Heavenly Father,

God our Father, fountain and source of our salvation, may we proclaim your glory every day of our lives, that we may sing your praise forever in heaven.

I confess that I have not always had a heart of gratitude for all that You have done for me. I have not loved You with my whole heart and I have not loved my neighbor as myself.

 

(take a moment to reflect on the past day and confess your sins.)

 

I am sorry for my sins and pray for Your great mercy. For the sake of Jesus Christ, please forgive me of all my sins.

Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.

Amen

Prayer of the Day:

Heavenly Father,

You have created us and given us life. However, You didn’t stop there. You continue to sustain us and provide for us. You give me everything I need for my life even when my life does not live up to Your standards. For my life, I thank you.

You have given Your very life for my salvation. You forgive my sins. You give me eternal life with You. You fill me with Your Spirit and strengthen me with Your Body and Blood. You hear my prayers and give me a place in Your ministry. For my salvation and new life in You, I thank You.

You have given us Your church through which You bless us with love and friendship as well as guidance and encouragement. You teach me and strengthen my faith through Your church. For Your church, especially Faith Lutheran Church, I thank You.

You send rain and provide sunlight for the crops. You give livestock and grain. You give strength to the farmer, the butcher, the factory worker, the delivery man, the shop keeper, and all those who work diligently under Your care to provide for me and all people. For food and all things I need to sustain my life, I thank You.

You created man and woman and made it that they would leave their mother and father and cling to each other in marriage. You give the blessing of children. You give parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, grandchildren, and all members of our families. When we have no blood family, You provide a family in friends and Your church. For my family, I thank You.

I thank and praise You for all that You give us. May my heart always be grateful and my lips always praise Your name.

Amen.

The Psalms:

The Psalms have long been considered the prayer book of the Bible and have been used as prayers by countless Christians over the centuries. So, we join them in this practice and pray a Psalm.

Psalm 1460

1 Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.

6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
8 the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

10 The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord.

(Take a few minutes to add your personal prayers, now.)

Conclude your time of prayer with either Luther’s morning or evening prayer, depending on what time of day it is.

Luther’s Morning Prayer:

I thank you, my Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.

Luther’s Evening Prayer:

I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray You to forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt