STRENGTH for your DAY, a prayer book from my mum.
I will try my best to post up every prayer inside this book.
First of all, let me post up the foreword of this book.
There are three stages in prayer. The first is basically "God bless me, Mommy, and Daddy," with a shopping list to a God who is there to deliver our wishes. The second is once we have come alive to the Lord Jesus as our Saviour. The Holy Spirit brings us into a personal relationship and prayer normally moves into worship, conversation, sharing and desiring God's will, although remnants of the first srot of praying can sadly linger and confuse. The thrid is when we begin to hunger and thrist for God, to become like St. Paul when he longs to know Christ, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings. Here paryer starts to explore the deep wonders of God in devotion and worship as well as in far more comprehensive intercession. This is where this marvelous book takes us.
When Louise Kendall talked about her exploration into the prayers of Christians across the centuries, her passion, excitement, and deepened devotion to God glowed from her heart. She had been ready to explore the prayers of saints who had different Christian affiliations and found the throb of her own heart matching theirs. Although extempore prayer is still integral to her prayer life, she discovered that in written prayers there could be gathered expressions of deep devotion, phrases with profound insight, and a range of confession, worship and intercession that left much extempore praying in the fading shadows.
That Louise and RT have now turned that great discovery into this book is a gift to the whole church. Not all the prayers will ring bells with us, but most will strike an inner chord and will come to be part of our own prayer life in years to come. We move over the centuries with prayers from Augustine, Corrie ten Boom, Newman, Campolo, Luther, Chaike, Lancelot Andrewes (who blew my prayer life into new orbits), and so many others. Our hearts are warmed by Timothy Dudley-Smith’s beautifully poetic yet insightful prayers, with glorious phrases like “the choir of stars.” I am so glad that the prayer (February 17) of the Confederate soldier just before he died in the battle of Richmond is here, as I use it frequently. Whenever I quote it everyone wants a copy… it is penetratingly moving. You will want t mark the prayers that stand out for you as you use the book across a year and then return to embrace them as part of your own devotion. It will help us all to move deeper into true prayer to our glorious Lord. For all the passion, research and hard work that has goneinto this gem of a book we are all in the debt of two very special people....
Louise and R. T. Kendall.
-Rt. Rev. Dr. Michael S. Baughen
Bishop of Chester, 1982-1996
Rector of All Souls, Langham Place,
London, 1970-1982 –
This prayers book has 365 days of prayers. Every single day comes with different prayers.
Since today is 7th of October 2008, I will start with the prayers for October 7.
Besides, I will also post up the February 17 prayer, the prayer which Rt. Rev. Dr. Michael frequently used.
Till then, stay tune with my 365 timeless prayers and conversations with GOD!
