Prayers

Prayer is speaking and listening to God. We can pray for ourselves and for others about whom we are concerned. Here are some prayers which you might like to use at home, and some prayer ideas if you can visit St Peter’s.

A prayer inspired by St Peter

Heavenly Father my life is full of continual weaknesses, and I am like sand; changeable and shifting, wanting to be a strong castle but washed away by the smallest wave. Thank you for loving me and having a use for me despite all this: please help me to hang on to you whenever I am sinking so that, through the pressures of life and the passage of time, you can turn me from sand to rock, and use me as your faithful soldier and servant.

after Paul Tudge

A prayer in times of disaster

Father of us all, the starving, the terrified, the homeless, the dying, the heroically generous, the horrifyingly cruel; all affected by natural disaster or by human selfishness need to know your love and comfort. Please take our hands and let them work for you; digging deep into our pockets, outstretched in hugs, busy with practical help, laid together in prayer.

A prayer on turning to God

Father, my life is nothing special; just like water, rather commonplace. But here it is, and if you can use me then please do so. Please use me in ordinary ways to refresh others’ daily life, and on occasion or over time, please turn me into vintage wine to bring strength and courage, and for your pleasure.

A prayer for questioners

Father God, there are big questions we think we want to know the answers to. Please help us to listen to the answers you give us, which may be different from what we have ever heard before; when a new something strikes an unexpected chord in us, help us to have the courage to admit it and to follow where the new music is taking us.

We remember with thankfulness those we love who have died

O Lord our God, from whom neither life nor death can separate those who trust in your love, and whose love holds in its embrace your children in this world and the next; so unite us to yourself that in fellowship with you we may always be united with our loved ones whether here or there.

from William Temple

A prayer for our community

You are Father to us all. Please constantly push us out of our dullness of spirit to take active steps to care for our brothers and sisters, to protect them, share with them, welcome them, for the blood of Your son makes us all one family, whatever our origins, or our past.

Prayer in time of anxiety

God our Father, when we have to face an uncertain future or a certainty of grief or pain or fear; hold us safely, and strengthen in us your great gifts of courage, gaiety, and a quiet mind.

includes line from Robert Louis Stevenson

A prayer for those who feel guilty

Lord, you forgave and restored Peter, who denied he ever knew you; you forgave and restored your friends who fled away when you most needed them. Save us from the sin of Judas, of thinking that our thoughts and actions, however terrible, are too terrible for your forgiveness. All that can keep us from your forgiveness is unrepentance or pride; save us from both, and purify us in the furnace of your love, which throws light on our misdeeds so that we can see ourselves as we truly are, but then burns them up so that we can start forgiven and afresh in your footsteps.

Prayer in worryness

Father, you tell us not to worry, but to bring our requests to you. Help us to take you at your word, and so to receive your peace, which is beyond understanding.

A prayer for those newly confirmed

Lord God, this is the start of a new part of my life: it’s the same as the old life in so many ways, but now in a new way I belong to you, I am enlisted in your service. This may mean new things to be done, or it may mean doing old things in a new way. Whatever comes to me in life, please help me to draw strength from the memory of my confirmation to know assuredly that you are both with me and before me, for ever.

A prayer of repentance

God, I’ve messed up things in my life and in the lives of others, some by accident and some quite deliberately. I am sorry for all this, and I want to try and put it right and start again. I can’t do this by myself. Jesus said that you are like a good Father, always loving and forgiving. Please forgive me now, for what I’ve done to others, for how I’ve spoiled myself and for ignoring you. Give me courage to say sorry, and strength to stick to my decision to turn to you for help. Please love and help me, now and every day.



Prayer Leaflet

There is a leaflet with these prayers in at the back of church, if you would like a copy. Or, you can download and print yourself.

If you can visit St Peter’s in person, here are some prayer ideas

As you enter the church grounds, to the left you will see a noticeboard pointing to the grass Labyrinth. This is a path which leads entrance to centre, by way of a winding route.

You are invited to walk the labyrinth in your own time and at your own pace. Walking the pathway provides a time for reflection, meditation and prayer.

When you reach the centre of the labyrinth, you might like to take a moment to share what is on your mind with God. Then retrace your steps, knowing that God is with you and has heard your prayer.

(For more information, see the Labyrinth leaflet.)

If you are concerned about yourself or someone else or about a situation, write what is on your mind on a label and hang it on the prayer tree you will find inside this church (on the table at the front of the side aisle : there are labels and a pen on the table too).

St Peter’s will pray for you and for the concern you have written on the label.

You can make a mini-pilgrimage around this church building. Go inside and take one of the leaflets called “Look around you”, then in your own time follow the meditative walk it describes. Take the leaflet home with you to remember this visit.

