X

New every morning is your love, great God of light, and all day long you are working for good in the world. Stir up in us desire to serve you, to live peacefully with our neighbors and all your creation, and to devote each day to your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

"A Liturgy for Morning Prayer," Upper Room Worshipbook

Used by permission from the Book of Common Worship, © 2018 Westminster John Knox Press. All rights reserved. This prayer appears in “A Liturgy for Morning Prayer” in Upper Room Worshipbook.

Today’s Reflection

IN ORDER TO MAKE PRAYER A PRIORITY in our lives, we have to create some space or margin. We must slow down a bit, say no to some things, get enough sleep, and make choices that demonstrate what is really important to us. To create a habit of prayer for our kids and our families, we have to look at our daily schedules and find the time. If we don’t find time in our current schedules, we should consider what we can cut out or move around to gain ten minutes of personal time to spend in prayer. And probably the most important step for busy parents—we should write the prayer time on our calendars. If we make prayer time a part of the day’s activities, we won’t forget, get too tired, or find something else to fill that time.

—Jenny Youngman
Scrambled Starts: Family Prayers for Morning, Bedtime, and Everything in Between

From page 83-84 of Scrambled Starts: Family Prayers for Morning, Bedtime, and Everything in Between by Jenny Youngman. Copyright © 2015 by The Upper Room. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. Learn more about or purchase this book.

Today’s Question

When you were a child, did your family set aside time for prayer?  Share your thoughts.

Today’s Scripture

Train children in the right way,
and when old, they will not stray.
—Proverbs 22:6, NRSV

Prayer for the Week

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him, all creatures here below;
Praise him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. (Traditional Doxology)

Submit your prayer to The Upper Room Living Prayer Center or share it in the comment section.

Something more

Looking for a special way to celebrate Mom this Mother’s Day? Give a gift in her honor to your favorite Upper Room ministry.

Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.

Sponsored by The Upper Room. Copyright © 2019 | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA

11 Comments

  • Edy Posted May 8, 2019 6:36 am

    My sons surgery was a major success. He is doing very well post op. Still in ICU but improving every minute. They were able to remove 95 % of the tumor which is a benign schwannoma.. we
    Are relieved. Thanks so
    Much for all your prayers. Powerful prayers!! God is so good!

    • Connie Posted May 8, 2019 8:39 am

      Praise the Lord!

  • Betsy Posted May 8, 2019 7:12 am

    As a child, I remember we had devotional time around the dinner table after eating our evening meal. With our large family, it was often loud and chaotic, but I also remember the prayers from siblings as being sweet and heartfelt. Having grown up with children of my own, I see what a sacrifice it was for my mom to make this happen each night! Wonderful memories.

    Eddy, so glad to hear your son’s surgery was a success. Keeping him in my prayers going forward. Blessings to all on this spring day. Attending my last Bible Study group of the year today. Sad to say goodbye to the ladies in my group. I hope to continue a study of OT stories on my own this summer.

  • robert moeller Posted May 8, 2019 7:32 am

    There were prayers before bed and grace at meals. I didn’t start QT until 1998. Now there are prayers scattered through the day.

    After all the procedures and paperwork that has kept me busy for a while, things are now very quiet, no word, no action, just waiting for the green light on the condo sale. Have to say that I am in a very anticipative mood.

    Thankful for a sunny day, it will warm up to 50. Have some activities planned for today. All are focused on the hopeful move and being ready for it.

    Thank the Lord for Bill’s successful surgery. Prayers for a successful recovery and good health. Am sure you, Edy, are feeling a great relief and am delighted you shared it with us.

    Prayers for all in Betsy’s Bible study group and hope Betsy’s OT study this summer goes well.

    Continued prayers for Marcy, Rusty and K, Julie, Andrea and Lowell and their health. Prayers for consolation to Connie, Mary, Jill, Larry, and Becky. May Julie’s situation soon be resolved.

    Prayers for all dealing with natural disaster around the world. Lord guide us to take better care of the earth we live on and the animals who live here with us. We have not been good stewards and need Your guidance To do what is right. Thank You, Lord.

  • Jill Posted May 8, 2019 7:34 am

    A great start to our morning, Edy – wonderful news regarding Bill. Praise God.
    There was not a family devotional time at my house. But every Tuesday and Thursday morning when I got up (even early back then) – my dad would be at the kitchen table studying for his Sunday School lesson. And we prayed before each meal.
    Focus during my morning time has been sorely lacking lately. I am trying to be gentle with myself, but I am frustrated.
    Grateful for a quiet evening last night. Grateful that as school winds down and my classes are immersed in testing, the workload has lessened. Was able to take a walk yesterday afternoon during my “free” period, instead of grading papers.
    Meeting two tennis buddies today after school – my teams took a collection for me and dad to purchase a tree and shrubs or whatever we want as a a memorial to mom. The amount collected is overwhelming – will be able to purchase stuff for dad’s place as well as mine. Grateful for the care of others.

  • Julie Posted May 8, 2019 7:57 am

    There was no prayer in my home during my youth.
    Prayers of thanks for Bill’s successful surgery and Edy’s obvious relief.
    Prayers for Betsy and her private OT Bible studies.
    Prayers for Robert as he awaits news and continues life in limbo.
    Prayers for Jill, may she be more focused and more patient.
    Prayers for Marcy, may she be released from the hospital soon.
    Prayers for Mary and her father, may his appetite improve.
    Prayers for Connie and her family, may the garden bloom soon.
    Prayers for Andrea and Lowell, Lou and her children, and Rusty.
    Prayers and blessings and warm hugs dear UR family and thank you for your prayers and you all are very dear to me

    • Mary Ng Shwu Ling Posted May 8, 2019 9:37 am

      Thanks everyone for your prayers!

      Praise God that Bill’s surgery was a major success!

      When I was small, my mum would kneel on the bed and pray while my brother and I were drinking milk from our bottles.

      When I was in the seminary, I have a prayer partner and we would go to the roof of our hostel to pray every night.

      Prayers for the sick and all will individual needs. May Godt heal the sick and help the needy.

      Blessings!

  • Andrea Posted May 8, 2019 8:25 am

    Prayer time growing up was a simple grace before dinner “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food” and a simple prayer at bedtime, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. God bless (list of names).” It was an automatic routine. Those are still routine prayer times but my prayers have changed, and I have added Lectio Divina and, sometimes, meditation, plus spontaneous prayers throughout the day.

    I ask for your prayers for my neighbor Sharon, who had a serious traumatic injury to her face from falling on hard concrete in her garage. On Friday, I will accompany her to a consultation appointment with ENT specialist who is a facial trauma surgeon.

    I’m thankful to hear from Edy that Bill’s surgery was a success. I continue to pray that ver soon Robert will receive good news about the condo purchase. Continued prayers for UR friends – Jill and Mary as they grieve the loss of their mothers; Julie – may she soon feel well and be in a more peaceful and positive situation; Marcy, Connie, Lou, Robert and Erich, Edy and Bill, Betsy, April, Pam, Rusty, and for all the people for whom you pray.

    Blessings, all. From my bedroom window I look at the top branches of our oak trees, covered with baby leaves, looking very bright against the pale gray sky. It is windy, everything is swaying, rosy curly bark peals off our one river birch tree, and through all the new leaves I can still see small pockets of the pond down the hill. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

  • Anita Marshall Posted May 8, 2019 10:00 am

    Today’s scripture focus on training our children to love, praise, respect, and obey God and them as faithful parents. Parents must take time to insure that they do for forbid or hinder their children from developing a strong relationship with God. This means teaching them to be willing to sacrifice personal desires in order to love God, themselves, and others. This means showing humility, demonstrating hospitality, engaging in acts of charity and kindness. It also means sacrificing participating in sports and other activities that requires their attendance during times of worship, rejecting and interceding and not supporting acts that include bullying, lying, hiding actions that subvert God’s laws. This begins with prayer for sons and daughters from conception and throughout their lives as mothers and fathers reflect gratitude daily to God for their being made custodiams of God’s precious treasures.

  • Anita Marshall Posted May 8, 2019 10:06 am

    Today’s scripture focus on training our children to love, praise, respect, and obey God and them as faithful parents. Parents must take time to insure that they do not forbid or hinder their children from developing a strong relationship with God. This means teaching them to be willing to sacrifice personal desires in order to love God, themselves, and others. This means showing humility, demonstrating hospitality, engaging in acts of charity and kindness. It also means sacrificing participating in sports and other activities that requires their attendance during times of worship, rejecting and interceding and not supporting acts that include bullying, lying, hiding actions that subvert God’s laws. This means going against modern trend to put others and not themselves first or to gather worthless stuff at the cost of the valuable stuff called “faith”. This begins with prayer for sons and daughters from conception and throughout their lives as mothers and fathers reflect gratitude daily for having been chosen as custodians of God’s precious human treasures.

  • Rev. Anita Marshall Posted May 8, 2019 10:17 am

    Made mistakes in early comments. This is a comment and prayer for mothers and fathers on this coming weekend that highlights “Mothers.”
    Today’s scripture focuses on training our children to love, praise, respect, and obey God and role of parents and the role of all caregivers in preventing our children from becoming dangerous violent, disrespecting, adulterous, lying, and psychotic killers that society is encountering today. Parents must take time to insure that they do not forbid or hinder their children from developing a strong relationship with God. This means teaching them to be willing to sacrifice personal desires in order to love God, themselves, and others. This means showing humility, demonstrating hospitality, engaging in acts of charity and kindness. It also means sacrificing participating in sports and other activities that requires their attendance during times of worship, rejecting and interceding and not supporting acts that include bullying, lying, hiding other actions that subvert God’s laws. This means going against modern trend to put others and not themselves first or to gather worthless stuff at the cost of the most valuable God sanctioned stuff called “faith”. This begins with prayer for sons and daughters from conception and throughout their lives as mothers and fathers reflect gratitude daily for having been chosen as custodians of God’s precious human treasures.

Add Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *