FORMS OF PRAYER

TO BE

USED IN FAMILIES

Not all prayers here provided need be used every day. The reader should make a selection of those suitable.

MORNING

After the reading of a portion of holy Scripture, let the head of the household, or some other member of the family, say:

O GOD, thou art my God, early will I seek thee. In the morning I will direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Let us pray.

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 them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.

Thanksgiving for the gift of another day.

WE give thee hearty thanks, O heavenly Father, for the rest of the past night, and for the gift of a new day. Grant that we may so pass its hours in the perfect freedom of thy service, that at eventide we may again give thanks unto thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Here may follow the Collect of the day.

Prayer and Intercession.

O LORD God, who hast bidden light to shine out of darkness, and who hast again wakened us to praise thee for thy goodness and to ask for thy grace: Accept now the offering of our worship and thanksgiving, and grant unto us all such requests as may be acceptable to thy holy will. Make us to live as children of the light, and heirs of thy everlasting kingdom. Remember, O Lord, according to the multitude of thy mercies, thy whole Church, all who join with us in prayer, and all our brethren, wherever they may be, who stand in need of thine aid. Pour down upon us all the riches of thy grace, so that, redeemed in soul and body, and stedfast in faith, we may ever praise thy wonderful and holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Before the Grace there may be said by all:

O GOD, Most High and Holy, Three in One,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
We offer to thee this day
Ourselves, our souls and bodies,
To be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee;
To whom be all praise and glory. Amen.

2 Corinthians 13.14.

THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.

EVENING

After the reading of a portion of holy Scripture, let the head of the household, or some other member of the family, say:

O LORD, let our prayer be set forth in thy sight as the incense, and the lifting up of our hands as an evening sacrifice.

Let us confess our sins to Almighty God.

O ALMIGHTY Father, Lord of heaven and earth, We confess that we have sinned against thee in thought, word, and deed. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us after thy great goodness; According to the multitude of thy mercies do away our offences; Wash us throughly from our wickedness, And cleanse us from our sins; For Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.

For Pardon through the Cross.

ALMIGHTY Father, who of thy great love to men didst give thy dearly beloved Son to die for us; Grant that through his Cross our sins may be put away, and remembered no more against us, and that, cleansed by his Blood, and mindful of his sufferings, we may take up our cross daily, and follow him in newness of life, until we come to his everlasting kingdom; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Here may follow the Collect of the day.

For Freedom from Worry.

O LORD, who hast pity for all our weakness: Put away from us worry and every anxious fear, that, having ended the labours of the day as in thy sight, and committing our tasks, ourselves, and all we love into thy keeping, we may, now that night cometh, receive as from thee thy priceless gift of sleep; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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 them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.

Before the Commendation there may be said by all:

We will lay us down in peace and take our rest; for it is thou, Lord, only, that makest us dwell in safety.
Thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name. Leave us not, O Lord our God.
Preserve us, O Lord, waking, and guard us sleeping, that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace. Amen.

Commendation.

THE Lord Almighty grant us a quiet night, and at the last a perfect end; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be with us this night, and for evermore. Amen.

ADDITIONAL PRAYERS

For Remembrance of God’s Presence.

O HEAVENLY Father, in whom we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray thee so to guide and govern us by thy Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our daily life we may never forget thee, but remember that we are ever walking in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Daily Work.

O LORD our heavenly Father, by whose providence the duties of men are variously ordered; Grant to us all the spirit to labour heartily to do our work in our several stations, in serving one Master and looking for one reward. Teach us to put to good account whatever talents thou hast lent to us, and enable us to redeem our time by patience and zeal; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the Family.

MERCIFUL Saviour, who didst love Martha and Mary and Lazarus, hallowing their home with thy sacred presence: Bless, we beseech thee, our home, that thy love may rest upon us, and that thy presence may be with us. May we all grow in grace and in the knowledge of thee, our Lord and Saviour. Teach us to love one another as thou hast given commandment. Help us to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfil thy law, O blessed Jesus, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, for evermore. Amen.

For Relatives and Friends.

O LOVING Father, we commend to thy gracious keeping all who are near and dear to us. Have mercy upon any who are sick, and comfort those who are in pain, anxiety or sorrow. Awaken all who are careless about eternal things. Bless those who are young and in health, that they may give the days of their strength unto thee. Comfort the aged and infirm, that thy peace may rest upon them. Hallow the ties of kindred, that we may help, and not hinder, one another in all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Children.

O LORD Jesu Christ, who didst take little children into thine arms, and bless them: Bless, we beseech thee, the children of this family; grant that they may grow up in thy fear and love; give unto them day by day thy strength and guidance, that so they may continue in thy love and service unto their lives’ end. Grant this, O blessed Saviour, for thine own Name’s sake. Amen.

For Absent Ones.

O GOD, who art present in every place: We pray thee to protect with thy loving care our dear ones who are away from us. Let thy fatherly hand direct them; prosper them in thy way; grant them daily strength for their daily needs; and inspire in them an unwavering faith in thee, that they may live always to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

See also page 633

For One Leaving Home.

O GOD, the refuge and strength of all who put their trust in thee: Unto thy gracious care and keeping we commit thy servant N., now going forth from us. Give him courage, prudence, and self-control; raise up for him good friends; preserve him from loneliness; keep him, we beseech thee, under the protection of thy good providence, and make him have a perpetual fear and love of thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For a Birthday.

O LORD our heavenly Father, mercifully hear our prayers, and grant a long and happy life to thy servant N., whose birthday we remember this day. May he grow in grace as his years increase, and ever live so as to please thee; in the power of thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

For Faithfulness in the Use of this World’s Goods

ALMIGHTY God, whose loving hand hath given us all that we possess: Grant us grace that we may honour thee with our substance, and, remembering the account which we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of thy bounty; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The following Prayers and Collects are appropriate for frequent use in Family Prayer.

The Second and Third Collects in Morning Prayer, page 11.

The Second and Third Collects in Evening Prayer, pages 23 and 24.

The Prayer for all Conditions of men, page 14, and the

General Thanksgiving, page 14.

For the King, page 12 and page 48; for our National Heritage, page 59; for Parliament, page 50.

For a Birthday, page 115 (For the New Year).

In time of Sickness and Trouble, the prayers beginning We humbly beseech thee, page 36; prayer on page 578; the Third after Epiphany, page 126.

For the Church, First and Second Collects appointed for Good Friday, page 174; Fifth, Sixteenth, and Twenty-Second after Trinity, pages 224, 242, and 254; Saint Simon and Saint Jude, page 297; All Saints’ Day, page 299; for Unity, page 40.

For the Ministry, Third in Advent, page 99; Ember Collects, pages 210 and 46.

For Missions, prayers on pages 16, 40, 41, and 121.

For Blessing on Bible Reading, Second in Advent, page 97; Saint Matthew, page 292; Saint Mark, page 272; Saint Luke, Page 295; Saint John, page 110; Conversion of Saint Paul, page 264.

For true Religion, Seventh after Trinity, page 228.

For imitation of Christ: in patient suffering. Palm Sunday, page 150; in holy life, Second after Easter, page 191; in purity, Sixth after Epiphany, page 131.

For Guidance, Whitsunday, page 205; Fourth after Trinity, page 223; First after Epiphany, page 123; Nineteenth after Trinity, page 249.

For Support in Temptation, Fourth after Epiphany, page 128; Second in Lent, page 143; Eighteenth after Trinity, page 247.

For Pardon and Deliverance, Twenty-first and Twenty-fourth after Trinity, page 252 and 257; Septuagesima, page 132; Fourth in Lent, page 147.

For Trust in God’s Providence, Eighth after Trinity, page 229; Second after Epiphany, page 124; Second after Trinity, page 219.

See also Prayers and Thanksgivings, pages 37 to 62.

Grace at Meals.

FOR what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

FOR these and all his many mercies, God’s holy name be blessed and praised; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Family Responses before Meals.

THE eyes of all wait upon thee, O Lord;
And thou givest them their meat in due season.
Thou openest thine hand;
And fillest all things living with plenteousness.

GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

BLESS, O Lord, this food to our use, and consecrate us to thy service, and make us ever mindful of the needs of others; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

See also the Book of Common Praise.

For the Parish.

MOST merciful Father, we beseech thee to send down thy heavenly blessing upon thy Church in this Parish, that all its members may dwell together in unity and brotherly love. Keep far from us all self-will and discord. Endue thy Ministers with righteousness, and enable them faithfully to dispense thy holy Word and Sacraments, to bring again the outcasts, and to seek the lost. Grant that we may so receive their ministrations, and use thy means of grace, that in all our words and deeds we may seek thy glory and the advancement of thy kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thanksgiving.

O MOST merciful Father, we humbly thank thee for all thy gifts so freely bestowed upon us. For life and health and safety, for power to work and leisure to rest, for all that is beautiful in creation and in the lives of men, we praise and magnify thy holy Name. But, above all, we thank thee for our spiritual mercies in Christ Jesus our Lord, for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. Fill our hearts with all joy and peace in believing; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ephesians 3. 20, 21