Prayer: Set Prayers

With our first two lessons diving deep into prayer, we now come upon a way to pray that takes out the guesswork, set prayers. These gems are created by authors of the Bible or by our brothers and sisters in Christ and ready to use! 

Get excited, as many beautifully written prayers will weave nicely into your teaching practice and be a blessing for your students!

Why Use Set Prayers: 

These types of prayers allow Christians to learn and repeat prayers that have a significant meaning. One well-known example of a set prayer would be The Lord's Prayer adapted from Matthew 6:9-13. 

One of the benefits of set prayers is that they can help you pray in any situation, our yoga classes being a prime example. Set prayers give you a way to pray when you otherwise might not have the words.

In this lesson, we add set prayers to our prayer arsenal.  

Below is an abundance of set prayers. Some of the authors are known, some are not. Credit is given when applicable; otherwise, the sources remain unknown.

Set Prayers: 

Traditional VS. Contemporary Use of the Lord’s Prayer

Contemporary 

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

Traditional 

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, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change; 

courage to change the things I can; 

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; 

enjoying one moment at a time; 

accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; 

taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it; 

trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will; 

that I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him

forever in the next. 

Amen.

Feinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)

Prayer of Thanksgiving 

(This prayer is rather long. Feel free to shorten the length for class.)

God of all blessings,

source of all life,

giver of all grace:

We thank you for the gift of life:

for the breath

that sustains life,

for the food of this earth

that nurtures life,

for the love of family and friends

without which there would be no life.

We thank you for the mystery of creation:

for the beauty

that the eye can see,

for the joy

that the ear may hear,

for the unknown

that we cannot behold filling the universe with wonder,

for the expanse of space

that draws us beyond the definitions of ourselves.

We thank you for setting us in communities:

for families

who nurture our becoming,

for friends

who love us by choice,

for companions at work,

who share our burdens and daily tasks,

for strangers

who welcome us into their midst,

for people from other lands

who call us to grow in understanding,

for children

who lighten our moments with delight,

for the unborn,

who offer us hope for the future.

We thank you for this day:

for life

and one more day to love,

for opportunity

and one more day to work for justice and peace,

for neighbors

and one more person to love

and by whom be loved,

for your grace

and one more experience of your presence,

for your promise:

to be with us,

to be our God,

and to give salvation.

For these, and all blessings,

we give you thanks, eternal, loving God,

through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Vienna Cobb Anderson

Birthday Prayer- 

This prayer is a unique way to bless students on their birthday by using this set prayer in class. 

Thank you, God, for giving me another year of life.

Thank you for all the people who remembered me today

By sending cards, and letters, gifts and good wishes.

Thank you for all the experience of this past year;

for times of success which will always be happy memories,

for times of failure which reminded me of my own weakness and of my need for you,

for times of joy when the sun was shining,

for times of sadness which drove me to you.

Forgive me

for the hours I wasted,

for the chances I failed to take,

for the opportunities I missed this past year.

Help me in the days ahead to make this the best year yet,

and through it to bring good credit to myself,

happiness and pride to my loved ones,

and joy to you. 

Amen.

Author Unknown

Prayer for God’s presence

The Light of God surrounds me;

The Love of God enfolds me;

The Power of God protects me;

The Presence of God watches over me;

Wherever I am, God is,

And all is well.

Prayer of St. Francis: 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

The Third Step Prayer:

God, I offer myself to Thee – 

to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. 

Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. 

Take away my difficulties, 

that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of 

Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of Life. 

May I do thy will always! 

The 10th Step Prayer: 

I pray I may continue:

To grow in understanding and effectiveness;

To take daily spot check inventories of myself;

To correct mistakes when I make them;

To take responsibility for my actions;

To be ever aware of my negative and

Self-defeating attitudes and behaviors;

To keep my willfulness in check;

To always remember I need Your help;

To keep love & tolerance of others as my code; and

To continue in daily prayer how I can best serve You,

My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

God Be In My Head, Sarum Primer 1558

God be in my head, and in my understanding; 

God be in my eyes, and in my looking; 

God be in my mouth, and in my speaking; 

God be in my heart, and in my thinking; 

God be at my end, and at my departing. 

Prayers Derived from Scripture: 

Some of the most lovely prayers are written by various authors of the Bible.  

There are over 650 prayers referenced in the Bible from both old and new testament. 

Here is the Master List of all prayers contained in the Bible.

All The Prayers Of The Bible

 Write For Insight: 

Select up to three-set prayers and add them to your prayer journal. You may already have some set prayers you enjoy, or you may feel adventurous and begin a Google search and find more. Post a set prayer in the PCYTT Facebook group and tell us why you selected it.

Select one prayer from the Old and New Testament and add them to your prayer journal.

Select up to three-set prayers and add them to your prayer journal. You may already have some set prayers you enjoy, or you may feel adventurous and begin a Google search and find more. Post a set prayer in the PCYTT Facebook group and tell us why you selected it.