I received this in my FB the other day and I think it is worth sharing with you my Steemit friends.
What do you pray for everyday? We are all in need of something whether its good health, financial aid, jobs, vacations, a new house and many others. There are those who pray for peace in their families, to heal rifts in their relationships with friends and relatives and also peace for the world too. We all pray for something, either for personal reasons or otherwise because we cannot solve our problems by wishing them away, can we? The Lord knows when we sit or stand and read our thoughts from far away (Psalm 139:2). He can give us what we desire most in our inmost being, in our hearts and the faintest whisper we utter He hears clearly like the sound of a bell.
Here are the 7 Daily Prayers:
These prayers are a reminder that keep us on track to ask rightly for the things we really need. They are simple prayers anyone can say and taken from the bible too. Below is my take on the meaning of each prayer. It may be somehow different for everyone. So, let's look at each prayer.
The Bible verse referenced for this prayer is 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 which describes what love is and is not. But before we can experience this kind of love, I believe that one must pray to God that he may fill our hearts with his love because God is love and all love comes from Him. If we don't have love for God in our hearts then we cannot love our neighbor. This is the first and greatest commandment Jesus gave us (Mark 12:30-31).
Peace is such a rare commodity these days. Everywhere you go there is strife, unrest and chaos. Peace is so easily lost because of the fast pace of life and the ever important need to get things done yesterday, the acquisition of wealth, status and power. Too often we forget to slow down and take time to know what is paramount in our lives. Peace is the Lord's gift to us and we should pray for it. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid" (John 14:27). This peace He gives is unlike the peace the world has to offer. Let us remember this when we greet each other with the sign of peace at mass and when the priest says the prayer to be freed from all anxiety during the consecration. Jesus gives this peace to us so we may know His encompassing love for us that will strengthen us amidst the troubles of this world that assail us often. The Bible reference in the caption above is 1 Peter 5:7 which reads "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." Let go and let God take over.
"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people . . .This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior." (1 Timothy 2:1,3).
Prayer is the lifting of one's mind and heart to God. As St. Therese says, the mere act of turning your face towards heaven is a prayer and so a prayer need not be rigid in any way to express our needs. Neither do we need to recite a litany of prayers all the time for the Lord knows what we need before we ask it. In our prayers we don't forget to entreat God for help for others because it is a wholesome thing to ask for the the well-being of family, friends and neighbors. We offer prayers for the sick and the suffering, for the dying, and for the conversion of poor sinners and for those who have gone ahead of us. Our prayers are heard by the Lord because it pleases him when we remember to pray for the needs of others. Intercession is asking God on behalf of our fellowmen for what they need because sometimes they forget to pray and more often than not they do not pray at all.
“More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of” (Alfred Lord Tennyson)
"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." 1 John 1:8
We are all sinners but oftentimes we do not acknowledge this fact because we believe otherwise that we have no sin. Some say they have no sin because they obey a different set of rules. Those that are made by themselves or those dictated by society. God reaches out to everyone and we must listen to His voice calling out to us to repent. Sometimes we are like the pharasee who is obsessed by his own virtue believing that he is " not like the rest of men, extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector" (Luke 18:9-14). The tax collector came away justified for he admitted being a sinner and asked forgiveness.
We all have sinned and we all need forgiveness. We have a loving God patient and merciful who will forgive us if we but go to reconcile ourselves to Him in the sacrament He has instituted. Sin deprives us of a communion with Him and with our fellowmen and with society as well. It excludes us from receiving the graces He bestows every time we participate in all sacramental things and sin weakens our soul because of such deprivations. We cannot possibly live a life cut off from His love. Let us ponder about this thing called sin. Look at it boldly in the face and know that we have offended our God and resolve to rid ourselves of it in confessing them with contrition. This will enable us to be more forgiving towards others too.
There is a common method some people resort to in trying to know God's will for them . Opening the Bible at random with their eyes closed, they let their fingers roam the page. The verse where their fingers rest is the one they interpret as God's message to them. We call this more familiarly as bible cutting (from the action of cutting a deck of cards and choosing the top card after the cut.) There are so many things that beset us daily and it is with great difficulty to choose what decisions to make. But because we desire to follow God's will in all things He will guide us so we may know the right step to take. But I don't really believe in doing the above mentioned tactic. The church acts as our guide and encourages us to do what is more trustworthy and true. Firstly, we must pray as when we beseech our guardian angel to guide us and keep us in the right path everyday. Secondly, when we are troubled and indecisive, perusing the ten commandments can shed light to see clearly what pitfalls to avoid. Thirdly, invoking the saints to intercede for us is most beneficial when we find ourselves in a tight spot.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says in 301: "With creation, God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only gives them being and existence, but also, at every moment, upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to act and brings them to their final end." This is what God does for us every single moment of our life on earth. He protects us because He loves us and we belong to Him. He thinks of us with every breath we take because if He did not we should cease to exist. That is how secure we should feel at the thought of His divine providence. When we pray for protection we ask deliverance from the evils of men and their machinations that embroils us in their web of deceit that leads to perdition. When we pray for protection we ask the saints and our guardian angel to keep the evil one far away from us. And when we pray for protection we pray that we be protected from our own evil inclinations to sin from all sinful desires and thoughts. Lastly we ask protection for our families, friends and fellowmen that we may all live lives pleasing to the Lord. The prayers to St. Michael and our guardian angel are just two beautiful prayers for protection and they can be repeated many times during the day.
We must beg the Lord to increase our faith. Let us not lose our souls to the world and the evil spirits who prowl about seeking the ruin of souls. It is also important to pray for many other things according to the Holy spirit"s inspirations moving in us. St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori says, "If you pray you are certain of saving your soul. If you do not pray you are just as sure to lose your soul."
(All photos are courtesy of Pixabay unless otherwise indicated.)
