NIGHT PRAYER: Monday 8/3

It's hard for me to believe that we've been singing Marty Haugen's setting of Psalm 23, Shepherd Me, O God - for 40 years!  That's just shy of half my lifetime! So many of Marty's songs have become a comforting, challenging part of our spirituality and life of prayer.  Let's take this opportunity to offer a prayer of thanks to God for the gift of Marty Haugen n the life of the Church.

 

Shepherd me, O God,

   through all my ups and downs,
   through my sorrows and my joys
   and through the graces and temptations

      that come my way each day…

 

From here to there,
   from where I am 

      to where I'm meant to be;
from  my past into my future,

   through this night until the dawn,

      from one moment to the next,

Shepherd me, O God…

 

From yesterday's dilemmas

   through the problems of this day

      to the peace your Spirit offers...

Shepherd me, O God…

From memories that hold me back.

   from dreams that haunt my sleep,

      and from fear that holds me captive,

Shepherd me, O God…

From my failings and my sins,

   from my careless, selfish ways

      to the grace of new beginnings...

Shepherd me, O God…

From fantasies and daydreams

   and from lies I tell myself
      to a life that's real and certain,

Shepherd me, O God…

 

From my hair-trigger temper

   and my quick, impatient ways

      to serenity and calm…

Shepherd me, O God…

 

From my risky, foolish ways,

   from my careless, harmful habits

      to the path where Wisdom beckons...

Shepherd me, O God…

From my gluttony and greed,

   and my hoarding and my spending

      to a generous, giving spirit...

Shepherd me, O God…

From my arrogance and pride
   to a humble self-surrender...

Shepherd me, O God…

From lies I've told and retold

   to the truth that sets me free...

Shepherd me, O God…

From all that's less than pure
   to what's clear and clean and chaste...

Shepherd me, O God…

 

From my anger and resentments,

   to mercy and forgiveness...  

Shepherd me, O God…

From my lazy waste of time

   to work that satisfies and serves...

Shepherd me, O God…

From my mindless, aimless wandering
   to paths that lead to you…

Shepherd me, O God…

From my flirting with temptation
   to doing what you ask of me,

Shepherd me, O God…

From prejudice and bias
   to affirmation and acceptance,

Shepherd me, O God…

From wasting what I have
   to sharing generously all that's mine...

Shepherd me, O God…

From hopelessness and fear
   to trust and confidence in you...

Shepherd me, O God…

From feeling sorry for myself
   to gratitude for all my blessings,

Shepherd me, O God…

From doubts that cloud my thoughts
   to deeper faith that clears my soul...

Shepherd me, O God…

 

From beyond my wants,

   from beyond my fears,

      from death into life with you,

Shepherd me, O God…

 

Protect me, Lord, while I’m awake

   and watch over me while I sleep

that awake, I might keep watch with you

   and asleep, rest in your peace…

 

Amen. 

 

Shepherd Me, O God 

    by Marty Haugen  

 

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