Prayers for the Needed Competencies to Awake Early

by Brian G. Daigle

Prayers for the Physiological Competencies Needed to Awake Early
 
A Noonday Prayer for Early Bedtime
O Lord, who governs the eyes to open and shut, provide my eyes with the proper weight so they would close upon sweet rest. Provide my mind and body rest, that I would complete this evening’s work shortly after the setting sun. That upon the sun’s setting, my evening would be filled with leisure and peace, and that all I didn’t complete this day would not anxiously remain in my heart and mind. Grant me an early bedtime, that I may be prepared to rise and serve thee, oh Prince of peace and Rector of rest. Amen.
 
A Morning Prayer for Exercise
O Lord, creator of our bodies—bones and breath—create in me this day a care for my body and sustain me in proper physical exercise, a delight in walking and general fitness so as to conform my feet and my physique to better serve you and serve others. Grant me moments of solitude and leisure to walk, so that I may give attention to the world around me. Tire my body in this endeavor, so that in being tired I would experience sweet sleep this evening. Amen.
 
A Morning Prayer for Eating Well
O Lord, our provider and curator, we ask this day, as you have modeled, for our daily bread, that this bread would be filling and comforting, that it would point us to your providential and Sabbath table. As we eat, grow in us the virtues of temperance and liberality, that in so eating our fill of good food we would neither forget you nor steal from others. Grant us open hands to share with our brothers and sisters in need. Provide our bodies proper nourishment in our food this day so that when night falls, our bodies would be sustained through the night and given energy for the new day. Amen. 
 
A Morning Prayer for Water
O Lord, our living well which never dries, our dawning dew which never drains, our holy fount which never fouls, provide us this day with both the living water of your Word and fresh water to hydrate our bodies. With each sip, remind us of your care and goodness, that in drinking the waters of this world we would ever more thirst for your righteousness. With our thirst doubly satisfied, weight our bodies to rest this evening and awake early to the rising sun, being driven by a thirst which you both sustain and satisfy. Amen.
 
A Noonday Prayer for an Afternoon Nap
O Lord, our Eternal rest and Potentate of time, open our schedules this afternoon for light and easy rest. Calm our spirits and meditate our minds on your return and coming rule, so that our cares would be situated amid a greater story. Do this for us this day, and so prepare us for a setting sun whose light and warmth moves to awaken the rest of your creation. Provide for us a dull moment that we would be prepared to rest this evening and awaken tomorrow with strength and industry. Amen. 

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Prayers for the Moral Competencies Needed to Awake Early
 
An Evening Prayer for God’s Dawning Grace
O Lord, your wise servant tells us your mercies are new every morning. Before our eyes glimpse tomorrow’s sun, motivate us first with that thought. In the grogginess of morning, turn our attention to your renewed grace and with the rising of the sun, bring to our mind that Son which has shined upon our souls, to enliven our affections to you that tomorrow you would keep our thoughts, our actions, and our speech. Fill our imaginations with the blessings yet to be tasted, and make that the motivating force for our head to forego the pillow in that early light, that we would walk closer with you tomorrow than we have in days past. Amen.
 
A Morning Prayer for Early Gratitude
O Lord, how you watch over your flock by night, how you keep them when they are inanimate and unable to keep themselves. Thank you for keeping us through the night, that we would enter again your present favor. Impart to us early today a heart full of thanksgiving, first for the simple and the mundane, then for the extravagant, for all are given by your hand and all are good if they bring us to you, our chief good. Amen. 
 
A Morning Prayer for Eagerness and Industry
O Lord, maker of heaven and earth, former of the formless, light to the darkness, out of the overflow of your triune being, you made and called it “good.” We ask this morning we would have the same vision, that we would be eager, out of an overflow of fellowship with you, to create, eager to speak the truth, eager to listen, and eager to set our hands faithfully to the plow. Make fruitful our labors this day so that we would be evermore eager each morning to fulfill our vocation, to rise early and labor for your glory. Amen. 
 
An Evening Prayer for Discomfort (or An Invective against Comfortable Pillows)
O Lord, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Our vision is blurred and our expectations are low. Create in us a discomfort for lying in bed too long. Call to our minds the blessings of the day, the story yet to be told, the holiday feast at the sea yet to be shared. May we take from sleep just what we need to carry with joy the work set before us, and nothing more. Let us labor while it’s day, for in due time the grave will lay us low. Amen. 
 
 
Prayers for the Relational Competencies Needed to Awake Early
 
An Evening Prayer for Children, or a Reliable Alarm Clock
O Lord, enliven our womb and fill our quiver so that you may awaken us each morning to the great responsibility of forming our children to love you and love others, that they would see us eager to labor and so be eager themselves in building your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Patter their feet so we hear and attend. Shuffle their toys so we care and befriend. Open anew our eyes this morning to see our children as gifts given again to us this day. Grant us child-like wonder for the children in our home or those who have matured into adulthood. If they do not wake us in eager expectation for the day, alarm us to rise and awaken them with joyous greetings of mercies new. Amen.