I LOVE YOU LORD / HERE, EK HET U LIEF

I love you‚ Lord‚
and I ask you for your grace
to make it possible for me
to love you for as long as I live.
Lord‚ if my tongue doesn’t succeed
to testify each moment of my life
how much I love you‚
let my heart tell you
with every breath I take.
amen
Johannes Maria Vianney

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Ek het u lief‚ Here‚
en ek vra van U om dit in u genade
vir my moontlik te maak
om U my lewe lank lief te hê.
Here‚ as my tong nie daarin slaag
om elke oomblik van my lewe te getuig
hoe lief ek U het nie‚
laat my hart dit dan vir U sê
met elke asemteug wat ek neem.
amen

DANKIE HEER / THANK YOU LORD

Vader‚
U heers oor die eeue‚ oor oseane‚ kontinente.
U is groot!
Van geslag tot geslag
speur u oë.
Dankie dat dit ook
op my rus.
Dankie dat U wat so groot is‚
ook vir ’n kleintjie soos ek
plek het op u skoot.
amen
Johan Cilliers

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Father‚
Throughout the centuries you govern over oceans‚ continents.
You are so big!
Your eyes see
from generation to generation.
Thank you that they also
rest on me.
Thank you that you make space
for someone small like me
on your lap.
amen

HELP US TO TURN AWAY FROM EVIL / HELP ONS OM WEG TE DRAAI VAN SONDE

Christ‚ our companion‚
you didn’t come to
humiliate the sinners‚
but to shock the “just”
into an understanding of self.
You welcome us
even when we are disgraced‚
but you confront us with our
self-complacency and smugness.
Help us to truly turn away
from all evil‚
and save us from our perceptions of our virtues.
We ask this in your Name.
amen
Janet Morley

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Christus‚ ons metgesel‚
U het nie gekom om sondaars
te verneder nie‚
maar om die “regverdiges”
tot selfkennis te skok.
U verwelkom ons
selfs as ons in die skande kom‚
maar konfronteer ons met ons
selfgenoegsaamheid.
Help ons om waarlik weg te draai
van wat boos is‚
en verlos ons van ons bewuste deugde.
Ons vra dit in u Naam.
amen

BLY BY MY HEER / STAY WITH ME LORD

Stay with us‚ Lord‚
because it is becoming evening
and the day is almost over.
Stay with us and with all people.
Stay with us in the evening of the day‚
in the evening of life
in the evening of this world.
Stay with us in your grace and goodness‚
with your Word and sacraments‚
with your consolation and blessings.
Stay with us
also in the night of sorrow and fear‚
the night of doubt and temptations‚
the night of bitter death.
Stay with us
and with all your children
in time and eternity.
amen

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Bly by ons‚ Heer‚
want dit wil aand word
en die nag is byna verby.
Bly by ons en by alle mense.
Bly by ons in die aand van die dag‚
in die aand van die lewe
in die aand van hierdie wêreld.
Bly by ons met u genade en goedheid‚
met u Woord en sakramente‚
met u troos en seën.
Bly by ons
ook in die nag van droefheid en vrees‚
die nag van twyfel en aanvegting‚
die nag van die bittere dood.
Bly by ons
en by al u kinders
in tyd en ewigheid
amen
Ou Nederlandse kerkgebed

THE WAY / DIE WEG

Hemelse Vader‚
ek weet nou dat my vrome vrede
U nie bluf nie.
U weet tog dat daaragter eintlik maar
’n stuk ontevredenheid skuil‚
kwalik bedek deur my aanhoudende vrae.
Dankie dat ek egter óók weet
dat u Antwoord gekom het‚
saam met die blye stemme uit die hemel;
dat al die vrae van u kinders‚
oor geslagte heen‚
in daardie Kind van U beantwoord is.
Waarom anders het Hy Homself
“Die Weg” genoem‚
die enigste Uitweg?
amen

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Heavenly Father‚
I now know that my pious peace
doesn’t deceive you.

You know that it hides
a large chunk of dissatisfaction‚
barely concealed by my incessant questioning.
Thank you that I may also know
that your Answer has come‚
together with the joyous voices from heaven;
that all your children’s questions
throughout the generations‚
have been answered in your Child.
Why else did He call himself
“The Way”‚
the only way out?
amen
Barend Vos

PAIN, PROBLEMS AND GRACE / PYN, PROBLEME EN SEEN

God of love‚
whose grace never ends‚
we come to bring to you our suffering‚
the pain and problems
of the nations of the world:
the sighs of prisoners‚
the screams of the tortured‚
the pain of those who lost loved ones‚
the loneliness and trouble of refugees‚
the hopelessness of the weak
and the weakness of the old‚
the despondency of the fatigued –

O God our Father‚
draw them closer to you‚
make them aware of your tenderness for strugglers.
We ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ‚
our Helper and our Lord.
amen
Anselmus

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God van liefde‚
wie se genade nooit opraak nie‚
ons kom lê voor U ons eie swaarkry‚
en die pyn en probleme
van die nasies van die wêreld:
die sugte van gevangenes‚
die krete van gemarteldes‚
die hartseer van hulle wat geliefdes verloor het‚
die eensaamheid en nood van vlugtelinge‚
die hulpeloosheid van die swakkes
en die swakheid van die oues‚
die moedeloosheid van die uitgeputtes –

O God ons Vader‚
trek hulle nader aan U‚
maak hulle bewus van u sagtheid vir sukkelaars.
Ons vra dit in die Naam van Jesus Christus‚
ons Helper en ons Here.
amen

LORD, TRANSFORM ME! / HEER, VERANDER MY!!

Lord‚ transform us‚
so that we will live as image bearers!
Take our hate speech‚
and turn it into handshakes.
Take our prejudices‚
and turn them into peace offerings.
Take our misunderstandings‚
and write music with them.
Take our discord‚
and choreograph it into a dance.
Take our helplessness‚
and transform it into hope –

We are waiting to see how the miracle of your love‚
that is never withdrawn from us‚
does this work of renewal.
amen
Prayers: Christian Aid for the World

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Here‚ transformeer ons‚
sodat ons werklik soos beelddraers sal lewe!
Neem ons haatspraak‚
en maak daarvan handdrukke.
Neem ons vooroordele‚
en maak daarvan vredesoffers.
Neem ons misverstande‚
en skryf daarvan musiek.
Neem ons verdeeldheid‚
en choreografeer dit tot ’n dans.
Neem ons hulpeloosheid‚
en transformeer dit tot hoop –

Ons wag om te sien hoe die wonderkrag van u liefde‚
wat U nooit aan ons onttrek nie‚
dié vernuwingswerk gaan doen.
amen

SOCIAL DEGENERATION

This social degeneration is properly addressed in a prayer of a priest‚ Reverend Joe Wright‚ who in 1996 prayed in the legislative council of the American state of Kansas. A member of the legislative council met this priest friend of his one day and asked him to do the opening prayer for them the next day.

He then prayed this prayer in which he addresses the realities of the order of the day.

“Heavenly Father‚ we come before you today to ask for your forgiveness and to beg you for guidance. We know your word says: ‘Woe to those who speak evil’ but this is exactly what we do. We lost our spiritual balance and turned our values inside out. We confess that:
We scorn the absolute truth of your Word and refer to it as moral pluralism.
We acknowledge other gods and call it multiculturalism.
We excuse our perverse action and call it an alternative lifestyle.
We exploit the poor and call it lottery.
We legalise the murder of the unborn and call it free choice.
We don’t discipline our children and we say that it builds their self-esteem.
We abuse power and call it political skills.
We desire the possessions of our neighbours and describe it as ambition.
We dirty the air with our swear words and pornography and call it freedom of speech.”

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LEER MY HEER / TEACH ME, OH LORD

Here‚ die dag lê voor my.
Aan myself oorgelaat‚ sal ek aan die einde daarvan
net jammer wees dat ek nie was
wat ek in U kon wees nie.
Daarom bid ek dat die Gees nou beheer sal neem
van my gedagtes‚
my wil‚
my optrede.

O God‚ gebruik dan elke situasie
wat hierdie dag mag inhou‚
as geleentheid om die vrug van die Gees
in plaas van die onkruid van die sonde
in my te laat groei.
Laat my teleurstelling benut om geduld te leer;
Laat my verraad benut om getrouheid te leer;
Laat my stres benut om selfbeheersing te leer;
Laat my onreg benut om goedhartigheid te leer;
Laat my lof benut om nederigheid te leer;
Laat my skimpe en verwyt benut
om vrede en vriendelikheid te leer.
En leer my om hartseer te benut
om die kosbaarheid van liefde en vreugde
te waardeer.
amen

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Lord‚ the day lies before me.
Left to my own devices‚ at the end of it
I will only regret that I wasn’t
what I could have been in you.
Therefore I pray that the Spirit will now take control
of my thoughts‚
my will‚
my actions.

O God‚ now use every situation
this day may hold‚
as opportunity to let the fruit of the Spirit
instead of the weeds of sin
grow in me.
Let me use disappointment to learn patience;
Let me use treason to learn faithfulness;
Let me use stress to learn self control;
Let me use injustice to learn kindness;
Let me use praise to learn humility;
Let me use slurs and hints
to learn peace and friendliness.
And teach me to use sadness
to appreciate the value of love and joy.
amen
Inspired by a prayer by John Bailie

PRAY!!!!!

Lift Up !!…
Your Prayers.
“Do not worry about anything;
instead PRAY ABOUT
EVERYTHING.”
Philippians 4:6