A Prayer to Begin Your Day

I like reading books on leadership and church development and I like reading books that speak to the soul. One of my favorite authors for the latter is Richard Foster. He has written several books that speak to spiritual formation. He writes with both simplicity and a sense of the profound. His book entitled Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home speaks to me deeply. Each chapter is on a different aspect or kind of prayer and each chapter ends with a sample prayer. Here's one you might find helpful as you begin your day tomorrow. It comes from the chapter entitled, "The Prayer of Relinquishment."

Today, O Lord, I yield myself to You. May Your will be my delight today. May You have perfect sway in me. May your love be the pattern of my living. I surrender to You my hopes, my dreams, my ambitions. Do with them what You will, when You will, as You will. I place into Your loving care my family, my friends, my future. Care for them with a care that I can never give. I release into Your hands my need to control, my craving for status, my fear of obscurity. Eradicate the evil, purify the good, and establish Your Kingdom on earth.

For Jesus’ sake, Amen.