Classic Prayers for Every Need (Prayer Quotes I)

Saints,

As many of you know on SermonIndex.net we have had a series of famous quotes in a thread called: "Great Quotes" which has been going for over 15 years now. This is the first thread: https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=488&forum=35&106. and there are 21 more threads currently.

This is a new thread of a similar vision but just "prayer" quotes to God by godly people from the past and present. It is my hope that by reading godly prayers we will be encouraged in our own intimacy and prayer walks with the Lord Himself.

"Lord open my eyes that I may see, not the visible enemy, but Thy unseen chariots of deliverance." - Hannah Whitall Smith

"O merciful God, be Thou now unto me a strong tower of defence, I humbly entreat Thee. Give me grace to await Thy leisure, and patiently to be what Thou doest unto me; nothing doubting or mistrusting Thy goodness toward me; for Thou knowest what is good for me better than I do. Therefore do with me in all things what Thou wilt; only arm me, I beseech Thee, with Thine armour, that I may stand fast; above all things, taking to me the shielf of faith; praying always that I may refer myself wholly to Thy will, abiding Thy pleasure, and comforting myself in those troubles which it shall please Thee to send me, seeing much troubles as are profitable for me; and I am assuredly persuaded that all Thou doest cannot but be well; and unto Thee be all honour and glory. Amen." - Lady Jane Grey

"O Lord, come quickly and reign on Thy throne, for now oftentimes, something rises up within me, and triest to take possession of Thy throne: pride, covetousness, uncleanness, and sloth want to be my kings; and then evil-speaking, anger, hatred, and the whole train of vices join with me in warring against myself, and try to reign over me. I resist them, I cry out against them, and say, 'I have no other king than Christ.' O King of Peace, come and reign in me, for I will have no king but Thee! Amen." - Saint Bernard

"Some things have not gone well today. We have had our troubles. Our hearts have been hurt. You are the healer - will You heal us? Take the tangled threads out of our clumbsy hands, disentangle them and weave them into a web of beauty! Take the dark things of the day's providences, the things that seem wrong, and by the power of Your grace, transmute them into blessing. Help us indeed to keep our hands off the strange, complex affairs of our lives - for we would only spoil the pattern which You are fashioning in us, if we attempted to adjust these complicated affairs. May You take entire charge of the myriad things of our lives that are beyond our managing, and bring good and only good out of them." - J.R. Miller

"Trusting in Your goodness, and great mercy, Lord, I come; sick - I come to my Savior; hungry and thirsty - to the well of Life; needy - to the King of Heaven." - Thomas A Kempis

"Make me, who so often in my health have discovered my weakness presuming on my own strength." - Thomas Fuller

"Never leave nor forsake me in my present pilgrimage here, till Thou hast brought me safe through all trials and dangers." - Benjamin Jenks

"In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: Let me never be put to confusion." - Psalm 71:1

"Let me not be distracted by lesser things from what is truly important." - Samuel Johnson

"Jesus-Omega, grant me to serve You, to proclaim You, to glorify You, to make You manifest, to the very end through all the time that remains to me of life, and above all through my death. Desperatly, Lord Jesus, I commit to Your care my last active years, and my death; do not let them impair or spoil my work I have so dreamed of achieving for You." - Teilhard De Chardin

"For with Thee is refreshment and true strength. Amen." - Saint Augustine

"Father in heaven, draw our hearts to You, that our hearts may be where our treasures ought to be, that our minds and thoughts may look to Your kingdom, who citizens we are. Thus, when You shall call us hence, our departure may not be a painful separation from this world, but a joyous meeting with You." - Soren Kierkegaard

"Almighty God, have mercy upon us, who, when troubled with the things that are past, lose faith, and life, and courage, and hope. So have mercy upon us, and uphold us, that we, being sustained by a true faith that Thou art merciful and forgiving, may go on in the life of the future to keep Thy commandments, to rejoice in Thy bounty, to trust in Thy mercy, and to hope in the eternal life. Grant unto all of us, whatsoever may betide us, to remember ever that it is all of Thy guidance, under Thy care, by Thy will; that so, in darkest days, beholding Thee we may have courage to go on, faith to endure, patience to bear, and hopefulness to hold out, even unto the end””Amen." - George Dawson (1821”“1876)

"O Thou, who are ever the same, grant us so to pass through the coming year with faithful hearts, that we may be able in all things to please Thy loving eyes””Amen." - Mozarabic, A.D. 700

"O Lord our God, under the shadow of Thy wings let us hope. Thou wilt support us, both when little, and even to gray hairs. When our strength is of Thee, it is strength; but, when our own, it is feebleness. We return unto Thee, O Lord, that from their weariness our souls may rise towards Thee, leaning on the things which Thou hast created, and passing on to Thyself, who hast wonderfully made them; for with Thee is refreshment and true strength””Amen." - St Augustine (354”“430).

"O God, let the sighing of the prisoner come before Thee, and mercifully grant unto us that we may be delivered by Thine almighty power from all bonds and chains of sin whether in our bodies or in our souls, through Jesus Christ our Lord”” Amen." - Roman Breviary

"My Father, help me as a follower of Christ to say, "Thy will be done.” Thou wouldest not have me accept Thy will because I must, but because I may. Thou wouldest have me take it, not with resignation, but with joy, not with the absence of murmur, but with the song of praise. How shall I reach this goal? I shall only reach it by feeling what the Psalmist felt””that Thy will comes from a "good Spirit,” and goes towards a "land of uprightness.” Teach me that Thy will is love; teach me that Thy love is wise. Guide me not blindfold, but with open eyes. Grant me the power to look both behind and before””behind to "Thy good Spirit,” before to "the land of uprightness.” Give me the blessedness of the man whose delight is in Thy law, who can tell of Thy statutes rejoicing the heart. I shall obey Thy will in perfect freedom when I can say, "Thy Spirit is good”””Amen." - George Matheson (b. 1842)

"We beseech Thee, O Lord, let our hearts be graciously enlightened by Thy holy radiance, that we may serve Thee without fear in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life; that so we may escape the darkness of this world, and by Thy guidance attain the land of eternal brightness; through Thy mercy, O blessed Lord, Who dost live and govern all things, world without end””Amen." - Sarum Breviary, A.D. 1085.

"Almighty and everlasting God, the Brightness of faithful souls, fill the world with Thy glory, we pray Thee, and show Thyself, by the radiance of Thy light, to all the nations of the world, through Jesus Christ, our Lord””Amen." - Gregorian Sacramentary, A.D. 590.

"Almighty and everlasting God, grant that our wills be ever meekly subject to Thy will, and our hearts be ever honestly ready to serve Thee””Amen." - Roman Breviary.

"O Lord, grant that my heart may be truly cleansed and filled with Thy Holy Spirit, and that I may arise to serve Thee, and lie down to sleep in entire confidence in Thee, and submission to Thy will, ready for life or for death. Let me live for the day, not overcharged with worldly cares, but feeling that my treasure is not here, and desiring truly to be joined to Thee in Thy heavenly kingdom, and to those who are already gone to Thee. O Lord, save me from sin, and guide me with Thy Spirit, and keep me in faithful obedience to Thee, through Jesus Christ Thy Son, our Lord””Amen." - Thomas Arnold (1795”“1842).

"Grant unto us, Almighty God, of Thy good Spirit, that quiet heart, and that patient lowliness to which Thy comforting Spirit comes; that we, being humble toward Thee, and loving toward one another, may have our hearts prepared for that peace of Thine which passeth understanding; which, if we have, the storms of life can hurt us but little, and the cares of life vex us not at all; in presence of which death shall lose its sting, and the grave its terror; and we, in calm joy, walk all the days of our appointed time, until our great change shall come””Amen." - George Dawson.

"O Most merciful and gracious God, Thou Fountain of all mercy and blessing, Thou hast opened the hand of Thy mercy to fill me with blessings, and the sweet effects of Thy loving-kindness. Thou feedest us like a Shepherd, Thou lovest us as a Friend, and thinkest on us perpetually, as a careful mother on her helpless babe, and art exceeding merciful to all that fear Thee. As Thou hast spread Thy hand upon me for a covering, so also enlarge my heart with thankfulness; and let Thy gracious favors and loving-kindness endure for ever and ever upon Thy servant; and grant that what Thou hast sown in mercy, may spring up in duty; and let Thy grace so strengthen my purposes that I may sin no more, but walk in the paths of Thy commandments; that I, living here to the glory of Thy name, may at last enter into the glory of my Lord, to spend a whole eternity in giving praise to Thy ever-glorious name””Amen." - Bishop Jeremy Taylor (1613”“1769).

"Let me not seek out of Thee what I can find only in Thee, O Lord, peace and rest and joy and bliss, which abide only in Thine abiding joy. Lift up my soul above the weary round of harassing thoughts to Thy eternal Presence. Lift up my soul to the pure, bright, serene, radiant atmosphere of Thy Presence, that there I may breathe freely, there repose in Thy love, there be at rest from myself, and from all things that weary me; and thence return, arrayed with Thy peace, to do and bear what shall please Thee””Amen." - Edward Bouverie Pusey (1800”“1882).

"O God, forasmuch as our strength is in Thee, mercifully grant that Thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts, through Jesus Christ our Lord””Amen." - Gelasian Sacramentary. A.D. 492.

"Almighty and most merciful Father, in whom we live and move and have our being, to whose tender compassion we owe our safety in days past, together with all the comforts of this present life, and the hopes of that which is to come; we praise Thee, O God, our Creator; unto Thee do we give thanks, O God our exceeding Joy, who daily pourest Thy benefits upon us. Grant, we beseech Thee, that Jesus our Lord, the Hope of glory, may be formed in us, in all humility, meekness, patience, contentedness, and absolute surrender of our souls and bodies to Thy holy will and pleasure. Leave us not, nor forsake us, O Father, but conduct us safe through all changes of our condition here, in an unchangeable love to Thee, and in holy tranquillity of mind in Thy love to us, till we come to dwell with Thee, and rejoice in Thee forever””Amen." - Bishop Simon Patrick (1626”“1707).

"O Lord God, now grant me the grace not only to rest my body this night, but to have my spiritual repose, in soul and conscience, in your grace and love, that I may let go of all earthly cares so I might be comforted and eased in all ways. And because no day passes that I don’t sin in so many ways, please bury all my offenses in your mercy, that I might not lose your presence. Forgive me, merciful Father, for Christ’s sake. And as I lay down to sleep to safely awake again only by your grace, keep me in a joyful, lively remembrance that whatever happens, I will someday know my final rising ”” the resurrection ”” because Jesus Christ lay down in death for me, and rose for my justification. In His name I pray, Amen." - John Calvin

"O Source of Life and Strength! many of Thy mercies do we plainly see, and we believe in a boundless store behind. No morning stars that sing together can have deeper call than we for grateful joy. Thou hast given us a life of high vocation, and Thine own breathing in our hearts interprets for us its sacred opportunities. Thou hast cheered the way with many dear affections and glimpses of solemn beauty and everlasting truth. Not a cloud of sorrow, but Thou hast touched with glory: not a dusty atmosphere of care, but Thy light shines through! And, lest our spirits should fail before Thine unattainable perfections, Thou hast set us in the train of Thy saints who have learned to take up the cross of sacrifice. Let the time past suffice to have wrought our own will, and now make us consecrate to Thine””Amen." - James Martineau (b. 1805).

"Almighty and merciful God, the Fountain of all goodness, who knowest the thoughts of our hearts, we confess unto Thee that we have sinned against Thee, and done evil in Thy sight. Wash us, we beseech Thee, from the stains of our past sins, and give us grace and power to put away all hurtful things; so that, being delivered from the bondage of sin, we may bring forth worthy fruits of repentance.
O eternal Light, shine into our hearts. O eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil. O eternal Power, be Thou our support. Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance. Eternal Pity, have mercy upon us. Grant unto us that with all our hearts, and minds, and strength, we may evermore seek Thy face; and finally bring us, in Thine infinite mercy, to Thy holy presence. So strengthen our weakness that, following in the footsteps of Thy blessed Son, we may obtain Thy mercy, and enter into Thy promised joy””Amen." - Alcuin, A.D. 780. (Albinus Flaccus Alcuinus, 735”“804)

"Grant me, O most loving Lord, to rest in Thee above all creatures, above all health and beauty, above all glory and honor, above all power and dignity, above all knowledge and subtilty, above all riches and art, above all fame and praise, above all sweetness and comfort, above all hope and promise, above all gifts and favors that Thou canst give and impart to us, above all jubilee that the mind of man can receive and feel; finally, above angels and archangels, and above all the heavenly host, above all things visible and invisible, and above all that Thou art not, O my God. It is too small and unsatisfying, whatsoever Thou bestowest on me apart from Thee, or revealest to me, or promisest, whilst Thou art not seen, and not fully obtained. For surely my heart cannot truly rest, nor be entirely contented, unless it rest in Thee””Amen." - Thomas à Kempis (1379”“1471).

"O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light riseth up in darkness for the godly; grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what Thou wouldest have us to do; that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in Thy light we may see light, and in Thy straight path may not stumble, through Jesus Christ our Lord””Amen." - William Bright (b. 1824).

"Govern all by Thy wisdom, O Lord, so that my soul may always be serving Thee as Thou dost will, and not as I may choose. Do not punish me, I beseech Thee, by granting that which I wish or ask, if it offend Thy love, which would always live in me. Let me die to myself, that so I may serve Thee: let me live to Thee, who in Thyself art the true Life””Amen." - St. Theresa (1515”“1583).

"O Lord, who callest Thine own sheep by name, grant, we entreat Thee, that all whom Thou callest by the voice of conscience may straightway arise to do Thy most compassionate will, or abide patiently to suffer it””Amen." - Christina G. Rossetti.

"Lord, who art always the same, give that I know myself, give that I know Thee." - Augustine

O God, Thou art Life, Wisdom, Truth, Bounty, and Blessedness, the Eternal, the only true Good! My God and my Lord, Thou art my hope and my heart’s joy. I confess, with thanksgiving, that Thou hast made me in Thine image, that I may direct all my thoughts to Thee, and love Thee. Lord, make me to know Thee aright, that I may more and more love, and enjoy, and possess Thee. And since, in the life here below, I cannot fully attain this blessedness, let it at least grow in me day by day, until it all be fulfilled at last in the life to come. Here be the knowledge of Thee increased, and there let it be perfected. Here let my love to Thee grow, and there let it ripen; that my joy being here great in hope, may there in fruition be made perfect””Amen.
St. Anselm (1033”“1109).

Lord, without Thee I can do nothing; with Thee I can do all. Help me by Thy grace, that I fall not; help me by Thy strength, to resist mightily the very first beginnings of evil, before it takes hold of me; help me to cast myself at once at Thy sacred feet, and lie still there, until the storm be overpast; and, if I lose sight of Thee, bring me back quickly to Thee, and grant me to love Thee better, for Thy tender mercy’s sake””Amen.
E. B. Pusey.