Page 52 – Guideposts Articles

A-to-Z Prayer Tips

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Bob Hostetler

We load it down with theological concepts and mystical practices that often do little to help and much to scare off those who just want to connect with God. But prayer is simply talking to God, so let’s simplify and fun-ify (I just made that up) prayer a little bit by making it as easy as ABC:

A Don’t “wish” for things; ask for them (Matthew 21:22).

B Breathe in and breathe out slowly, thanking God for your daily breaths.

C Next time you clap your hands, thank God for whatever prompted your applause.

D D is for “door.” When you enter or exit, thank God that he knows your “going out and coming in” (Psalm 121:8).

E Eat more slowly than usual, savoring each bite, as a way of enjoying God’s good gifts.

F Fast for a meal, a day or from some habit and spend those moments talking to God.

G Give away something you treasure to someone else as an act of sacrifice and prayer.

H Take a hike, in the woods or in a park, and enjoy the beauty of God’s Creation.

I Use instant coffee? Instant oatmeal? Instant anything? Use the preparation time for any “instant” food to pray for patience.

J Say “the Jesus Prayer”: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me” (Luke 18:38, NIV).

K Keep an object in your pocket or purse that, every time you see or touch it, will remind you to pray.

L Light a candle, an ancient and modern way to pray for someone.

M “Make music from your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19, NIV).

N Let the coming of night prompt awareness of God: “By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life” (Psalm 42:8, NIV).

O Open a window (as weather permits) and remind yourself to be open to the Spirit of God’s movement in and around you today.

P If you’re able, park a little farther from the store or gym and use those extra steps and extra moments to talk to God.

Q Spend five minutes in quiet, listening for God’s “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12, KJV).

R “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4, KJV).

S When you smell something lovely, inhale deeply and gratefully, as a form of prayer.

T Tie your shoes while singing a hymn such as “Just a Closer Walk With Thee.”

U When you open or close an umbrella, pray (in word or song) for showers of blessing.

V Open a vein. Literally. Give blood, if you’re able, while praying for the recipient of your donation.

W Whenever you wash your hands, ask God to cleanse your heart, mind and soul.

X The letter X (or “chi” in Greek) is an ancient symbol for Christ; try whispering Jesus’ name each time you write an x.

Y Say “yes” to God as often as possible.

Z Every time you zip something open or closed, ask God to zip your lips when you are tempted to say something you shouldn’t.

A Simple Model for Prayer

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Peola Hicks

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name. (Matthew 6:9)

I have recently started a new feature on the OurPrayer Facebook page called “Ask Peola.” Once a month, we give readers an opportunity to ask questions about prayer and their spiritual lives. One of the recurring questions is about how we should pray to God; is there a specific model for prayer to ensure that God hears and answers?

After several explanations based on Jesus’ message to his disciples about praying to the father in his name, I realized that I was answering a question about prayer—but not the one they asked. The prayer that Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew 6:9-15 is a model. But there is another simple model, one that is easy to remember and accomplishes much of the same things. Pray the acronym ACTS.

A is for adoration. This means showing respect and reverence to the name of the Lord, setting him apart from all other names. C is for confession. Confession can take two forms: relating to the promises of God and asking forgiveness for sins that have been committed. T is for thanksgiving. This is simply having a heart of gratitude for all that God has done. We can also give thanks for things that we expect in the future. S is for supplications and petitions. This is prayer for others as well as ourselves. It is the time to forgive and pray for our daily needs.

None of this is etched in stone, but it is a good way to remember the elements of prayer. You may be able to think of other models that have helped in your prayer life that you could share with others. Praying never goes out of style. The model that Jesus used thousands of years ago still works today. Praying is not hard; this model should get more of us praying.

God bless you!

Are You Willing to Become a House of Prayer?

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Bob Hostetler

God wants you to be a house of prayer. Sounds weird, right? Like saying, “God wants me to be a fried green tomato.”

But on the day Jesus cleansed the Jerusalem Temple, He explained His actions by quoting the Father’s words to the prophet Isaiah: “My house will be called a house of prayer” (Matthew 21:12-13, NIV).

And Paul told the church at Corinth, “your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19, NIV).

No wonder Jesus got so upset when He saw greed, wickedness and exploitation in the Jerusalem Temple, because that’s not what a house of prayer is like, and that temple was a prototype. It represented each of us as followers of Jesus.

“But,” you may say, “I am a lot of things, but I am nowhere near being able to call myself a house of prayer.”

That’s fair. But there was probably a time when you were nowhere near being able to call yourself a follower of Jesus. The question is not, “Am I a house of prayer?” but “Am I willing to cooperate with God in becoming a house of prayer, as God calls me to be?”

If you are, then here are three steps to bring you closer to that place:

1) Ask for a Clean Sweep
As Jesus evicted the moneychangers from the temple, so He will sweep clean the temple of your heart. His actions show us that we can’t become a house of prayer without throwing out the greed, bitterness, unforgiveness, lust, pride or other uncleanness that live within us. Invite Him to make a clean sweep of our souls.

2) Make a Fresh Start
You may be like many who have tried repeatedly to pray every day or to read through the Bible in a year or any number of things to make prayer more a part of your life. And maybe it even worked for a while before you lost momentum. Still, it’s likely that every good habit you have today—such as making your bed or locking up your house at night—was repeated many times before it became habitual. So why not make a fresh start today on something that will change your heart, soul and mind into a more prayerful place?

3) Accept a Humble Beginning
Most of my past efforts at making prayer a daily part of my life failed, not because I wasn’t sincere, but because I was arrogant. Oddly, I tried to start each new prayer habit in a spirit of pride and self-sufficiency. For example, I somehow thought that I, who had hardly been praying at all except to say grace before meals, could start by praying an hour every day! No wonder such resolutions failed. I became more a house of prayer, though, when I bowed before God and asked Him to grant me the grace of a praying heart and made that my first prayer of the day.

Regardless of how prayerful or prayerless you’ve been in the past, try this: make it your goal for the next 28 days (that’s how long they say it takes for a practice to become a habit) to do something more than you’ve been doing to cooperate with God in making you a house of prayer.

That may be five minutes of prayer every morning or a few short prayers at bedtime or enlisting a prayer partner two days a week. Or maybe it’s praying while you exercise or something else entirely. Whatever it looks like for you, start today to let the temple of the Holy Spirit that is your body, heart and soul become more like a house of prayer.

A Reassuring Bedtime Prayer

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Rick Hamlin

Did you have a prayer you said as a kid when you went to bed? It’s been years but recently I recalled the one my parents taught me:

“Jesus, tender shepherd, hear me, bless this little lamb tonight, through the darkness be down near me, keep me safe till morning light.”

Although if you had heard my brother and me say it out loud as kids, we went so fast all those words were scrambled together: jesustendershepherdhearmeblessthislittlelambtonight…like some race we were on and whoever finished first won.

When I look at it now, it strikes me as remarkably sophisticated in its simplicity. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep and they know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. I give up my life for the sheep.”

Did I think of all that when I was four or five years old? Not a chance. But I must have remembered a picture we saw in Sunday school of Jesus holding a lamb in his arms. Like the one of Jesus calling all the kids to Him.

“That’s me,” I thought, and I still do. There are times – plenty of them – when I just need to be held, through darkness, danger, my own dim-wittedness, incipient disaster, the silly demands of my ego.

I like how the prayer brings the Good Shepherd down to me, not like vision of God in my head of the Big Guy in the sky with a beard – not unlike Michelangelo’s God on the Sistine Chapel Ceiling.

This is the prayer we taught our little lambs when they were young. No telling whether our 20-something boys still say it. But then that’s what’s precious about a prayer you were taught as a child. It’s always there inside you, ready to be called to your lips when you need it.

In fact, I might just trot out this prayer tonight when I crawl into bed. Little lambs come in all shapes and sizes. As does darkness. The Good Shepherd is always there.

You have a bedtime prayer? Still say it? Maybe it’s time to call on it again. Think you forgot it? I’ll bet you didn’t. Shut out the light, put away the book or the hand-held screen, close your eyes. Let the comforting words come.

Bless you, bless all of us. Godspeed.

A Perfect Place to Pray: The Dentist’s Chair

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Bob Hostetler

Have a dentist appointment coming up? Have you ever prayed in the dentist’s chair?

I don’t mean “Lord, get me out of here” prayers—or maybe I do. Those are totally valid prayers. But they’re not the only kind that make the dentist a great place to pray.

On a recent visit to the dentist, I faced the prospect of a few hours in the chair. With my mouth open. Sometimes painfully propped open. And while the people there play soothing music over the sound system, I wasn’t looking forward to such a long stretch of time in which I couldn’t read, write or even listen to an audiobook. (Perhaps it’s important to hear the person with the drill saying, “hold still” or “turn your head”).

Then I had a revelation: the dentist’s chair is a great place to pray. And prayer can occupy my mind with better, higher thoughts than, I hope that wasn’t an “uh-oh” I just heard.

So, I tried it. I started by praying (silently, of course, as my mouth was otherwise occupied) for myself—my teeth, gums and so on. Next, I prayed for the dentist and her assistant and for the dental hygienist as well as the office staff. But I didn’t stop there. After all, I had plenty of time at my disposal.

I prayed for my family, one by one. I prayed for my church family, then for my neighbors. I prayed for relatives and friends who are struggling with illness or physical issues. And more.

By the time my dental appointment was over, I had interceded for more people and needs than I had in a long time. I even progressed to giving long and specific thanks and praise to God for…well, so much.

My dental prayer session didn’t make me love being at the dentist or look forward happily to the next time. But the focus on prayer not only assuaged both boredom and pain; it also helped the time to pass much more quickly. And it gave me a stress-relieving, God-saturated plan for all of my future visits.

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A New Way to Pray the Apostles’ Creed

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Bob Hostetler

I was touring Egypt some years ago, when my guide, a Coptic Christian, referred to the importance of a specific prayer in his tradition, comparing it to the Apostles’ Creed in the churches of the Western world.

Until that time, though I had often recited the creed in private and public worship, I hadn’t considered it to be a prayer—though it always ended with “amen.”

The Apostles’ Creed is an ancient statement of Christian belief, dating to at least the 4^th century A.D. and possibly much earlier. Its exact wording differs in various churches and denominations, but it’s always something like the following:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of the saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

I suppose I didn’t relate to it as a prayer because it’s not addressed to God; it refers to each member of the Trinity, but in the third person. However, though I’ve continued to recite it regularly in the course of my prayers, since that conversation with my Coptic friend, I’ve also occasionally turned it slightly to enhance my private worship. Like this:

I believe in You, God, my Father.
You are almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in You, Jesus Christ, the Father’s only Son, our Lord.
I believe You were conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
You suffered under Pontius Pilate,
were crucified, died, and were buried.
You descended to the dead.
On the third day You rose again.
You ascended into heaven,
and are seated at the right hand of the Father.
You will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in You, Holy Spirit,
and in the holy catholic Church,
the communion of the saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

It’s a slight change, but one that has made the creed even more precious to me. I hope it will do the same for you.

A New Way to Pray for God’s Will

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Bob Hostetler

I’m pretty sure I’ve prayed the Lord’s Prayer since preschool, and I’ve prayed it daily for many years. So, I figure I’ve prayed “Thy will be done” thousands of times. Sometimes, when I’m feeling most submissive and surrendered, I even pray, “not my will, but Thine be done,” as Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.

For all my experience, however, it’s not easy to pray it sincerely. I want to mean it. I hope I mean it. And maybe, of the thousands of times I’ve prayed it, I’ve really meant it a hundred times. And that may be a tad optimistic.

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But I’ve learned another way to pray for God’s will that helps me do so a lot more honestly and sincerely. It doesn’t feel as spiritual as “Thy will be done,” or as abandoned as “not my will, but Thine.” But it sure has been a help.

Much of the time, when I pray, I pretty much know what I want. I even think I know what God wants. (After all, in the Bible He says a lot about the things He wants: love, grace, mercy, justice, life and so on.) For example, if I pray for someone to come to an experience of new life through faith in Jesus Christ, praying “Thy will be done” can feel redundant. The Bible already says that God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9, KJV). Similarly, when I pray to become more like Jesus, I know that “this is the will of God, even [my] sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3, KJV). And so it goes.

But “Thy will be done” isn’t always so clear. I know that God’s thoughts are not my thoughts, and His ways are not my ways, as Isaiah 55:8 makes clear. His timing is hardly ever my timing, and His tactics and strategies are often inscrutable to me. At such moments, my new way of praying for God’s will comes in handy. In this case, I’ll pray according to my (admittedly limited) wisdom and then add, “unless you have a better idea.”

Of course, God’s ideas are always better than mine, and I’ll often say so when I pray that way. His will is a “good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2, NIV), always. That’s the context of my prayer, “unless you have a better idea.”

It’s not fancy. And maybe it won’t feel right to you, but it helps me remember that God’s in charge. He’s much smarter than I am, and I want everything I ask of Him to be granted only if and when it’s His idea too.

A Good Time to Pray? When You Can’t Sleep

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Pablo Diaz

According to the National Center for Sleep Disorders Research, up to 40 percent of the population experiences signs of insomnia every year. There are many triggers for insomnia including health problems, stress, medications, substance abuse, anxiety and aging. While some people don’t battle insomnia, occasionally they may wake up in the middle of the night and be unable to get back to sleep. When younger, if I couldn’t sleep I tried a variety of things: counting backwards, watching television and reading. Sometimes it worked, but typically not. I would think about all the things that needed to get done the following day or unresolved issues.

The inability to fall back asleep used to frustrate me, but not anymore. Now I see it as an opportunity to pray; to be still in the presence of God. I have come to realize that talking with God is the best use of this time. In these quiet times, I unload my worries and concerns, and seek His guidance. This is also a great time to pray for others who are battling their own issues. Nothing releases me of my worries more than praying for others.

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Some of my best conversations with God have taken place before the sun has risen. Everything around me is quiet, dark, still and motionless. There are no distractions. His presence gives me peace and eventually I can fall back asleep even if it’s only for a short time. No longer do I see this time as wasted. When you can’t sleep, talk with God and remember Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” When do you find it best to talk with God? Please share.

Lord, in our sleepless nights, You are there for us. Hear our prayers.

Having trouble getting a good night’s sleep? Download Abide for Christian sleep meditations that use calming techniques and Scripture verses framed in calming stories to lull you into a peaceful slumber.

A Farewell Prayer

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Rick Hamlin

Ever wonder if you should go to a funeral or not? Go. You’re meant to be there.

That’s how I thought of Carmen’s funeral. A long-time member of our church, she died last Saturday at age 87 – at least that’s how old the program said she was. She seemed ageless to me.

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Was I her best friend? Goodness no. Did I feel loved by her? Goodness yes. Did she know how to spread love to many? Yes, indeed, that was her gift.

She might have had few words, but she had a dazzling smile and the warmest handshake. At church she was the first to notice when anyone new showed up; at coffee hour she would be the first to grab their hand and lead them to someone she was sure they should meet.

I’ve been to church committee meetings where people have strategized about how to make sure visitors feel welcome. Carmen was a committee of one in that department.

For many years she and her elderly mother came to church and I could tell that her mother worried about what would happen to Carmen when she was gone.

She shouldn’t have. Carmen took care of the church; the church would look after Carmen.

People visited her at her care facility. Her name would pop up on the prayer list. When the latest photo directory was compiled, there was Carmen, older and frailer, but still with the dazzling smile.

Over 30 years ago Carol and I got married at this same church. We decided on a small ceremony, just family and a few close friends.

“But you know,” Carol said, as though explaining a little known rule of etiquette, “anyone from the church community is allowed to come. That’s just how it works.”

Most of our church friends were too polite to show up uninvited. Not Carmen. She dispensed with all such formalities. She came in a new dress and a shiny pair of Mary Janes. Hers is the widest smile in all the photographs.

We prayed for Carmen at the funeral. “A sheep of your fold, a lamb of your own flock,” said the minister. “Receive her into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light.”

Here on earth she had let that light shine.

9 Inspiring Quotes from Saint Francis of Assisi

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Ashley Lateef

Reading Saint Francis quotes can be a great way to remember the simplicity of faith, the enduring power of hope, and the importance of nature.

Saint Francis of Assisi was born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone in 1181 or 1182. He was born to a successful cloth merchant and spent his early adulthood enjoying a wealthy life, with parties and charming friends. Then, in his 20s, he heard the voice of God call him to a life of service. In a stirring announcement of his intentions to live a life of poverty, Francis stripped off his clothes and gave them to his father. He then went to live in the nearby woods. He’d completely abandoned his life of luxury for a life of faith.

Saint Francis had a deep connection to nature, particularly to animals. Stories abound of his love for God’s creatures. He often called animals “brother” and “sisters,” preached to birds, and stopped a wolf from attacking by persuading it. One of his most famous works, Canticles of the Creatures, Saint Francis praises the Lord for His creation of nature, specifically the sun, the moon, the stars, the wind, and the water. He died in 1226 in his hometown of Assisi, Italy. He became a saint in 1228.

Today, Saint Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals, ecology, and the environment. The Feast of Saint Francis occurs every year on October 4. Churches of various denominations (Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, etc.) honor Saint Francis by offering prayers and blessings for animals. People bring beloved pets and their livestock to their church for this event. It is an opportunity to give thanks for the animals that enrich their lives— and commemorate the man who reminded us to give thanks for this Earth.

We hope you find inspiration in these Saint Francis quotes (attributed to or inspired by him):

8 Ways to Pray With Your Body

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Bob Hostetler

I first encountered the Jewish practice of shucklen—a Yiddish word which means to shake or rock) at the Western Wall (or Kotel) in Jerusalem. Many of the worshipers who lined the ancient wall that once supported the Temple rocked back and forth as they prayed—some slowly, some frenetically.

No one knows for sure how this practice began. But one midrash suggests why it became a common practice:

A person is required to sway during prayer, as it is written: “all my bones shall proclaim: O God, who is like You!” (Psalms 35:10). . . . And this is the custom of the Rabbis of France and her pious ones.

I have heard others explain, similarly, that shucklen constitutes literal obedience to the command to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5, NIV)—that is, with your “bodily” strength.

That is just one way to put your physical strength into your prayers. Others include:

1) Standing
Standing to pray was the most common posture for prayer in Jesus’ day. He referred to the Pharisees standing in the synagogues and on street corners to pray, condemning not their posture but their pride. He told His own disciples, “When you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:25, NIV).

2) Lifting Up Hands
Psalm 134:2 says, “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord” (NIV). Lifting our hands—palms to the sky—is a physical way of reaching out to God and asking for His help. Paul urged, “In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God” (1 Timothy 2:8, NLT).

3) Bowing
Orthodox and Roman Catholic worshipers often bow in worship (for example, bowing is the proper response to the “Gloria Patri” in liturgy); others, however, do so less often (if ever). But bowing is a great posture for worship and prayer. I tend to bow (slightly) when singing a worship song that extols God’s holiness or mentions His kingship or His throne. “Come, let us bow down in worship,” sang the psalmist (Psalm 95:6a, NIV).

4) Kneeling
Kneeling at one’s bedside or at a church altar is less common than it once was, but kneeling is a helpful posture in prayer. It reminds the person who is praying that he or she is a supplicant and a needy beggar asking for favor. “Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,” the psalmist sang, “for He is our God” (Psalm 95:6b-7a, NIV).

Ask the OurPrayer team to pray for you!

5) Lying prostrate
The Bible says that “Abram fell facedown” while talking to God (Genesis 17:3). No posture better embodies humility than lying prostrate before God, and (for me, at least) no posture better concentrates the mind and spirit. While it may more often be done in private rather than public worship, I have done both.

6) Lying supine
Those who are sick or bedridden often pray while lying on their backs. Even if that is not the only posture available to you, praying in a supine position can be beneficial. One of my favorite prayer practices is lying on my back on a hilltop or in a meadow on a fair day, with my eyes open, praying as I watch the clouds roll by.

7) Sitting
In my evening prayers, I almost always sit and journal my prayers in a notebook on my lap. You might place an empty chair next to your favorite place to sit and carry on your conversation with Jesus as if he were seated next to you. You might even pour Him a cup of coffee and start your prayers, “Good morning, Lord.”

8) Pacing
I have often found that pacing—particularly when my prayers seem urgent or numerous—helps to focus my thoughts and words a little better. The 20th century pastor, Oswald J. Smith, said his prayer practice was to clear the furniture from the center of the room and pace back and forth while praying.

Of course, God is more concerned with the position of our hearts in prayer than of our bodies. But our posture can often reflect our hearts and focus our minds, and thus lead us more quickly—and perhaps deeply—into the place where God wants to meet us.

7 Ways to Pray with Shakespeare

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Bob Hostetler

I am something of a Shakespeare nut. I have read—and seen performed—all of his plays, most of them many times. I can sit in a performance of Hamlet or Much Ado About Nothing and laugh like a madman or cry like a baby at the beauty of his thoughts and words.

Of course, many people start to nod off as soon as his name is mentioned. They recall droning lectures and 9th grade readings of Romeo and Juliet.

But even people who think Shakespeare is oh-so-boring, have been enriched, even shaped, by his words—from “To be or not to be” to “Neither a borrower nor a lender be” and “The quality of mercy is not strained.”

Such thoughts and words have long shaped my life and my writing (so much so that I wrote The Bard and the Bible (A Shakespeare Devotional), a book of daily readings that pairs a quote from Shakespeare, a verse from the King James Bible (created in the same period and the same city as Shakespeare’s works), and a short reflection that compares or contrasts the two.

In recent years, Shakespeare’s words have even shaped my praying, as I have often echoed the Bard’s words in my prayers:

1) A Morning Prayer
Some days it feels as though I am heading out to do battle, as Henry V did before the battle of Agincourt. So I will sometimes make his short prayer of trust and abandonment my own:

How thou pleasest, God, dispose the day!

(Henry V, IV, 3)

2) A Prayer of Confession
Though I’ve never killed my brother (or married his wife!), I have occasionally adapted the confession of Claudius in Hamlet to begin my own prayers of confession, remembering that “All may be well” when we confess our sins and experience God’s pardon:

O wretched state! O bosom black as death!

O limed soul, that struggling to be free

Art more engag’d. Help, angels! Make assay,

Bow, stubborn knees, and heart, with strings of steel,

Be soft as sinews of the newborn babe.

All may be well.

(Hamlet, III, 3)

3) A Prayer of Petition
In As You Like It, Orlando’s encounter with the exiled duke starts off badly. But he apologizes, explaining that he hopes his gentleness from that moment on will make up for his previous conduct. He says,

Let gentleness my strong enforcement be.

(As You Like It, II, 7)

I have made Orlando’s prayer my own on numerous occasions when I regretted my actions and, after swallowing my pride, tried to make a new start . . . with gentleness.

Ask Guideposts’ OurPrayer team to pray for you!

4) A Prayer for Gratitude
Among the first words Henry VI speaks in one of three history plays that tell the story of his reign are these:

O Lord, who lends me life,

lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.

(Henry VI, Part II, I, 1)

He applies the words to his gratitude for his wife, but I have applied those words to a multitude of settings.

5) A Prayer of Praise
I also frequently “repurpose” Florizel’s words, which he spoke in The Winter’s Tale to praise his sweetheart, Perdita:

What you do

Still betters what is done.

(The Winter’s Tale, IV, 4)

I make those lines a prayer of praise to God. When I see an amazing sunset, hear a moving song,or glimpse a blooming flower, I pray, “What you do still betters what is done.”

6) A Wedding Prayer
In the last act of Henry V, Queen Isabel of France prays the following for her daughter as she is given in marriage to the victorious King of England after the battle of Agincourt:

God, the best maker of all marriages,

Combine your hearts in one.

(Henry V, V, 2)

Though the participants rarely recognize it as a quote from Shakespeare, I will occasionally pronounce the above prayer in a wedding ceremony or pen them in a wedding card.

7) A Prayer of Trust
Shakespeare’s last recorded prayer may be contained in the first line of his last will and testament, dated January 25, 1616, just three months before he died:

I commend my soul into the hands of God my Creator, believing through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Savior, to be made a partaker of life everlasting.

It resembles the prayer of Jesus on the cross, recorded in Luke 23:46: “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,” which was in Shakespeare’s day a part of the funeral service in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.

These are not the only prayers found in Shakespeare, but they are the seven I recall and repeat most often. If they turn out to be helpful to you in putting a little more poetry into your prayers, I will say, “Amen, amen” (Coriolanus, III, 3).