Best Loved Prayers and Words of Wisdom. Martin Manser

the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed. How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! I try to count them – they are more than the sand; I come to the end – I am still with you.

      O that you would kill the wicked, O God,

       and that the bloodthirsty would depart from me – those who speak of you maliciously, and lift themselves up against you for evil! Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

       Psalm 139, NRSV

      Amazing grace

       John Newton had worked for a slave-owner and had himself been in chains after attempting to desert from his ship. He went on to become a slave-ship captain but was converted to evangelical Christianity in 1748 after his ship almost sank in a storm. Later in life he renounced the slave trade, and became a clergyman. He supported William Wilberforce in his work to abolish slavery.

      Amazing grace, how sweet the sound

      That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.

      ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

      And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear, The hour I first believed!

      Through many dangers, toils and snares,

      I have already come; ’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.

      The Lord has promised good to me,

      His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be, As long as life endures.

      Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,

      And mortal life shall cease; I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace.

      The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,

       The sun forbear to shine; But God, who called me here below, Will be forever mine.

       John Newton (1725–1807)

      The apologist’s evening prayer

      Clive Staples Lewis was an Irish-born writer and scholar. An atheist from the age of fifteen he slowly returned to faith in his early thirties. He was a close friend and colleague of J R R Tolkein at Oxford, where he lived for many years. He wrote a number of books but is perhaps best known for The Chronicles of Narnia books.

      From all my lame defeats and oh! much more

       From all the victories that I seem to score; From cleverness shot forth on thy behalf At which, while angels weep, the audience laugh; From all my proofs of thy divinity Thou, who wouldst give no other sign, deliver me

      Thoughts are but coins. Let me not trust instead

       Of thee, their thin-worn image of my head. From all me thoughts, even from my thoughts of thee O thou fair Silence, fall, and set me free. Lord of the narrow gate and the needle’s eye, Take me from all my trumpery lest I die.

       C S Lewis (1898–1963)

      As the sun sets

       St Basil the Great describes how early Christians, rather than taking the light of lamps for granted, would thank God for it using the words of this ancient hymn, which is believed to date from the second century.

      Now, as the sun sets in the west,

       Soft lamplight glows as evening starts; Thus, light from light, God’s Son all blest Comes from the immortal Father’s heart.

      We therefore sing our joyful songs

       To Father, Holy Spirit, Son, To whom in every age belongs By right all praise from every tongue.

      Lord Jesus, Son of God, from you

       All life, all joy come forth this night; The world, and each soft glowing hue, Reflect the glory of your light.

       Anon. (2nd century)

      Ask and you will receive

       Jesus taught that those who seek God will find answers and direction. He also assured his followers that faithful prayer will be answered.

      ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find;

       knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.’

      Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.

       Matthew 7:7–8; 21:22, NRSV

      Ask God for wisdom

       James writes to the early church, stressing the importance of a life lived in devotion to God. Believing in the right things is not enough – followers of Jesus must also live according to their faith. But this is no easy task and James reassures his readers that help is available.

      If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all

       generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

       James 1:5–6, NRSV

      At Christmas

      Although he came from a moderately well-off family, Charles Dickens worked in a factory from the age of 12 and the dreadful conditions had an impact on him that shaped his social conscience; the conditions under which working-class people lived became major themes of his writing. One of his best known novels is A Christmas Carol, from which this extract is taken.

      For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better

       than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself.

       Charles Dickens (1812–1870)

      At the beginning of the day

      Taken from the Book of Common Prayer, this prayer seeks the protection of God for the day ahead. It is used in the shorter form of the service of Morning Prayer.

      O Lord, our heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God,

       who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day; Defend us in the same with thy mighty power; and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all our doings, being ordered by thy governance, may be righteous in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

       The Book of Common Prayer

      At your side

       The book of Proverbs contains many two-line pieces of wisdom. Some of these have become everyday sayings or proverbs that are still in use today. This reminds us that as friends or as family members we should be faithful, loving and supportive.

      A friend loves at all times, and kinsfolk are born to share

       adversity.

       Proverbs 17:17, NRSV

      Be of good cheer

       The nineteenth-century preacher Robert Murray McCheyne died young but had made a significant impact in his seven years of ministry in Scotland. Here he writes to his church about suffering.

      God has called you to suffer,