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Addiction

God,
It tears me up
to see (name)
in the grip of their addiction.
It's agony to see her/him
causing herself/himself so much harm.
Though I long to help,
I feel so powerless.

God,
all I can do is hope and pray
that (name) will be safe -
and that one day she/he
might be free of this terrible disease.

Please help me to carry my sorrow
and give me the strength I need for each day.
May (name) know how much she/he
is loved by me -
and loved by you.
Amen.

Addiction 2

God, my life doesn't feel like my own.
I'm in the grip of an addiction
which seems to control me.
It causes me to harm myself and others
and it hurts me and those I love.

Even though it seems so complicated
and its roots have spread deep into my life,
with your power I know that I can be free.

Stay beside me, especially in my lowest times,
and help me to know how powerfully I am loved by you.
Amen.

Faith
"God", I don't know how I feel about you.
Sometimes I envy those with faith.
But then I think of all the terrible things
done in the name of religion,
and I wonder how you can allow it.
And what about all the suffering in the world?
Surely you have the power to stop it.
When I think about the world,
when I think about you,
I always find myself asking why.
Why is it so hard to believe in you?

Yet I am aware of the goodness and beauty
that exists in this world
despite our best efforts to destroy it.
I see the way that human beings can care for each other
and it makes me wonder about love.

They say that you are a "God of Love".
Will you show me what this Love means?
Will you help me understand how it fits in with Jesus,
and the way he lived his life
and the way he hung of a cross
and the way you raised him from death?
Will you help me to understand how Love fits in with me?
Will you show me that I am loved, that I am valued, that I matter too?

"God", I don't know how I feel about you.
But I long for the Love that others say you offer.
Take my thoughts and questions.
Take my doubt and the tiny seeds of my faith.
Take my first tentative steps and invite me on your journey
that I might know this Love for myself.

When a close relationship ends...

God,
it wasn't meant to end up this way.
I thought my relationship would last forever.
But now it is broken
and I am left holding the pieces.
How did something that seemed so good
turn into such a mess?

God,
Take all my tangled memories,
and my mixed emotions.
Take any sense of fear or failure;
take the rawness of my pain;
take any real or assumed guilt.

Be with all those who are also hurt
because of the breakdown of this relationship;
be their comfort and protection.

God,
come close
with your compassion and your care.
Give me the strength
to rebuild my life,
to renew my trust,
to restore hope,
and fill me with the patience and kindness
of your gentle, healing love.

Credit Crunch

God, will you help me?
This credit crunch
has got me feeling the pinch.
The life-style I used to enjoy
is out of my reach now.
I've had to cut back,
and I'm worried.
What if it keeps getting worse?
What if I lose my job or can't get another one?
What if I lose my home?
What if I can't afford the things I need
for myself or my family or my loved ones?

God, please will you carry all these fears?
They are too heavy for me.
Give me your reassurance that whatever happens,
I will have the strength to cope.
Help me to know that you are there
and that I can always know your comfort and your presence.
Even when everything seems to be in melt-down.
help me to know and feel your peace.

Getting older

Loving God,
Inside, I feel just the same!
But my body is letting me down now,
and sometimes my memory does too!
Things I used to take for granted,
seem beyond me.
Things that used to be easy, simple tasks,
take much more effort.
Things that I used to be so certain of -
well, now I'm not so sure.
They say that wisdom comes with growing older.
But what's the use when few have the time or patience to listen?

Loving God,
you have been with me my whole life long -
The Psalm says you saw me in my mother's womb,
knitting me together in my own unique pattern,
and that all my days are written in your book.
Show me that you are with me now,
in all that I face each day.
Give me all the resources I need - especially the inner ones -
to accept the challenge of life and be true to myself,
so that I can be the person you created me to be.

And when my time comes to slip away,
carry me on your tide of love,
and gently bear me to that unknown destination,
where you have prepared a place
for me -
to see you -
face to face.
Amen.

Weariness

Sometimes, God
I feel so weary!
There are so many pressing needs,
so many demands,
and I just don't feel up to the tasks in hand.
It seems that all my energy has gone!

When I get really tired
I lose my perspective,
and sometimes my temper too.
And then it all gets worse.

God of refuge and strength,
in my weariness,
give me times for rest.
Breathe your peace into my soul
and restore me.
Ease my mind,
and energise my spirit.
Renew me,
and show me
what's important -
and how to care for myself and others

When a loved one dies…

Jesus
the Bible tell us that you wept when your friend died.
So you know how painful it is to lose a loved one.
Be with me in my loss -
in my moment of waking,
when for a second everything is okay - and then I remember;
in the numbness and pain now resident in my heart, weighing it down;
in my sense of disconnection and fragmentation,
and all my mixed emotions.

Stay with me on the path of my grief,
and help me to know that I am not alone.
Bring those alongside me who understand
and give me time for tears and remembering.

Take away my fear.
Show me how to cherish the memories
and reassure me that I will never forget the one I have lost.

Give me the strength I need for each day,
and be with me in each moment of light and darkness.
Amen.

Worry

God,
Sometimes I think how much better life would be
if I could just stop worrying.
But there always seem so many things to worry about.

Some worries are trivial, every-day ones.
But some worries are huge
and weigh down on me so heavily
that I wonder if things will ever be the same again.

God,
please take my worries -
my trivial ones and my big ones -
and help me to gain a bit of perspective.

Give me the strength to cope when worries become fears,
and help me to let go of unnecessary worries.
Help me to trust in you
for you are beside me each day,
caring for me,
carrying me,
loving me.
Amen.

Change

Someone once told me
that when you stand by a river,
even if you stand in the same spot every day,
you never see the same water,
because it's travelled on.

Life is full of change.
Sometimes I welcome it,
sometimes I resent it.
But I know that life never stays the same,
and that I can't either.

God, whose love never changes,
help me to cope with the changes in my life
and with the changes I see around me,
especially when it's not a change I welcome.

Give me the courage to see things from your perspective,
and to regard each day as an opportunity to learn something new,
to meet you afresh,
to grow.

Change me into a more loving, patient, understanding person,
that I might give others strength to cope with their changes.
Amen.

Making mistakes

I know nobody's meant to be perfect,
but I wish I didn't make so many mistakes!

Even though I try really hard,
I always end up getting it wrong,
making a fool of myself,
causing problems.

Loving God,
when I really get it wrong,
please help me to see
that most things can be fixed,
and give me the strength to move on.

When my pride is hurt
and my dignity is shattered,
remind me that I am still loved,
and that it's okay to be me.
Amen.

Prayer

Why is prayer so hard?
Why do I find it so hard to talk to you, God?
In theory it's easy -
just say what's on your heart, they said.
It's not my heart that's the problem.
It's my mind.
It buzzes with distractions.
It tells me that there's no point,
that there's nobody there,
that you can't be listening.
It tells me that I haven't got the right words,
and that my prayers aren't good enough.

God,
teach me that just being in your company is enough.
That sometimes there is no need for words -
silence, music, a sigh, a tear -
these will do.
And when I must use words,
'help', 'sorry', 'thank you', 'please' and 'love you',
are basically all that I need!

I do want my relationship with you to grow, God.
So help me to persevere with prayer,
and to stick at it
when it's great
and when it's painful.

God, teach me how to pray!
Amen.