Friday, Week 1

But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
— Matthew 6:6 (BSB)

The cure of souls is Scripture directed and prayer shaped.
— Eugene Peterson

We wait at Your feet, O God, for Your blessing at the close of this day. The darkness is around us — but the darkness and the light are both alike to You. Your care is as perfect and as full of blessings, in the shadows of the night — as in the sunshine of the day.

This has been a profitable day to us. We have been led by You along paths we did not know ourselves, and could not have found but for Your guidance. Forgive us if we were not willing at every step, to take Your way. If any of us have gotten off the road, out of the path, forgive us, and bring us back again before we sleep. We want to take Your plan for our life, and we do not want to mar it by rebelling against You and choosing our own foolish way.

Now at the close of the day, we lay all our work before You. Nothing is finished, until it has Your blessing. Bless the work of our hands. Correct the mistakes. Fill up the beauty of which we have sketched only the barest outlines in our poor efforts. Make all our work holy, and take it into Your own hands, to become part of Your work, to be wrought into Your great plan.

We ask You to bless to others whom we have met today, the influence of our lives upon them. Wherein we have not lived so as to represent Jesus truly to others — may you forgive us. Let no evil influence, go out from our errors.

We pray for all our friends everywhere. We pray for the sick, for the lonely who keep their watch tonight, for the sailor on the sea, for the tempted, the weary, the sorrowing. We ask all these blessings in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.