through my tears. Plant peace and hope within my heart. Point me with joy to the great reunion.

But until then, enable me to live happily and worthily of those who are with Thee. In the Name of Him who is the Lord of Life, I pray, Amen. —Peter Marshall ( Hymns for the Family of God)

A prayer for today

744 For the President and Others in Authority

O Lord, our heavenly Father, whose glory is in all the world, and who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers upon earth: Most heartily we beseech thee, with thy favor to behold and bless thy servants, the President of the United States, the governor of this state, and all others who bear rule throughout the world. Grant them wisdom and strength to know and to do thy will. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness. So rule their hearts and prosper their endeavors, that law and order, justice and peace may everywhere prevail, to the honor of thy holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition